Best Upgrade For My System/Needs?

[ShrimpMan]

I am looking into getting a newer graphics card but am confused by all the numbers. I am looking for opinions...what would YOU get for around $100? The cheaper the better... My monitor's native res is 1680x1050, but I do not mind running games at a lower res (I like to keep texture detail very high with a lower overall resolution). I will mainly be playing Dragon Age, but like the occasional FPS. I prefer Nvidia but will look into ATI if the performance gap for price is MUCH better.

Current specs:

D975XBX2KR Motherboard
Xeon 3060 @ 3.0Ghz
4gb OCZ DDR2800
WD Black 640x2
Gigabyte 8600GT 256mb GDDR3
Mushkin 550W Dual Rail PSU

Thanks in advance!

 

[TheViper]

ASUS HD 4770 - $109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121326

 

[ShrimpMan]

ASUS HD 4770 - $109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121326

Any reason you chose an ATI card? What Nvidia card is comparable in price/performance?

 

[TheViper]

XFX 9800 GT - $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150323

I chose ATi over nVidia as they've typically had a better price to performance ratio since the HD 4xxx series cards released. Though you won't be disappointed with the 9800 GT either.

 

[ShrimpMan]

XFX 9800 GT - $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150323

I chose ATi over nVidia as they've typically had a better price to performance ratio since the HD 4xxx series cards released. Though you won't be disappointed with the 9800 GT either.

Thanks for the alternative. So what would be the difference in a 9800gt vs a gts250 such as this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143178&cm_re=nvidia_gts250-_-14-143-178-_-Product

OR a Radeon 4870 such as this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150441&cm_re=radeon_4870-_-14-150-441-_-Product

Is the Radeon that much better for only 20 bucks more? I guess I am looking for the "sweet spot" card in the $100ish range. I also do not want a card that sucks a ridiculous amount of power...

 

[TheViper]

The HD 4870 is easily the most powerful card of those listed.

I hadn't considered them because they've been creeping back up in price lately since the HD 5xxx series has become supply constrained. That's a good card for a good price.

 

[ShrimpMan]

Thanks for the replies! Alternatively, what are the cheapest cards (one ati and one nvidia) that will give me a worthwhile performance gain over my current 8600GT?

 

[TheViper]

HD 4670 (avg price - $65) and 9600 GT (avg price - $85)

 

[jay2tall]

I would get the 4870 to be honest. Even if it's $150, you won't be sorry about the purchase. It will run fine with your PSU and ATI cards tend to do better with older CPU's. Not saying your CPU is old, but ATI cards are driver heavy and nvidia cards like fast CPU's, in most cases.

$50 extra bucks = happiness.

If not a 4870, I'd go for a 4850.

 

[ShrimpMan]

OK so I have been seriously thinking about going with the big gun Radeon 4870 if it is that much more future-proof. I am a bit worried about size, heat, and my PSU. Can you help?

My PSU is a Mushkin HP-550. Here is the link to it's specs: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16817812002

The PSU has rail fusion. When it combines the 12v rails it equals 28A. Is that enough? It is a modular supply and came with 2x 6 pin pcie connectors and is SLI certified. I am still a bit worried that it won't handle my system. Again, here are my system specs (I listed the wrong CPU in my original post):

Bad Axe 2 motherboard
Xeon x3220 @ 3.0 ghz (stock voltages) with HUGE Zalman heatsink
4gb ocz ddr2800
2x WD Black 640's and 1x Seagate 7200rpm 320gb
External esata card
Hauppage TV Tuner card
Samsung sata DVD burner
4 case fans in Coolermaster Centurion

How hot does this thing run? I am worried it will put out so much heat as to screw with my hard drives...lol

Any advice is greatly appreciated! You have been very helpful for a noob!