What graphics card can I add to my computer for the best and most efficient improvement?

[Juan Carlos Gonzalez]

My machine is 5 years old. I know a lot of people will say that I should just make a new one. However after spending more than 1K on a machine plust a fantastic gaming monitor at the time (ASUS VE278Q 27 FULL HD), after 5 years I want to still milk my rig. I guess what would be the best GPU for my machine?
1) GPU : PowerColor PCS+ AMD Radeon HD 7870 Myst. Edition 2 GB GDDR5 DVI/HDMI/2Mini DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card AX7870 2GBD5-2DHPPV3E

2) Intel Core-i5 3350P Quad-Core Processor 3.1 Ghz 6 MB Cache LGA 1155 - BX80637i53350P

3) RAM: 16 GB

4) Motherboard: Gigabyte LGA 1155 Intel B75 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX DDR3 1600 Motherboards GA-B75M-D3H

If you guys need an idea what games I will be playing next, they will be Alien Isolation, Prey, Wolfenstein 2, Rage 2, Fallout 4 and the next Doom if it comes out next year.
I was actually thinking about getting Witcher 3, but decided to stick with the PS4 Pro version, thought it was going to kill my machine.

 

[WildCard999]

I'd drop a 1060 6gb into the system. You could also probably find a used i7-3770 for cheap.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

Right now I would look at getting a 1060 6gb. But you may want to wait a month. Nvidia is rumored to release their next gen GPUs and you may want to look at their xx60. Even then, the 1060 pricing should go down when the next gen GPUs are released.

 

[Juan Carlos Gonzalez]

Can you give me an idea of how 1060 6GB would increase my performance? Why not get a 1070 8gb?

 

[Juan Carlos Gonzalez]

So the 1060 is best card my system can handle? This is the best performance it can reach?

 

[WildCard999]

Can you give me an idea of how 1060 6GB would increase my performance? Why not get a 1070 8gb?

You could go 1070 as well, either card will be a massive improvement over your current GPU.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

Can you give me an idea of how 1060 6GB would increase my performance? Why not get a 1070 8gb?

A 1060 will get about 50% more fps in a game than your HD 7870.

http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-1060-6GB-vs-AMD-HD-7870/3639vs2161

The 1070 will get about 70% more fps in games than the 7870.

http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-1070-vs-AMD-HD-7870/3609vs2161

It really just depends how much you want to spend. The 1060 is great for 1080p at high settings getting 60fps.

 

[Juan Carlos Gonzalez]

I do not care so much about budget. I care more about not over spending on what I am not going to take advantage. I want a GPU that will last for another 5 years. After that, I will build a new 4K machine from the ground up and use my current machine as a secondary device.

 

[WildCard999]

I do not care so much about budget. I care more about not over spending on what I am not going to take advantage. I want a GPU that will last for another 5 years. After that, I will build a new 4K machine from the ground up and use my current machine as a secondary device.

If you found a 3770(K) for cheap then you'd probably be able to run 4K/60hz fairly easy but you'll want something better then a 1070, more like a 1080 or 1080 ti.

 

[Lucine]

I wouldn't get a GTX 1060 6GB. It can't handle 60 FPS on ultra settings for some of the modern demanding games (GTA 5/Final Fantasy XV/The Witcher 3, etc).

I would look into getting at least GTX 1070 TI, which then must be paired with a significantly stronger CPU than the current one you have. Think minimum of i5-7600+.