So, my computer's GeForce 8800 GTS 320MB died on me recently, that I've had since I got my computer in early '07. Screen artifacting and stuff everywhere, drivers won't install, etc. It's very frustrating, but it sounds like once this kind of thing happens to a card, it's dead, sadly. Currently I'm using an old Radeon X300 card that was in another computer, but that can't play any games from the past five years, so I need something new. I've used NVidia graphics cards for a long time now, and think they definitely have better drivers too, so I'd rather get NVidia than ATI.
The computer's got a Core 2 Duo E6600 (2.4Ghz) CPU, with 4GB Ram, the now dead EVGA 8800 GTS video card, a SB X-Fi, etc. It's been having some other problems -- something's wrong with the sound card and has been for a while, my power supply died a year ago and I had to replace it (the new power supply's a Corsair GS600, decently good model I think if lower wattage than the one it replaced.) I do have four HDDs in it, and DVD and floppy drives (and Vista 32-bit). Basically, I don't want to buy a whole new machine right now -- this one can still run new games, and new computers are expensive. As long as it can still decently run new stuff I want to keep it, as long as I can keep it going that is. (Perhaps the weirdest problem I've had was when it was the machine resetting when I touched some parts of the back of the case with somethng, most notably on the sound card... yeah. It hasn't done that in a while, but the sound card's speaker port is touchy now. Also, one of the plastic feet of the computer broke off when I was moving it a few years ago and then I lost it, so I've got it partially held up by a thin piece of wood under the case... I have wondered if that's part of the problem, but I don't know. I was really worried when the video card failed, because after the failure at first I got no picture at all, so I was pretty relieved when I tried that other card and it started up... (Oh, I do plan on probably upgrading the rear case fan from 80mm to 120mm; I don't know if heat is a problem, and there are three fans in the case (not counting the power supply's fan), but that spot can fit a 120mm, so it seems like it couldn't be a bad idea. That's a cheaper upgrade...)
However, ever since installing ATI's drivers two days ago I've had a very annoying problem -- most of the time, when I turn the computer back on from Suspend, it reverses my two monitors, after a lengthy black-screen period, so I then have to go back in and switch them again. Argh, it never did either the long black-screen periods or monitor reversing with either NVidia drivers or the generic drivers I had previously been using with the X300! Stupid ATI... another reason to get another card sooner.
Anyway, to the point, the video card. I've heard that with this power supply I probably could handle anything up to a 560-range card, but given my CPU, it seems likely that I'd probably be CPU-limited at that level, yes? And those cards are more expensive, too, particularly the 560Ti. Getting a DX11 card does seem to make sense, but I don't want to get something that's a waste of money because of the CPU (and it's not like I could upgrade that much, i7 of course requires a whole new motherboard from the Core 2).
I've heard the 460 (1GB model, probably? I see various models, not sure what the differences are.) mentioned, and that seems like it might be a decent option, but the cheaper ones seem to be EVGA, and given that it's their 8800 that just died on me, I don't know... yes, it was five years old, but still. I do find getting a higher-end card tempting, but the question is whether it''d be worth it at all, with the rest of my ardware (and the additional price!).
And of course, NVidia has new stuff coming this year too, soon maybe? I wouldn't be waiting for that, but if that dropped prices for their other stuff too, it almost makes me want to wait, even though otherwise I'd really rather not so that I can play newer games on this thing again.