Which card should I get?

I use this to evaluate graphics cards.http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu_list.php There is a value for dollar chart for each card there. Happy shopping.

The 480 is extremely power hungry and (stock) runs very hot and very loud as compared to... pretty much any other card out there. It was built for the best performance possible at the time and pretty much all other considerations were completely discarded.

Thanks Kryo, that's what I was afraid of. So the 570 or 660 would be a bit better? I would like to get a good card... not something that sounds like a vacuum cleaner or generates enough heat to melt the ice caps in Alaska.

Anthony...use Wizard's link....sort by value...but be wary that if one is wildly cheaper for its performance it likely is flawed as Kryo mentioned....;)

Mine's 12th on that list...but a darn good card all the same...;)

The 660 from what I hear is 'decent' though the 570 is supposed to shred through just about everything. Last year I picked up the 560 Ti 1gb ($240) and am very satisfied with it. The 570 was supposed to be the step up from that but at the time was an extra $100. Many of the driver issues with these series of cards have been fixed so if you've read some reviews that complained about that, it shouldn't be a concern like it was last year. I play BF3, Skyrim, SoaSE:R flawlessly now with the updated drivers from nVidia. 

I would recommend considering ATI/AMD.

Usually same performance for much less cost.

Most of Nvidias card come with considerable "you pay for the Nvidia sticker" nowadays.

I recommend reading some comparsion sites.

I love my GTX 560 ti

but I figure I'll say something a little more useful

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

Something you should be aware of Anthony R (and people will argue this up one side and down the other and back again) is that ATI/AMD versus nVidia often go back and forth for the most bang for your buck [most performance for the price]. I personally have had great experience with nVidia cards but I have done the research on which card to get prior to picking just which one I want.

User reviews on websites such as Newegg.com and Tigerdirect are usually fairly good indicators of the card's market acceptance and performance in real world applications. When looking at the reviews for a product to see if there are any issues with the card, always ignore the 5, 4, and 1 star reviews. If there are any major issues present it will show up in the 2 & 3 star reviews. If you see a trend starting to crop up on the 2 & 3 star reviews for a certain card, keep that in mind before deciding to purchase it.

I say pick up the 570 @ 1gb and ditch the 480. I haven't messed with the 660 but I believe that the 570 won't disappoint if you choose to pick it up.

Bookmarked for future use.

I've been looking at possibly tossing the 480 for a 660 myself. I've only suffered having a space heater that doubles as a video card this long because I got it dirt cheap from a coworker who bought a 580 just as I was also rebuilding my machine.

Either of those should outperform the 480, and the newer generation cards are much more efficient as well (which means less heat and thus less noise). So it largely comes down to how much you value the non-performance factors, which that chart does not account for.

How good is your arm? Toss it towards Illinois, I'll try to catch it.  My 8800GT died so my machine is sorely missing a decent card and that would do quite nicely for a replacement. The 8800GT was my only source of heat in my computer room.

Fine.. here's some useful info from me (for a change :P) .  1st - I'll buy either ATI or Nvidia.  I go for whatever gets me the best bang for my buck.  Don't care which brand.  2nd - before I buy a graphics card, there is exactly 1 resource I hit up.  Tom's hardware graphics card hierarchy chart.  Anyone looking to pick up a new card should check this list 1st imo.  It is published by tom's on a monthly basis.  Here's September - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

It is also incredibly useful because it shows you the best performers along with the current street price (eg makes it pretty easy to pick a good card).  So, I'd just look through their tier list, then decide how much I want to spend.  They typically recommend the best current deals as well.

edit  - ah - I see carkarias posted this link as well.  I declare my post better as I explain things.  So there... its technically not like a repost at all... right?

I find the  Passmark site handy as it has benchmarks for everything, even Android and iOS. (whatever they are)

Technically, yours is better, your link works.

Thanks everyone. I wonder about reviews at new egg and Amazon cause they seem to be increasingly incorrect and biased. Its also hard to decide when it comes to performance issues that can't be determined from looking at benchmarks, such as heat, noise, etc. Its really crazy, but I'm really starting to think about totally swapping out my rig completely. I know its scorched earth, but I'm starting to think the processor is getting outdated as well as the mobo. The 570 looks like a great card. I'm not sure if I need that much GPU. but It would be good to get one that can hold up for some years before going obsolete.

Don't worry, cause the 8800's are coming back again in a new launch. Well, this time they will be ATI

Info just leaked today.

This looks like a pretty wicked motherboard, anyone have it?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131821

Made the link work -Admin.

Looks like you'd need to wear combat pants and change your logon sound to "Semper Fi, Mo-Fo"....;p

Bit corny...alll the 'military' references....just make it seem typically over-budget-and-ruined-by-committee....;p

That aside.... ASUS makes good stuff...my MoBo is ASUS ...a few years old...ASUS P6T-se  X58 i7  as is my new Graphic ... ASUS GTX590 3GB.

...so is my monitor...come to think of it...ASUS MW221u 22" LCD ....;)

Asus has some real nice stuff... there's a bunch of more traditional boards without all the stealth technology dust covers. I'm tired of my lousy Foxconn mobo with limited Ram. I think I might start building a new rig.

ATI/AMD HD7870.  Low power consumption, kick bottom and the graphics are sharp as a knife.

That board has been getting poor reviews if you don't clean it out every 2-3 weeks as dust gets trapped behind the covers. Unfortunately what this means is that your board retains excess heat. I would honestly take a look at an MSI motherboard as they have been getting great reviews this past year and a half for the 2nd and 3rd gen i-series processors.