ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5145

The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5145 is a mobile graphics processor from AMD, built on the TeraScale architecture and utilizing the M92 chip. Manufactured on a 55 nm process at TSMC, this end-of-life part was released in early 2010 and occupies the 50th percentile among all GPUs in the database, though it carries an average benchmark score of zero, indicating a lack of standardized performance data. The specifications reveal a modest design aimed at basic portable computing tasks rather than high-end gaming.

Benchmark Performance

The most striking aspect of this GPU’s profile is the complete absence of benchmark scores and nearest rivals in the data. With `benchmarks` returning an empty array and `nearestRivals` listing no competitors, quantitative performance analysis is severely constrained. The only performance indicators available are theoretical throughput figures derived from the fixed-function units. The GPU delivers 115.2 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, 5.760 GTexel/s of texture fill rate, and 2.880 GPixel/s of pixel rate. These numbers, while exact, lack comparative context.

Given the 50th percentile ranking, the data implies this GPU sits at the median of all GPUs ever tracked, but that ranking conflicts with the zero average score. The percentile is likely based on specification prevalence rather than measured performance. The 80 shading units and 4 ROPs suggest a chip designed for 720p or lower resolutions with reduced detail settings. The pixel rate of 2.880 GPixel/s indicates that at 1080p (approximately 2.07 million pixels per frame), the GPU could theoretically render around 1.4 frames per second if entirely pixel-bound, though real workloads are far more complex. Texture rate of 5.760 GTexel/s similarly limits complex surface shading.

Without rival deltas or synthetic scores, the only honest interpretation is that the HD 5145 was engineered for basic 3D acceleration, not for frame-rate-critical applications. The FP32 output of 115.2 GFLOPS places it in an era where integrated graphics were catching up, but this discrete solution maintains a dedicated memory interface. The 55 nm process node and 242 million transistors suggest a small, power-conscious die measuring 73 mm², which aligns with its 15 W TDP envelope.

Who Should Consider It

Based on the raw specifications, this GPU is appropriate for users who require hardware acceleration for legacy operating systems and basic productivity applications. The 512 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus yields 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for framebuffer operations at 1366x768 or 1280x720 resolutions. For Windows Vista or Windows 7-era applications using DirectX 10.1, this GPU can handle Aero effects and video playback acceleration.

Gamers should not consider this part. The 4 ROPs and 8 TMUs create a bottleneck that prevents playable frame rates at any modern resolution. Even at 800x600 with low detail, the pixel throughput of 2.880 GPixel/s would struggle with titles from 2010 onward. The memory bandwidth of 14.40 GB/s is roughly one-tenth of what contemporary entry-level cards offered, making texture-heavy scenes impossible. This is a GPU for office documents, web browsing, and DVD-quality video — not for gaming or creative workloads.

The PCIe 2.0 x16 interface is standard for its era, and display outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning laptop manufacturers implemented their own connector schemes. Users should verify that their laptop's display panel resolution does not exceed 1600x900, as the limited fill rate would cause visible lag in graphical user interfaces.

How It Compares

The `nearestRivals` field is empty, so no direct competitive positioning can be established from the data. The predecessor is listed as M8x, and the successor is Manhattan, but no performance deltas are provided. This absence of comparison data is itself informative: the HD 5145 likely occupied a low-volume niche in the mobile market, with few directly comparable SKUs from AMD or competitors. The lack of rivals in the database suggests that benchmark submissions for this part are rare or nonexistent, reinforcing its status as a low-tier OEM component.

Without rival scores or percentage differences, any comparative statement would be speculative. The data only allows for the observation that the GPU exists in the 50th percentile, which is likely a statistical artifact of its specifications rather than measured performance. The 15 W TDP indicates it was positioned for thin-and-light laptops, competing more with integrated graphics than other discrete solutions.

FAQ

Q: What DirectX version does the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5145 support?

A: The GPU supports DirectX 10.1, specifically the 10_1 feature level, and OpenGL 3.3. It does not support Vulkan.

Q: How much video memory does this GPU have, and what type?

