I found comments working fine with a 280w PSU on the link above I'll post few peoples comments. One person used a SF case. Reason why I mentioned about upgrading bios as I came across more information about PCI Express 1.0a at factory bios and updating allows increases the chance for graphic cards at 2.2 working. Makes them backward compatible or something, ill find the link about that later. Someone tested with bios version 2.6.4, I upgraded from factory version to 2.6.6. I colored the interesting information in blue and red for what you asked above.

By SpeedySpod

Amazon Verified Purchase

I took a little gamble here as I wanted to upgrade my Dell Dimension C521 (built in 2006 + still running Windows XP) without breaking the bank. I chose the 'VTX Radeon HD5450 with 1GB DDR3', because, after intense research, it seems one of the lowest energy-demanding compared with Sapphire or Asus which are already >512mb DDR3 are really power-hungry and therefore require a bigger PSU of at least 450W if not more.

Installation is pretty straight-forward within 5-10 min. I had to switch first to 'low profile' due to a slim chassis and then install the hardware into the PCIe(16) slot plus drivers (HD, VGA + audio) from the CD. Just one little hicc-up: the cable to the VGA port is about an inch too short for proper mounting into the slot at the back of my Dell PC. I just left it open as I don't mind to improve in this way air-cooling, which may not be a bad solution at all in case the card gets too hot somehow as it is equipped only with a heat-sink.

Recommended is an at least 350 Watt delivering PSU. Mine dishes out only 280 Watt (so is below minimum requirements), but it works pretty well and is very quiet. So far no crashes after test-driving it the whole day with several reboots. But hey, there's only a 2 year - guarantee on it (normal seems 3 years for graphic cards?), so I might tell you beforehand if I should get problems with one of the three capacitors as I wonder about the longevity of this card. All over, that was my biggest worry that I've picked up a too big graphic card without having the correct power supply for it, but no sign so far - what a relief!!!

Regards online gaming I'm mainly interested in Runescape in HD without any annoying lagging and for this purpose alone it is pretty impressive. I havn't tried any other games, yet. According to the box the card is enabled for DirectX 11, has ATI CrossFireX Technology up to quad GPU support, works with Blu-ray via dual-stream + PIP capabilities asf...

Regards graphics it advertises 'high performanace anisotropic filtering and 24x custem filter anti-aliasing (CFAA) smott jagged edges and true-to-life graphics', which may be a little too much for my humble 'value' 15" Dell monitor up which I can now run potentially to [2048 x 1536] pixel resolution (which makes my small screen 'huge' and involves a lot of wheeling on the mouse, lol). I run it best now on [1920 x 1200] which is by itself a great improvement. Also online video players (like BBC iplayer) work really great in HD and 'big screen' mode, again with no lagging. So truly, to me this card seems to live up to its promises, if not more... I can highly recommend this one to the 'occasional gamer' on a low budget, if one can overlooks the somewhat too short attachment of the VGA port when in LP mode.

By W. H. J. Yip

Amazon Verified Purchase

Okay, so I know a little about computers and all that jazz. But I like things simple, so my review will be written from a layman's point of view.

If you are using Windows 7, you might have come across the Windows Experience Index (WEI), which is a rating from 1.0 to 7.9 of five different factors that can affect the efficiency of your computer. I'll give you my old setup compared to new, with WEI ratings for the two relevant factors (Windows Aero; business and gaming graphics)

My system is a Dell Optiplex 745, 8GB of RAM, with Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3000 (integrated)

OLD WEI ratings (using integrated video card)

Windows Aero: 3.4

Business and gaming graphics: 3.1

NEW WEI ratings (using this HD5450 card)

Windows Aero: 5.6

Business and gaming graphics: 6.0

Bear in mind the ratings go from 1.0 to 7.9 - I think 6.0 is very good for such a low cost card. Also, the ratings were BEFORE I decided to overclock the card. What you get with the card is a CD with software, and this software allows you to overclock your new card to run even faster! So whilst I can't imagine this graphics card being able to run the latest games at high resolution with fast FPS, everything I need runs efficiently and fast.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

You receive the card with a standard profile bracket plus two optional low profile brackets. There were no instructions, but it wasn't hard to work out that you need to remove 4 tiny metal nuts, remove the standard profile bracket, and then you attached the two low profile brackets to the card.

Basically, one small bracket holds the HDMI & DVI ports, and the other small bracket holds the VGA port. In essense, unless you use HDMI or DVI, you'll end up using TWO PCI slots to run this graphics card. The reason is because the HDMI & DVI ports are on the PCI card itself, where the VGA slot is at the end of a flat cable that's appended to the side of the PCI card.

I currently use a VGA monitor, so that means both my free PCI slots have now been taken up. This isn't an issue for me, as I have no other use for the slots. The PC itself has 8 USB slots already, so I don't need a PCI card to give me more; and I don't use the PC for full-on gaming so I don't need a dedicated surround sound audio card (in fact, the integrated sound card already caters for Dolby 5.1).

In terms of what I bought the graphics card for, it's fulfilled that promise - hence I rate it 5 out of 5. But if you're looking for a low profile graphics card and have just ONE free PCI slot, this isn't the right card for you unless you're using HDMI or DVI.

By Carl

I purchased this for use in a Dell Optiplex GX620 small form factor PC. The original card blew and I needed a low profile card to go into the case. The VTX comes with a small form factor plate, there's no fitting instructions for that but it's straightforward; unscrew the existing plate by unscrewing the DVI mounting bolts, unplug the VGA plug from the main board, mount the low profile plate using the same DVI bolts. Just be sure to match the 'L' shape of the low profile bracket to the one you just removed.

Installation went without a hitch, Catalyst Control Centre managed the install and driver update process.

Performance seems good, certainly good for the price and definitely an improvement on the original Dell fitment, but that is several years old.