Want to upgrade...Help me decide please

[Boseaphus]

I currently have a Evga 9800 GT that has treated me very well over the years.
I would like to upgrade a bit, not pay too much and finally bring myself up to take advantage of DX11 and increase my FPS.

I would love to stay with EVGA if possible (I've had great service from them over the years) and Nvidia but both of those things are not deal breakers for me.

I don't need to OC and my gaming is pretty average (D3, COD, LOTRO, fallout, Skyrim, etc...) My 9800 plays all of these but without all the bells and whistles.

I admit being a noob when it comes to GPU's but that's why I'm here (the forums here have always been helpful as well). Here's a card I was looking at. This is within my price range, will work on my current hardware but wanted your thoughts if there was something similar that was much better for a similar cost.

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-M...rBy=addTwoStar

Thanks.

 

[guskline]

Please tell us your computer specs. It will help on recommendations.

 

[DrBoss]

I've been pushing this thing all day, but...

I'm selling a 1 year old MSI Radeon 6950 2GB for $175. Current retail price is $260.
Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...pk=msi%20r6950
For Sale Thread: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2249233&highlight=msi+r6950

Here is a comparison between the card you list, and a reference R6950: http://www.hwcompare.com/9709/geforce-gtx-550-ti-vs-radeon-hd-6950/
The Radeon 6950 is significantly faster than the 550ti, and the factory overclocked R6950 i'm selling is on average 5% faster than the reference design.

 

[Boseaphus]

Please tell us your computer specs. It will help on recommendations.

I'll do my best away from my computer
CPU - I5
MoBo - gigabyte (i wish i could remember the model #)
HD - 120 SSD Hyper3, 1TB WD, 1TBWD
PSU - Corsair 500W Mod. (Called EVGA to make sure we're good here with the card i linked and they said it was good to go)
Current GPU- 9800GT
8GB ram - can't remember specs
Win 7 home ed.

 

[DrBoss]

I'll do my best away from my computer
CPU - I5
MoBo - gigabyte (i wish i could remember the model #)
HD - 120 SSD Hyper3, 1TB WD, 1TBWD
PSU - Corsair 500W Mod. (Called EVGA to make sure we're good here with the card i linked and they said it was good to go)
Current GPU- 9800GT
8GB ram - can't remember specs
Win 7 home ed.

500watt is good capacity power supply for a single GPU rig.

With regard to the card i'm selling, the only other compatibility question would be the amount of space inside your case. The R69500 Twin Frozr III 2GB is 10.83 inches long.

 

[SolMiester]

What resolution does the OP have?

 

[Boseaphus]

I have a Dell 1600X1200

 

[skipsneeky2]

If the Op wants a few years out of any card,i would go for a 7850 or a gtx670 depending on how deep his pockets can go,if there is anything to be seen,the Op makes the most out of his hardware,so few still game on their g80 and g92 cards....fact he went what appears 5 years on this card tells me he wouldn't mind 5 more years,so def consider a 7850 or gtx670.

 

[Denithor]

Ok, first off - don't waste your cash on a 550 Ti - that card is pure junk. The rest of your system seems very well thought out, all you need for some excellent gaming is a matching GPU.

If you want to stick with nVidia, go with a GTX 460 instead of that 550 Ti: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/542?vs=541

Here's a refurbished EVGA 256-bit GTX 460 1GB for a flat $129 with no rebates.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130649

Or if you don't mind rebates and want a new card, a Galaxy model for $130AR.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814162071

The next nVidia card is a lot more powerful but also unfortunately above your stated price range: the GTX 560 Ti (Zotac, $187.50AR).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814500196

If you're willing to consider AMD/ATi cards, you are going to want either the 6850 or the 7770. They pretty much trade blows and run about the same level as the GTX 460 mentioned earlier.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/539?vs=536

Sapphire 6850 1GB for $120AR + free Dirt 3 coupon
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102908

XFX 7770 1GB for $120AR + free Dirt Showdown coupon
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150598

Any of these cards will make you an excellent upgrade versus your 9800GT. Good luck with your choice!

EDIT: Just saw your screen resolution - really doesn't change any of these recommendations except to reiterate that you don't need to go above the GTX 460/6850/7770 level of card. Even a GTX 560 Ti if pretty much overkill for that low of a resolution.

 

[DrBoss]

Amd 6850 vs Amd 6950
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/539?vs=510

Nvidia 560ti vs Amd 6950
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/547?vs=510

 

[Denithor]

Amd 6850 vs Amd 6950
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/539?vs=510

Nvidia 560ti vs Amd 6950
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/547?vs=510

Um, sure, whatever. So your 6950 beats these cards.

But it's also well above the OP's stated budget of ~$125 (after rebate price on the card linked in the first post). I'm simply pointing out the much better options in the same price range as the card he was considering.

Also, I thought it was against policy to peddle your used stuff outside the For Sale forums?

 

[DrBoss]

Um, sure, whatever. So your 6950 beats these cards.

But it's also well above the OP's stated budget of ~$125 (after rebate price on the card linked in the first post). I'm simply pointing out the much better options in the same price range as the card he was considering.

Also, I thought it was against policy to peddle your used stuff outside the For Sale forums?

I don't remember attacking you.
Nor do i remember saying the 6950 was in the op's price range.

Dollar per dollar your alternates are not "much better". In fact they are lacking in performance.

At the end of the day, we are both responding to the OP. While my suggestion is $50 above the OP's price... its still and option, and considering his CPU and PSU, its a great option.

I can't quite put together the purpose of your last post.
My apologies for stepping on whatever toes i appear to have stepped on.

Oh, and "peddle" implies i'm selling something of little or no value, which is far from the case.

 

[Boseaphus]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond. So many great options and it's been an education reading through these. I feel like the responses are saving me money and helping me wade through the huge pile of cards out there! Seriously, thanks again. BTW...I'm thinking of buying this monitor as well. Here's one that is $150.00? I don't need hdmi. Any suggestions on other monitors?

http://www.buy.com/prod/samsung-e242...222269012.html

Again, thank you so much for the help.

 

[Denithor]

Ok, sorry about the somewhat harsh 'peddle' there but just kind of rubbed me wrong seeing you suggest your card to two different people looking for lower-level cards. You're absolutely correct - your card is certainly not worthless, it's actually a decent card at a fair price. But it's definitely a higher price point than these posters were looking to spend. I'm simply pointing out that their original choice in card wasn't a good value at all and suggesting better performance alternatives in the price range specified.

OP - I'm not touching your monitor selection with a 10' pole. Monitors are completely up to individual tastes. Glossy versus matte screen, image quality versus refresh times versus input lag, etc. There used to be a HUGE thread here about screens but I don't see it in the stickies now.

 

[Boseaphus]

Well, at least you all are passionate about GPU's. Again, it's all good.

As for the monitor, honestly, it was just a starting point and I think i found a few others that I'm going to go into Fry's or Microcenter this week and take a look at for myself.
Thanks again.

 

[Dark Shroud]

As for the monitor, honestly, it was just a starting point and I think i found a few others that I'm going to go into Fry's or Microcenter this week and take a look at for myself.
Thanks again.

Check out the Dell outlet, their new monitors are good deals. And their refurbished monitors are very good deals.

I also like their sound bars that mount on the monitors for less desk clutter.

 

[DrBoss]

Staying in your price range, Denithor's suggetions are all good. They each have their advantages. At the end of the day it really boils down to which specific games your plan to play. If you want to spend a bit over your budget and get a brand new GPU, i think the 560ti is the way to go.