A: It has 512 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, providing 14.40 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What is the thermal design power of this mobile GPU?

A: The TDP is 15 W, which is modest for a discrete mobile graphics processor.

Q: What is the manufacturing process for this chip?

A: It is fabricated on a 55 nm process at TSMC, with 242 million transistors on a 73 mm² die.

Q: Is this GPU suitable for modern gaming?

A: No. With 80 shading units, 4 ROPs, and 115.2 GFLOPS of FP32 compute, it cannot handle modern game requirements.

Q: What is the memory clock speed?

A: The memory runs at 900 MHz, which translates to 1800 Mbps effective data rate.

Q: When was this product released?

A: The release date is January 6, 2010, and it is now end-of-life.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

This GPU has no ray tracing capabilities. The `rtCores` field is null, and `tensorCores` is also null, confirming that hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI-driven features are absent. The architecture is TeraScale, which predates the GCN, Polaris, and RDNA families that eventually introduced these features. The feature set is limited to what DirectX 10.1 offers: shader model 4.1, geometry shaders, and stream output. OpenGL 3.3 support allows for modern (at the time) fragment and vertex shader capabilities.

The lack of Vulkan support further restricts modern API compatibility. All rendering must go through legacy DirectX 10.1 or OpenGL 3.3 paths. The 80 shading units are arranged in a TeraScale configuration, which uses VLIW5 architecture (very long instruction word, 5-wide). This design was efficient for the era's workloads but poorly suited to modern compute-heavy shaders. The absence of tensor cores means no DLSS or similar upscaling, and no machine learning inference. For feature-set analysis, the data shows a bare-bones implementation focused purely on rasterization with no forward-looking technologies.

Power and Cooling

The TDP is 15 W, which is a low figure for a discrete GPU. This allows for passive cooling solutions in thin laptops, but the actual cooling implementation depends on the laptop design. The `suggestedPsu` field is null, and `powerConnectors` is also null, which is typical for mobile parts that draw power from the motherboard rather than a dedicated PSU. The 15 W envelope means that no external power delivery is required beyond the PCIe 2.0 x16 slot's standard 75 W capability, though in laptops the connection is proprietary.

The 55 nm process node is relatively old, meaning that the 15 W TDP is achieved through low clock speeds and a small die rather than efficiency improvements. The transistor density of 3.3M / mm² is low compared to later nodes, but this is a function of the 55 nm lithography. The 242 million transistor count is modest, and the 73 mm² die size allows for inexpensive manufacturing. Given the low TDP, the cooling solution in any laptop would be minimal — likely a small heatsink with a low-speed fan or passive heatpipe. The absence of a suggested PSU specification is notable, as desktop parts typically have this field populated, confirming this is exclusively a mobile component.

Memory Subsystem

The memory subsystem is the most limiting factor for this GPU's performance. It has 512 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 14.40 GB/s. This is a severely constrained configuration. The 64-bit bus width means that memory transactions are halved compared to a 128-bit design, and the 14.40 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for high-resolution textures or anti-aliasing. The memory clock of 900 MHz (1800 Mbps effective) is low by GDDR3 standards, further reducing throughput.

For a 512 MB framebuffer at 1080p, the GPU would need to manage 2.07 million pixels per frame, each requiring color, depth, and possibly stencil data. The 14.40 GB/s bandwidth means that at 60 frames per second, the GPU could only move about 0.24 GB of data per frame, which is entirely inadequate for modern game assets. Even at 720p, the bandwidth would be stretched thin with multi-textured scenes. The 4 ROPs, which handle pixel writes, are the primary bottleneck. With 2.880 GPixel/s, the ROPs can write a 720p frame (0.92 million pixels) in about 0.32 milliseconds, but the memory bandwidth then limits how fast textures can be fetched. The combination of 64-bit bus, low clock speed, and small cache hierarchy means that this GPU is only suitable for resolutions up to 1366x768 with conservative settings. The 512 MB capacity is also a hard limit; any game requiring more than 512 MB of video memory will fail to load or resort to system memory over the PCIe bus, which is dramatically slower.