Upgrading 5670 (and PSU+HSF)

[anytime12]

Hello..
Some of you guys helped me to decide which motherboard should I get, now I'm looking to upgrade my PC further.
I have always built my computer to be both silent and relatively powerful.
Now that I have upgraded my CPU which was a bottleneck for my VGA, i found that situation turned.
The main component I want to upgrade is my graphics card, but I don't think that will be possible without upgrading my PSU as well. For few days I have now boxed HSF and after years of using aftermarket coolers the noise is starting to be a little bit unsettling. I am in no hurry, I can buy it next week or next month, I may wait for prices to drop a month or two, but first of all I want to make a good choice.

Basically what I am looking for is following (more specifically at the end of the post):

1. graphics card mid-range to high
2. PSU
3. CPU cooler

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1-2 months

BUDGET RANGE: 250 (for everything)


My current setup is this:

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: Sapphire 5670 512MB HM, FSP Blue Storm II 400W

MB, CPU: ASUS P8P67 LE, i5 2500K

MONITOR RESOLUTION: (1680x1050, later maybe 1920x1080)

Now to be little more specific:

1. Graphics card

I want card that can run almost any modern games on high details 1680x1050 (max. 1920x1080), no higher resolutions needed, no multiple monitors gaming, rather power-efficient, AND silent (card should be relatively quiet also during full load, but when not playing games e.g. just watching movies, I should not be able to hear the card). I was looking at 5770 but I do not consider that much of an upgrade from 5670. On the other hand, next ATI card is 6850 and I was not able to find something good in between. I am an ATI guy but I have nothing against nVidia, so all suggestions are welcome.

2. PSU

My current GPU does not need external power, and is quite power efficient so 400W psu is more than enough, that will not be true for a new GPU. Since I do not know what GPU I will buy, neither do I know what PSU in terms of W power will I need. Requirement is that it should be very quiet, but not passively cooled.

3. CPU cooling

In my old setup I had Asus Silent Square cooler which I found quiet enough, so I am looking for something similar - quiet but powerful enough to handle some OCing. I have a feeling that all reviews in the whole world point out to Scythe Mugen II (at my budget range), but I also consider Scythe Kabuto and Scythe Grand Kama Cross as options. Or could you add some more?


So, that would be the whole post, I am looking forward to seeing some useful insights from you...

 

[megamanx00]

Of course don't forget the well priced 5870 as well. It's generally a little faster than the 6870 and is priced about the same now as well. Since your board supports crossfire you can also add a second AMD card latter for more performance, but since it doesn't seem to be SLI certified an nVidia card is a less attractive option.

If you wanted to put off upgrading your PSU for a bit though you could just go with a single Radeon 6850 for now. I ran my first 5870 with a Blue Storm II 500W and even maxing it out with furmark and 3 Prime 95 threads my P3 killawatt said it was like 410 from the wall max, so at about 85% efficiency that's about 350W. Of course that was with my CPU at stock ^_^, but anyway your 400W unit should be good for your system with a 6850 and you can just upgrade your PSU and add a second 6850 when you get a 1080p monitor.