Windows 7 - looking for a graphics card, need help picking one out

my friends been bragging about his new graphics card and being a total dick about it so i finally decided to get a graphics card. but i dont know anything about them! im pretty sure this is the one that he has Newegg.com - MSI N460GTX Twin Frozr II SOC GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
and i want a better one than his but not over $250. i know i also need a motherboard and a power supply for this stuff so i might need help picking them out too. currently everything on my pc is stock except for an extra 4gb ram stick that i got at newegg. my pc info is this, idk how to find out more this was what yahoo answers told me to find

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600)
System Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
System Model: HP Pavilion P6000 Series
BIOS: Ver: CHI_711.bin vCHI7.11
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2300 CPU @ 2.80GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.8GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 8098MB RAM
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip type: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
DAC type: Internal
Display Memory: 1696 MB
Dedicated Memory: 64 MB
Shared Memory: 1632 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)

Hey.

If you want better graphics card you could try GTX 560 or GTX 560 Ti. Those both performs pretty well nowadays. Those should cost some 200-250 $. If you like AMD more you could try 6870 or 6950. What comes to that motherboard is hard to say. It could be possible that you would only need new PSU. Even thought that PC is from HP it should have PCI-E 16X. And i cant say what power supply you computers have. If i have to quess i would say that not big enough to handle those graphic cards.

I wish that this helps you forward with your decision.

This should dish out a dose of shutup to your friend Newegg.com - MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

In budget with the rebate...the 1 gig versions are cheaper, but that's not really what we want is it?

Now that card needs two 6 pin connectors and 450 watts minimum so Newegg.com - Rosewill Stallion Series RD500-2DB 500W ATX12V Power Supply

The processor is a 1155 socket....from what I can find your system has a Pci-e slot....but do you have the room?

The 560 TI is a real good choice and will do what you want.

Or you could consider a GIGABYTE GV-R695OC-1GD Radeon HD 6950 which is a very good card also. just make sure you have a good size case. There are some 2GB models for not much more. But, whatever you decide, take the time and read the reviews on Newegg. That can save you a lot of grief. Do your homework.
Also on the PSU, I always recommend Corsair, seasonic or Antec. They are top line PSUs and cost more but are more reliable. And always buy nore than you need. It keeps the power supply from working harder, creates less heat, makes it last longer and gives you room for later expansion later. don't let your friends push you around.

whats the difference between the raedon and geforce cards? i really have no idea what they do and how to install them either. when you mean case, do you mean i would have to buy a new actual case for the pc? how much would that cost? i have a 50 inch hdtv that i use for playing minecraft and skyrim and i want to be able to play those games on full graphics. will those cards do that? how much would ALL of this cost, the graphics card, the PSU, the case?
will this case be big enough? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147107

that case will probably be big enugh, I was making tr refrence to the card being abouy 11.25" long. just do the measurements.

sorry. this stuff is very new to me haha, thanks for helping me.. and if i buy this i wont need to buy a motherboard and stuff?

Well you maybe have to buy that new PSU. It depends what kind of PSU you have right now. And there is not big difference on Nvidia and Radeon cards. At least not when you just use them to play. Some games run better with Nvidia cards and vice versa. I think that that GTX 560 Ti is better choice (that's my opinion). If you have to get new PSU i would recommend same that essenbe did. My PSU is corsair and its great. Corsair offers long warranty.

Don't you know if your friend has a Nividia card, it will always be better than any Radeon card....On the flip side if he had a Radeon it would be better than any Nividia card

Now the best cost/performance card would be this Newegg.com - XFX HD-695X-ZNFC Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

Might have to bump the power supply up a notchNewegg.com - Rosewill Green Series RG530-S12 530W Continuous @40°C, 80 PLUS Certified, Single 12V Rail, Active PFC "Compatible with Core i7,i5" Power Supply

Now if you think Rosewill is junk...Rosewill Capstone 750W Review

Now about the case...with the hard drive cage you have almost a foot, 16.5 inches without...The card listed here is 10.2 inches...The MSI is 9.5 inches.....

If you decide to go with the XFX remember to register on their site for the extended warranty

How well any of these cards perform on a 50 incher really depends on the resolution...The bigger the resolution the slower the game

ok. i think ive made up my mind about what im going to buy, but i need to know this first, do these cards ever break? or are they build to last? because $200 for a card is a little steep for me, but i can manage. but i cant manage having it break on me