GPU upgrade question

[jockhart]

Looking to upgrade from an XFX GTS 250. Primarily use my computer for photo processing (Capture NX2, PS CS5) but also enjoy gaming: SC2, Skyrim, and looking forward to Bioshock Infinite. Looking for suggestions on GPU purcahse.

Monitor: Asus 21.5" 1920x1080
PS: Corsair VX450
MB: Asus P8Z77
CPU: i5 3570k
Fan: Hyper 212
SSD: A-Data s599 120Gb
Expected purchase date: Summer 2012 (not in a rush but want to upgrade soon).
Budget: $150-$250

Price/performance ratio is the most important factor to me and I originally hoped to spend around $200 or less, but value is more important than price. I do not have a preference for Nvidia vs AMD. I do not plan to upgrade my PS, though, so as I research cards I am leaning towards a 7000 series Radeon for the low power consumption. It looks like the 7850 has a great price/performance ratio but is that overkill for my monitor and titles I will be playing? The 7770 will likely be adequate for me right now but I don't plan to upgrade my GPU for another few years. I am not in a rush so I am also contemplating waiting for the GeForce 660, but don't want to wait all summer.

Thanks

 

[fantastik250]

The best price to performance is the 7850 for your budget. Overkill is mostly a compliment for this graphics card because of the price/performance in this budget range. It will be the best card you have to not upgrade for a while.

 

[randomkid]

+1 to the 7850. Skyrim is beautiful with lot's of mods available. The extra juice provided by the 7850 will be very useful.

 

[jockhart]

Best answer selected by jockhart.