Brainstorming graphics upgrade on an approximate budget

hammer326

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Nov 29, 2012
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Hello!

For just about 3 years I've had an XFX HD 7770 black edition. I hope that's at least something close to enough to go on, but I will update as I acquire more information.

I'm writing in just to see if the community thinks there's anything under $200 worth replacing it with. I've never spent more than that on a GPU and only after years did I start seeing performance issues in-game, and only at the highest detail levels.

I've been reading the "Best enthusiast level cards" article and looked a bit into the R9 280 and even the 290 (my budget restrictions are approximate, so the latter would be fine since I always sell my current card to make some money back after buying a new one).

A few other miscellaneous questions:

I've got a 750W Corsair PSU, so I presume power is the least of our concerns? PC Gamer magazine has their ideal rig running on 500 now. I've been out of the hardware upgrade scene awhile, is it just me or within the last, say, 3 years, have GPU's gotten RADICALLY more power efficient? I remember worrying about powering my old 9800 GT on a 500W.

Also, what exactly are the main stats to consider when looking for a GPU as a gamer? moreover, what do they all do in particular for the game experience? Does VRAM keep the framerate high while core clock helps process a lot of things going on on one screen? I never really learned much of this given the amount of help I've had these last 3 upgrades.

Thanks a lot guys!