Planning a video card upgrade.

[cruelfeline]

Hey everyone,

So, I've got a three year old machine, built on the wonderful advice of people on these forums, and the time has come where the nice little Radeon HD 4870 that I built it with isn't letting me get quite the FPS out of modded Skryim as I'd like. I'm thinking it's time for an upgrade somewhat soon. Problem is, my knowledge of current cards is fairly lacking, so before I confuse myself with all the new models out there, I was hoping someone could give good advice on here.

Relevant stats as follows:
MSI 770-C45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard (1 PCIe 2.0 x16 slot that currently holds a Radeon HD 4870 with 512MB VRAM)
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2


My understanding is that I'm somewhat limited due to the PCIe slot type? Again, I'm totally out of the hardware loop, so I'm asking around for help so I don't get in over my head.

Anyone have any advice as to what I can upgrade to in order to improve performance?

I'm a student, too, so a cost-friendly option would be appreciated .

Thank you for your time!

 

[l0v3rboi]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

Check this article out. it lists the best graphics cards for different price points.

 

[Deemo13]

If you can put a 4870 in the slot, you should be fine with any modern graphics card, and that PSU should be enough for just about any card in there.

What's your budget?

 

[cruelfeline]

Best answer selected by cruelfeline.