Need Help Choosing a New Graphics Card

[jerichai]

Hello,

I built my first computer about 2.5 years ago with the help of a friend who is way more tech savvy than I am. I'm getting to the point where I think it's time for a bit of a upgrade, as I'm seeing frame rates dropping off noticeably in newer games coming out. Here's what I'm currently using:

GIGABYTE GA-Z68AP-D3(R2.0) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 650W ATX12V/EPS12V 80

EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1563-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Intel Core i7-2700K Sandy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 95W Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623i72700K

Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive

2 x Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model PGD38G1333ELK

The graphics card was one of the pieces I choose not to spend as much on at the time, but it was a solid card nonetheless, just starting to show its age I think.

I was looking to spend no more than $500 dollars. I think I may also need to update my power supply, as it seems like mine doesn't appear to meet the requirements for some cards out there today, so that's a cost I'd have to factor in (and wouldn't mind suggestions there too). The GTX770 seemed like a well reviewed card, but I'm not too good at comparing graphics cards to be honest, so I could use the help. Ultimately, if the value is there, I wouldn't mind going outside my budget some.

Thank you all for the help!

 

[AgentTran]

You're correct with the GTX 770, and it is highly recommended.
I've gathered together a few cards that are in your budget.

The GTX 770 and R9 280X are at equals, and so are the 780 and R9 290.
The GTX 770 and R9 280X are actually the same price, and are substantially cheaper than your given budget.
If you can do an extra $100, you can buy two and run them in SLI. That will then be a VERY strong graphics solution.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($299.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $599.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-09 19:14 EDT-0400)

If you would prefer a less-strong, but still in your budget single card solution, then the R9 290X takes the cake. It competes with the NVIDIA GTX 780TI, which is much more expensive than your budget, and is only slightly out of your budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290X 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($542.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $542.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-09 19:19 EDT-0400)

The R9 290 and 780 are comparable to each other, but compared to the R9 290X they are all left in the dust.