Please see my computer build and suggest a video card

[cloudreader]

I'm having trouble with my current video card. It caused my computer to black out, but my computer fans are still running and the PCI Express slot lit up red on my mobo OR the video card lit up red. I couldn't really tell. Either way, my card's a little old and I'd like to replace it. (It's a Radeon 4860 series). It runs awesome when it's working. Just got Skyrim on Friday and it runs so well. No lag or anything on High (not Ultra-High). It seems like my computer is still stable - but maybe not when playing games. It totally shutdown twice when I played Sims 3. This last time with Skyrim, it didn't completely shut-off, I could hear all the fans.

Below is what I bought a few weeks ago to replace my old PC - a new processor, mobo, RAM, etc It's all running great. I thought I could keep my old video card, but now it seems like it's unstable (or just overheating? I don't overclock. The video card makes lots of noisy fan sounds) so I think maybe I should get a new one. Based on my set up below... what card should I get? My budget is $250ish. Thanks.

Oh, and according to Steam I've played Skyrim for 34 hours since Friday lol so maybe I'm just overheating my poor video card?

Rachel’s Computer Build

AMD CPU: $189.99
AMD HDE00ZFBGRBOX Phenom II 1100T Black Edition Six Core Processor - 3.30GHz, 6MB Cache, 2000MHz (4000 MT/s) FSB, Retail, Socket AM3, Processor with Fan

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7023169&Sku=A79-1100

MSI MOBO: $149.99
MSI 890FXA-GD65 AMD Socket AM3 Motherboard - ATX, Socket AM3, AMD 890FX Chipset, 2133MHz DDR3 (O.C.), SATA 6.0 Gb/s, RAID, 8-CH Audio, Gigabit LAN, USB 3.0, CrossFireX Ready

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7282715&CatId=4296

Corsair Memory 8 Gig: $64.99 (upgrade another 8 Gig for 16 Gig Total later)
Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B Vengeance Desktop Memory Kit - 8GB (2x 4GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, 9-9-9-24 CAS Latency, Intel XMP Ready, Unbuffered

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=40739&pagenumber=2&RSort=1&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=5&body=#ReviewStart

Computer Case: $139.99
Cooler Master RC-932-KKN5-GP HAF 932 Advance Full Tower Case - ATX, Black, SuperSpeed USB 3.0

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4146085&csid=_21

Hard Drive: $44.99
Western Digital WD7500AARX Caviar Green Internal 3.5" Hard Drive - 750GB, SATA 6Gb/s, 64MB

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=744451&CatId=2459

V8 Cooler Master for processor

Thanks, any help is appreciated.

 

[buzznut]

Two things everyone forgets that are essential for video card recommendations-
1) Your resolution
2) Your power supply

Without this info any recommendation would be just a shot in the dark.

At 1080p and a $250 budget the two cards that youn should look at are the HD 6950 1 GB and the GTX 560ti. If you are interested in CUDA and Physx, go with the 560ti. If you are more inclined toward multimonitor setup, then go with the AMD card.

 

[buzznut]

PS 3D support is currently better for nVidia, but AMD is coming along nicely.

 

[cloudreader]

Two things everyone forgets that are essential for video card recommendations-
1) Your resolution
2) Your power supply

Without this info any recommendation would be just a shot in the dark.

At 1080p and a $250 budget the two cards that youn should look at are the HD 6950 1 GB and the GTX 560ti. If you are interested in CUDA and Physx, go with the 560ti. If you are more inclined toward multimonitor setup, then go with the AMD card.

Oops sorry it's a 750watt Corsair enthuasiast. Resolution is 1600X900 (I hope this is what you meant, if not please let me know where I find that info. You mentioned 1080p, but I'm not sure if that's what I have). Running Windows 7 64bit. I'm not doing multi-monitors. Thanks for replying.

You mentioned the HD6950. What about this: XFX HD-695X-CNFC Radeon HD 6950 Video Card - 2GB, DDR5, PCI-Express 2.1 (x16), HDMI, Dual DVI, 2x Mini DisplayPort, DirectX 11, Dual-Slot, CrossFireX Ready

Looks like its a 2GB. Is this little difference a lot?

 

[themissingpiece]

I'd personally suggest a Radeon 6870 for this build, as they are very good cards for the price. If you're a little more budget minded, I would suggest a 6790 or a 6850 (trying to suggest AMD cards here since you're using an AMD system). For more higher-end cards, get a 6950 or 6970.

 

[cloudreader]

I'd personally suggest a Radeon 6870 for this build, as they are very good cards for the price. If you're a little more budget minded, I would suggest a 6790 or a 6850 (trying to suggest AMD cards here since you're using an AMD system). For more higher-end cards, get a 6950 or 6970.

Yah, I like AMD so I'm leaning towards that 6850 card. I'm just unsure if my old card is really going downhill or if it's my motherboard or something else. It's so hard to know for sure. But it IS a super old card. Thanks for replying.

 

[cloudreader]

Best answer selected by cloudreader. OK I bought the Radeon 6870 at the end of the day, the low price is worth it.