New graphics card?

[gamer_17]

Recently my graphics card (8800GT) fan went nuts and i can't get the card to stay cool,
so im going to probally replace it I am trying to figure out the best card for my buck, as im still in college money is limited

- my PC is

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6850 3Ghz

Vista 32bit

3gb dual channel DDR2 memory (800MhZ)

320GB - Seagate 720rpm

Nvidia Geforce 512mb 8800GT



Any good cards that would work for my pc or any advice on my computer would be very useful as i am not that tech savy when it comes to computers, i also am using this PC currently for Lord of the rings online, and some total war strategies, but need it to last for Star wars the old republic and final fantasy 14 hopefully

Thanks again

 

[rofl_my_waffle]

The 5770 is a really good card for the money.

 

[gamer_17]

Thanks - Ya i was looking at that, sorta pricy for me but if i went with a 4870,9800GT, Geforce 250 GTS would i see even alot of improvment from my 8800GT?

 

[dirtmountain]

The 9800GT would be exactly the same as your 8800GT, the GTS 250 1GB would be a slight improvement, the 4870 and the 5770 would be a good increase in performance (the 4870 and the 5770 have close to the same performance)

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zotac/GeForce_GTX_465/29.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-card-radeon-hd-5870-geforce-gtx-480,2621-6.html

 

[wa1]

For your money, get HD5770 for sure...

 

[randomkid]

Thanks - Ya i was looking at that, sorta pricy for me but if i went with a 4870,9800GT, Geforce 250 GTS would i see even alot of improvment from my 8800GT?

A good info you can tell us is what is your monitor resolution. A lot of people recommends HD5770 off hand without even asking this because these are very good buy and capable of handling most games up to 1920x1080 at high setting. But if you play at less resolution, you may save a few bucks by going lower down the tier. But HD5XXX series is way to go now.

 

[gamer_17]

Thanks- i use to have a monitor resolution of 1680x 1050, but dropped it down to 1280x1024 hoping it was cool the GPU back down but it didnt

 

[randomkid]

Thanks- i use to have a monitor resolution of 1680x 1050, but dropped it down to 1280x1024 hoping it was cool the GPU back down but it didnt

If you got that resolution, the HD5770 will still be best since you can maxed out most games but if you are on tight budget and want to save some bucks, the HD5750 will be just fine.
When you dropped the resolution to 1280x1024, your 8800GT will still work as hard therefore it will not be cooler but will give you more fps. If you want it cooler, downclock it using rivatuner or other application.

If you say that your 8800GT Fan is the only problem, why don't you buy an after market cooler for GPU. This will allow you to still make the most of the 8800GT. You may even overclock it and get more fps in the bargain. Something in the range of @20-$50 will be good.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000576%204025&Description=vga%20cooler&name=VGA%20Cooling
Plus when your 8800GT finally dies, you can use the VGA cooler for your next GPU.