Help me spend my money

I'm buying parts for a new build to replace my computer that's nearly 5 years old.

So far:
ASUS P7P55D EVO
i7 860
Corsair HX750 W
Corsair DOMINATOR 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Omega Claro Plus (I'm so tired of SB)

I still need a DVD/CD recorder and WD 1TB HDDs, but I'm looking to this board to help me come up with a video card. I am not a gamer, although if a game was on my machine, I'd probably play it! I'm old-school--I like Tetris and solitaire. I use MS Word, Photoshop, Illustrator. etc. And my eyesight isn't what it used to be (reading glasses). My current video card is a PNY, and it has worked flawlessly for about 5 years now.

My current monitor is a ViewSonic VP191b, and I have not yet chosen a replacement. But I do see my getting a widescreen HD something.

I don't really need to spend more than $170 on a video card, and maybe with the above info, some of you may think I don't need to spend that much, but I'd really like your serious suggestions.

Thanks,
Barb

i'd stick with something thats HDCP compatible, so you can watch Blu-Rays if you want... or other HD content.
Even if you don't think you'll want to now, you never know what you'll need to use your PC for in the future,
so don't cripple it w/ a old GPU like the 7000 series.
get @ least a 8000 series, or the GT 250 is a good buy

Thanks for the replies. Over the last three days I've been bouncing back and forth between ATI and GeForce. If I continue to ponder this stuff I may change my mind again, but to date, I'm planning to order the XFX GeForce GTX 260. Hopefully that card will allow me wiggle-room for future use. Blu-rays are probably in my future.

Also, I'll take the advice and start with 4GB.

Thanks again
Barb

Wow...when I did a search on NEgg, they already had that Core 216 card of XFX's deactivated. Looks like I need to get one from PNY or EVGA.

Nvidia's DX11 cards will come out in a month or so...
even if you don't want their brand (i've always liked their cards)
it'll make ATI's prices more competitive

I hate to break the news to you, but those cards won't be coming out a month from now. It'll probably be three or four or more months before we even see a paper release.

Well wait until the end of November if you can as the members of this forum do not have insider information and as such their predictions should not be taken as fact.

Just chiming in. The most reputable rumors I have heard on Fermi (GT300) Is black Friday. Not to incur the wrath of mouse monkey, but I feel confident enough to tell you to wait till then. If there not out by that time, then I can vouch for the GTX260, and highly reccomend EVGA. Oh, and good move with the ASUS board. Good luck on the build.

Best card for under $170 is probably the ATI 5770. The GTX 260 and 4870 can certainly be argued to perform better at current. However, with driver optimizations, and future DX11 games/software, the ATI 5770 is an option to consider. It really all depends on what you want.

Ultimately though, if you don't foresee yourself playing modern gaming titles, you really don't need any of these video cards.