Quick question about my graphics card!

[Kingblanca]

So i have a really quick question!

Antec Gaming Series One Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model BLS2KIT4G3D1609DS1S00

S P8H77-V LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i5-3550 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637I53550

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

LITE-ON Black 12X Blu-ray Burner with Blu Ray 3D Feature SATA IHBS112-04 - OEM

So my Graphics card is the :
XFX HD-687A-ZHFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

but i found some extre money and thought about this:
SAPPHIRE 11188-22-20G Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card (OC Edition)

But i have no idea if this new graphics card is compatible with everything else! or if it's even a good video card. i'm not planning on overclocking anything or crossfiring anything. i don't really want anything else bugged with in this build. just wondering about a better graphics card

 

[inzone]

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
$229.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

You could also go with a stepup with the cpu to the next model which happens to be the 3570k which you can overclock because it is a K model.
But if you don't want to go with that and want to just stay with considering a video upgrade then the 6950 would be a good card to consider and you could also consider a GTX 560Ti as well , I think you can find one for around $190.

ZOTAC AMP! ZT-50302-10M GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$209.99 and a $30 rebate makes the final price $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500196

MSI N560GTX-Ti-M2D1GD5/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$219.99 and a $20 rebate makes the final price $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127616

 

[tjensen_25]

Yes it will be compatible and will offer a performance boost over the 6870. Do you already have the 6870 or was that what you're planning on buying?

 

[Kingblanca]

This is what i am planning on buying. This is really my last check on this build before i buy. It was either a better grapgics card or a cooler looking case. But i'm not really one for looks. And this won't overheat or anything?

 

[tjensen_25]

No, it's not going to overheat. So yeah if you can afford the 6950 definitely get it. And you don't need a CPU upgrade. If you upgrade that for overclocking, you'll have to upgrade your mobo too. I would just get the 6950 and call it good.

 

[Kingblanca]

I wasn't planning on overclocking. I'm just a beginner i don't understand how it even works. I'm just trying to get a sturdy system that will last me a couple years.

 

[Kingblanca]

Thanks for all the help i will definately go with the 6950!

 

[tjensen_25]

Ok well best of luck! Glad I could help.