Hey All, I was wondering if I could get some reccomendations here. I currently have an older box with an Intel Core 2 Q9550 Quad Core processor running at 2.83 Ghz 3 gigs of ram and a Nvidia GeForce 9500GT.
I am looking to acquire a new GPU soon as I am pretty certain that is my current biggest bottleneck and my budget is looking at $100-150.
Just wondering if ya'll could give me some suggestions to help me figure out what my best choice would be in that price range.

Thanks in advance.

PS just in case I have read the Tom's Hardware best cards for the money article from...July? I think that was the latest one.
Also my gaming needs are primarily flight sims (RoF, IL2, Lomac) and Arma 2:OA

Just did a quick check and the Tom's best graphics cards for the money article for August was up. Looked in my price range and the Radeon HD 5770 seemed to be just inside what I can afford. Any opinions? I have used both Nvidia and Radeon in the past and have no bias either way.

With the Nvidia 460 1Gb falling to 220, and the 5850 staying at it's old price of around 290, the 460 1Gb would be it IMHO. The 460 768Mb can be had for around 180 now after rebate.

I just looked and the egg had the 5850 for 254 but it expired the 23rd. I would sign up for the email deals so you can get the promo codes. Promo code was good for 34 bucks off of 289.

5770 would be ok for you if you are gaming below 1920 x 1080 resolution.
For resolutions 1920 x 1080 and over you are better of with 5850, i do not mention 5830 as i find it as pointless card, not because its bad card, there is no bad card, only badly priced card.

You will need to OC your CPU to push any new DX11 card.

I run 5870 and i have been running ATI cards for years so i cant go into lengths about new Nvidia GTX 460/480 cards, but they do get hot and use loadsa of power, but are performing well.

Ya my resolution is 1680 x 1050, probably not gonna change for awhile. Radeon 5770 really seems to be about the best for how much I can spend right now. The new Nvidia's look nice, but I definitely cannot spend over 200 on a gpu right now. Would probably be over kill anyhow

Well, if you *could* find a GTX275 or 285... but I suppose they are very much out of stock.

The new ATI HD6xxx GPUs will be released at end-October, November -- according to latest rumor. Moreover, the names of 35 HD6xxx cards are in the Catalyst 10.8 driver just released.

Just before the new cards hit, prices on HD5xxx should drop. One might be able to move up from the HD5770 to the HD5830, for example.

Just a thought.

If that's your budget you will be more than pleased with the 5770.
I'm more than pleased with mine.

Looking at your PC I can see its a older motherboard, so I, personally, wouldnt go with a new card such as a 5770. An older, or second-hand, card such as the ATI 4890 1gig is ideal for you.

You should be able to pick one up for a lot less than a new card such as the 5770, and the 4890 is just as powerful. The only -very minor- drawback is that the older card doesnt support DirectX 11. But there are no games that use DX11 as yet.

Swings and roundabouts. Save your money untill after christmas, as ATI and NVidia are releasing lots of new cards in October, so you might get an even better deal.

Kendo, I'm not sure why the age of the motherboard would make a difference in choosing a video card. A Q9550 means he's running a P45, which is only one generation old. He's not going to have any PCI bus restrictions and Direct X won't be an issue with the motherboard, either.

I don't think I would recommend a 4890. It has comparable performance to a 5850, but it cranks out a lot more heat. DX11 isn't an issue at this moment, but A-10C will be out by the end of this year and it will be coded for DX11. Put them both together and I think going with a 4890 or 4870 would be a false economy.

For $100-150, I'm with everyone else who has recommended a 5770.