Need advice on rig upgrade please

[InnovaRayearth]

I had a friend build my current rig and it's been running for quite a few years now. I have moderate knowledge of computers, mostly software, but don't keep up to date on the newest parts and compatibility issues.

I recently moved and my old Geforce 8600 GT didn't make the trip. After attempting to re-seat it a couple times, I came to the conclusion it was the problem as my computer would not boot unless I took it out.

So I'm shopping for a new graphics card from newegg and read that pciexpress 2.0 cards are backwards compatible which is very convenient however I was hoping to get some input on which card will give me the best bang for my buck. I will be using it mostly to play Starcraft 2 but seeing as how low the requirements are for that game, I would like to be able to play higher end DirectX 10 games as well.

Thanks a lot in advance.

Linked at the bottom is a Belarc Advisor listing of my comp's specs.

I also plan on getting another two gigs of ram but that's an issue of just purchasing 2 more of my current RAM to avoid compatibility issues.

http://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x328/innovarayearth/SystemSpecs.jpg

 

[rickoles]

Your best bets would be a GTX460 or HD5770. These are the cards I would recommend as the minimum to purchase.

Another option is whacking your 8600 in the oven and baking for 10-20min on 185c. This sometimes fixes the cards (worked on my 8800).

 

[InnovaRayearth]

Baking my graphics card?!

Considering that overheating is such an issue for graphics cards(especially here in the desert, I find it hard to believe one would ever bake their graphics card. It sort of sounds like I am being trolled, otherwise I would greatly appreciate an explanation for how such a plan would fix anything.

 

[rickoles]

Considering that overheating is such an issue for graphics cards(especially here in the desert, I find it hard to believe one would ever bake their graphics card. It sort of sounds like I am being trolled, otherwise I would greatly appreciate an explanation for how such a plan would fix anything.

Nup, not trolling. It basicly gets hot enough to melt the solder and sometimes fixes the issues with the card. Google it, heaps of people have done it and had success. TBH, if your card is already broken you have nothing to lose. Just don't put it in the oven with the heatsink + fan on.