Moving away from 5770, on budget, need advice

[culex]

It's been years since I really upgraded anything on this rig and I'm gonna switch out the CPU, mobo and video card. Only thing I upgraded last was the video card and it's currently a 5770. Currently sitting on stock E8400 with 4GB RAM. Below is what I believe my final swap WILL be minus card.

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System Specifications:

I. Processor/CPU: Intel 2500K
II. Current Graphics Card: XFX HD 5770
III. Display Resolution: 1920 x 1200
IV. Power Supply Unit Specification (Brand, Wattage, Ampage, Age). If possible, please provide a link to a website containing the power supply specifications:
First gen Corsair 650 watt
V. Case Specifications(N/A, Model, Length, Low Profile, Cooling, HTPC, Water, Silent): Standard ATX

I. Budget? Please be sure to include currency (If not USD), retailer preferences & specify whether rebates are a viable option. Not looking to spend more than around $250 but would prefer to spend less if possible.

II. Any particular preferences (Manufacturer[nV or AMD], Brand[XFX, Sapphire, EVGA, etc], Cooling Solutions)? No

III. Do you plan to have any Multi-GPU solutions such as Crossfire or SLI? Not planning on either.

V. What are your needs for this GPU? Which games(If any)do you intend to play? If you have this information at hand, what are the desired detail levels?
Nothing major. SWTOR and eventually Diablo III. Can live without crazy AA.

VI. Do you plan on overclocking the card you intend to purchase?
Not unless I really have to.

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So after reading up, I'm basically looking at 7850 which seems to be around my budget and seemingly looks to fit my needs. I don't need anything hugely powerful, just good enough to run smooth on a decent detail level settings. Again, I don't need a high level of AA or anything like that.

So with 7850 in mind, should I also look at some of the lower and cheaper cards that may be just as good for what I'm describing above?

Thanks.

 

[Phynaz]

7850 is a nice upgrade. It was my choice until Nvidia released their new cards. Now I'm waiting to see what the gtx660 is going to be.

 

[FalconHorse]

I don't know much about SWTOR, but I don't think D3 needs much in the way of video card power. Might want to look at the 6870 deals that are going on right now. I think the 7850 would be much better in the long run (for future games), though.

 

[SickBeast]

The 7850 is very nice but it's more useful for the demanding games like Crysis and Battlefield 3.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

If you're not gonna overclock then I'd get a Radeon HD 6870 instead. Star Wars: TOR in particular will run at your resolution with maxed settings and 4x MSAA on a 6870 at 50+ FPS. Diablo III, it can be assumed, won't be that taxing on a system and so I'd put it at around 60 FPS at the same settings and AA with the 6870, too.

In particular, I'd recommend the HIS version with the Ice-Q cooler because it's quieter and will run the card cooler than the other cards in the same price range. You also said no CF/SLI, so going with a card with an internal exhaust is a good choice.

 

[Jaydip]

Check this and this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161389
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161406

 

[Concillian]

Yeah, no AA needs and a 7850 is major overkill. 6870 seems a better fit, but if you are set on spending $250, a 7850 will last longer than a 6870 and is a great card to get your feet wet in overclocking if you later decide it's not enough for you.

 

[culex]

Tough choices, but all very good suggestions. Thanks! I did need a lower power card suggestions just to see what the pros and cons are for taking either so thanks for those suggestions. Easiest part now i guess is to see what the price difference would justify.

 

[-Slacker-]

You don't need a new video card for Diablo III or swtor... and not sure about the last, but you don't need a 2500k for Diablo III either. The beta runs fine on both a 2500k and a e8400 at the highest settings