Upgrading GeForce GT 520T, budget $300

[jal4568]

I'm looking to upgrade my graphics card. I've noticed some really poor performance for certain games (especially Skyrim) and I believe that the graphics card is the problem. System specifications below:

ASUS Essentio model CM6850
Intel i7 - 2600 CPU @ 3.4 GHz
8GB RAM
I assume 29-30 watts power (based on 520 specs)
Most likely order off Amazon
Would prefer another GeForce (NVIDIA) card
Monitor: 1600 x 900

Based on other threads, it looks like GTX 650 Ti would be doable. However, I was wondering if anything more powerful would be doable for my other hardware?

 

[Hassaan War Hero]

it is a old generation GPU instead get a GTX 1050 ti its for $160 and almost twice the power .... also check psu i would recommend i minimum of 450-500 watts power supply.

 

[cryoburner]

A 1050 Ti itself shouldn't draw more than around 75 watts under load, and while the extra headroom of a decent 400+ watt power supply might be good to have, most of these pre-built systems should be able to run them fine on their stock power supply, so long as it's rated for at least 300 watts. I believe the PSU in that system is likely to be a 350 watt, which would probably be fine, though you should check it to verify.

The 650 Ti, by comparison, is older and not as fast, and can use over 100 watts under load.

As for your suggested $300 budget, unfortunately cryptocurrency miners have recently driven up prices in that performance range. I suppose a 3GB GTX 1060 would work, though you might also need a new PSU for that, since it can draw around 120 watts under load. At 1600x900, the 1050 Ti would probably do a good enough job at running most big games at high settings though.