The 1.5.0-dev branch throughout 2021 was characterized by bleeding-edge updates. Unlike stable releases, which focus on rigorous testing for stability, these builds provided immediate access to new technical advancements. 1. Significant Vulkan Renderer Enhancements
A perfect example of why users specifically searched for "1.5.0 dev builds" in 2021 is the presence (or removal) of the "Sprite" rendering hack. On the official PCSX2 forums, users asked explicitly for the 1.5.0 version because pcsx2 150 dev build 2021
To run these builds well, the recommended hardware for 1080p upscaling in 2021 would have looked something like this: pcsx2 150 dev build 2021