Big bang for the buck

4850/4890 --> For under a $70 these cards can do really great in that price range.
5970 --> Dual GPU card for $300. One generation apart but still strong.

Current gen cards are almost correctly prices. Many claim a 6950 for sub $250 or a 560Ti. But many are awaiting the 448core 560Ti (near to 570 performance) to release near the end of the month.

There will be cards selling for dirt cheap in the nooks and corners of the net always.
Maybe others can help. Good luck!

I wouldn't recommend a dx10 card or even a 5970 for that matter when there are totally affordable solutions for dx11 and also good power per single card.
First, OP, what is you budget, and also the specs of the rig you will be playing games with this card on as well as what resolution your monitor is. This will greatly help determine what would be worth your money

really... 100-300$ i guess

For mid range 6790 or 6770 should bring you a great price/performance.
For gamers then I think you need 6950/560 Ti

I agree with perfectblue's recommendation of the HD 4850, 4870, and 4890 for a few basic reasons.

First, currently there are only a few games that full take advantage of dx11 without supporting or preferring dx10.

Second, the Hd 4890 outperforms the HD 6770 in almost all applications for $40-60 less. In fact the performance of the HD 4890 is almost that of the HD 6790.

Third, unless you need a new GPU you should take into consideration that cards offering the speed of PCI-E 3.0 will be available along with Intel's Ivy Bridge cpu's next year. If you want your new card to be relevant and at a standard that will probably last for at least 4 years then waiting may be the best thing you ever did. If you plan on building a new rig next year to take advantage of the new standard, PCI-E 3.0, but need an interim card till then get a HD 4890. The only instance in which I would recommend the purchase of an new HD 6000 series card this close to a new year is if you are not going to build a new computer for 8-12 months and need to get every once of performance possible out of your current hardware or you have found a crazy good deal.

Price vs Performance: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD...

Info on HD 5770/6770 vs HD 4890: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5770,2446...

All high-end cards compared: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD...

Cheap $70 HD 4890: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Op still hasn't listed full system specs including monitor resolution and also what games he is interested in playing. Blindly recommending cards with numbers is worthless without facts to base the recommendation on to help out with bang for buck. Bang for buck could be a 560ti or a 6770; we really cant be sure until we know what games/ features and also specs op has/wants. Without this info and blind recommendations op could have gotten a 4890 and then wondered why he cant play bf3 or crysis 2 with all the features?

FlintIronStagg I have a feeling that we have two very different ways of thinking. I live with the end-user ideal that no matter what else someone says the responsibility of a purchase lies with the purchaser. I am sorry if I stepped on you toes, but I follow a credo of answering questions by giving research material and helping individuals answer the questions they are asking themselves. This is why I brought up the question of dx10 vs dx11 and made the lowest acceptable recommendation as bang for the buck while listing reference material covering the full spectrum of cards available including the cards OP listed. Lastly I offered my opinion to OP regarding purchasing a new GPU vs waiting for advances in technology, PCI-E 3.0 and Ivy Bridge, that are right around the corner and the situation in which I would pursue either course of action. In addition the "What video card should I buy" forum posts are often fully covered by the articles on this very website so I don't feel bad being moderately vague with my answers especially when posters are vague with their questions. The only thing I do feel bad about is not bringing up the power requirements of high end gpu's.

I apologies FlintIronStagg in the future I will just link http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/290969-33-advice-choo... so people know how to post followed by the most current "Best Graphics Cards For The Money" article by Tom's to avoid any problems.

Just because im refraining from giving my opinion for the reasons stated doesn't mean I don't have the best in mind for the poster. In fact it means the opposite as I want to help op be happy in his decision and make the right choice based on budget and gaming needs, not just blurt out numbers. I will to much research but only after I get the necessary info from him to solidify my recommendation is the best bang for his personal buck.
Another note; you will go through life being pissed off all the time if you take someone disagreeing with you so seriously. Lighten up this is for the poster to make a decision not pity party for you because you got your feelings hurt

Best answer selected by mphhot2.