Switching GTX 275 Lightning to GTX 750 ti or GTX 950 or GTX 960 in an older setup, need opinions.

[NascarNSX]

Hello Everyone!

I need some professional help or opinions. I have an old setup that I am slowly going to replace. I have to start with the GPU because Overwatch doesn't run on my PC due to my GPU is under the minimum requirement. (first time ever happens to me)

My current setup:
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9550 @ 2.83GHz
Graphic Card: Nvidia GTX 275 Lightning
Memory: 4 GB
PSU: Corsair VS550
Motherboard: Intel Icedale DG45ID
SSD: Samsung SSD 850 EVO 120 GB

I know my setup is really out of date but honestly the games I played is CS:GO , World of Warcraft and League of Legends with some side games. I am playing games on a higher level, so I dont like to put the graphics too much high because it is annoying and sometimes distracting. I am not a 1080p or 5k full high graphic player. I usually play games on low or medium settings, and I am not streaming yet.

I want to play Overwatch, however I do not want to buy a cheap card just to play games and have to change it in 1-1,5 years. I also would like to come out with one of the best pick and I am not afraid to spend a little more money. My limitation is till 960, sadly I cant afford the 970 otherwise I
would just go with it.

So my questions are:

a, Is it true if I want to buy a 950 then I should just buy 960 because 950 is really close in price however 960 is just a way better card than the 950 and the extra money worth. In my country this money means extra 20 euro max!
b, I read so many s... posts about the 960 is just being a bad card. I dont have money for the 970, will 960 stick around for 2-3 years?
c, Maybe should I just buy a GTX 750 ti and in 1-2 years later switch it? I dont like the GTX 750 ti because I just feel this card will go out of power really fast, I also want to use my PSU and not just have it there .
d, most important question, I have read that the new Nvidia technology is sometimes having troubles with older motherboards, however I dont understand what type of problem. Can anyone tell me if these cards will be fine with my motherboard.
e, will my CPU bottleneck a lot these cards on the graphic level I will run them on?

I can buy most of the cards for cheaper price than in the shops because i have a friend here in Hungary that can get them for me for wholesale price. I know any of these cards will make my PC faster however, I dont want to regret my decision when at Xmas I will get the other parts of my new computer.

I listen to any advice or opinions, I am not sure if I wanna buy the newest AMD as I am more an Intel / Nvidia guy, however as I said I will consider any advice.

The pick I was thinking so far is the MSI GTX 960 Gaming 2 or 4gb version. What do you think?

Thank you for your help.

 

[_Bata_]

A) Weird, i hear the opposite. That with the 950 you get almost the same performance as the 960 for a better price, you can just go and see benchmarks.
B) The GTX 960 is not a bad card but the 970 is obviously better, if the 970 is out of your budget that's okay, 960 is a really good card but it is not that good running really demanding games at max graphics, especially if we are talking about 1080p. (Talking from experience, i have a 2GB one)
C) Getting a GTX 750ti is just not worth it in my opinion, i would recommend you get a GTX 950 at minimum, it's way better than a 750 just for some extra bucks.
D) Your Motherboard has PCI Express x16, but the intel website doesn't specify wether it's 2.0 or 1.0, you would have to open the computer and check it yourself, i think it should be atleast 2.0 and being that said there wouldn't be any problems running the GTX 750ti.
E) I don't think that your CPU would be bottlenecking a GTX 750ti for example, however if we talk about more expensive cards...

Veredict
I recommend you getting a GTX 950 if you can afford it, your processor will bottleneck a little if you are pushing the 950 too much, but it should just be fine, though strongly recommend you upgrading your motherboard and your processor as fast as you can.