GPU suggestion for 250-300 or less?

[spain412]

I am considering buying the system listed below. It is in new condition (I think it was purchased for someone and they never used it). The price is very fair (considering all the peripherals), but I understand that I will need to bring the GPU up to the times in the very near future. What would you suggest as a GPU in the 250-300 range? NVIDIA or AMD? Is there a viable $200 option out there? (*grabs popcorn*)

CPU: Intel I-7 4770k
Motherboard: Asus z87 pro
Ram: Corsair Vengance 8 GB 1866mhz DDR3
SSD: Intel 335 Series 180gb Solid state
GRAPHICS: Zotac GTX 660ti
Case: Corasir 600T
PSU: Corair HX-750 PSU
ASUS Blueray DVD-drive.
Window 8
Monitor AOC-G2460PQU (144hz, 24", 1ms)
Vengeance K90 Keyboard
Thermaltake Theron Plus Mouse

 

[coozie7]

You'll have to push the upper end of your budget to get a useful upgrade: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/gaming-graphics-card-review,review-32899-7.html and even then cards of the GTX970 calibre still won't run AAA titles as fast as that 144Hz monitor can display-unless you SI/CF them, of course.

For pure frames-per-unit currency the R9 290 is hard to beat but it needs a very good cooler to keep its high heat output under control without getting noisy. Get it for: Pure price/performance, better at running multiple monitors. Pass on it for: Big coolers like the Winforce or Sapphire Tri-X are needed and it may not fit your case, high power draw.

A more svelte option is the GTX970 but like anything classy it carries a price premium. Get it for: PhysX, DSR, more AA options, Shadowplay. Pass on it because; Higher cost, coil whine can still be a problem, limited to dual screen gaming.