Radeon HD 5550 vs Radeon X1800

Speed and memory

The Radeon HD 5550 and the Radeon X1800 are within a few percent of each other for gaming in our model, so you will not see a difference in play.

The Radeon HD 5550 has 1 GB of video memory and the Radeon X1800 has shared GB. That is a small difference and unlikely to decide anything.

In our estimates for popular games at 1080p on High, the biggest gap is in Red Dead Redemption 2 (1 against 3 fps), and the smallest is in Grand Theft Auto V Legacy (7 against 10 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The Radeon HD 5550 is rated at 40 W and the Radeon X1800 at 70 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 450 W for the first and 450 W for the second. The power draw is close enough that cooling and noise will be similar.

At launch the Radeon HD 5550 cost $69 and the Radeon X1800 $299. Per dollar, the Radeon HD 5550 gave more performance (0.7 points per $100 against 0.2). Current prices differ, so run the same sum on what you can actually buy today.

Which one to buy

Choose the Radeon HD 5550 if you want the faster card, and it also has at least as much memory. It makes the most sense at 1440p and above, or on a monitor with a high refresh rate.

Choose the Radeon X1800 if the price gap matters more than the small speed difference. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.