Windows 7: Suggestions for New GFX Card and Power Supply

I've (finally) decided to upgrade my graphics card, and would like external opinions on which options are best. I would prefer to spend within a $240 budget, which would have to suffice for the costs of both a graphics card and power supply, as my current PSU is a stock model with a measly 300W output. I would greatly appreciate any ideas, suggestions, or insight. Thanks in advance.



*Also, I don't make online purchases, so retailer available items would be helpful.

Here is the new CX500 model, the CX500M. It is semi-modular and an all around great PSU.

As for a video card.....what are your expectations? After that PSU, that leaves $160-170 left for a graphics card. Is the $240 firm, or can you add a few more dollars to it?

I just saw the part about not buying online........I have no idea what is local to you, but expect to pay a little more for it, or stay within the $240 budget and get less for your money.

Just to add: If you DO decide to do some online shopping, NCIX is the place to do it since you are in Canada.

Cooler Master Extreme 2 Power Plus 625W ATX 12V Power Supply 20/24PIN 120mm Fan

EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 928MHZ 2GB 5.4GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI Minihdmi PCI-E Video Card

Thank you for the reply. I suppose I should begin to shop online, and I am flexible with that budget. I meant to confer that it would be more convenient for me if I had items available in retail stores, such as Future Shop or Best Buy.

Do yourself a favor order online and have it shiped Best Buy is Robery !

Hah, alright then.

What are your expectations out of a new graphics card? Do you need it to play games @ 1080p on the highest settings available? Multiple monitors? Or just reliably play games?

I just want smooth, reliable gameplay - it doesn't have to be in the highest settings, and I don't have multiple monitors.

I usually try to recommend the Nvidia GTX 660Ti, but that is a little past the budget. You will want to be in the $200 range on the graphics card, and assuming you spend ~$60-70 on a power supply, you are only just a tad past your original budget. The performance you will get with a graphics card in that price range is well worth the extra 20-30 bucks. You will probably be looking at an Nvidia GTX 660 or an AMD Radeon 7850.

Nvidia: GTX 660

AMD: Radeon HD 7850

As for the power supply, I linked you to a Corsair 500W in my first post, but I would go with a 600W instead. Either the Corsair CX600 or CX600M(semi-modular) would be perfect. All of those items are either on sale or have a mail-in rebate on them that will help keep you around $250-275.

If you have any other questions, just let us know.

Thanks, I'll be sure to consider them!