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So, I currently have an XFX HD 4890. Good card and all, plus I got a great deal on it 
Paid like $120 when they were still floating around $200. Anyway, the issue isn't necessarily the performance as it still plays games well with a bit of eye candy on. Granted not too much or the FPS dips too much (I'm looking at you AA). I'm a slight stickler for keeping good frame rates and such. But really as long as I don't notice the slow down it doesn't bother me too much.
So, the real question is should I upgrade or just skip and wait for the next generation of cards. The only thing that is really wrong with the card per se is I believe the fan is slowly dying. Plus, it gets a bit louder under load than I'd like.
I guess the "requirements" I'd for a new card are:
1) Has to perform well. Not hard seeing the raw amount of power even $150 or so gets you now.
2) Quiet/ near silent on idle, but some noise under load is fine. For reference I have a little NZXT Vulcan with 3x Nexus 120mms, 1x Nexus 92mm, and a Gelid PWM fan for my CPU Cooler (Coolermaster Hyper 212+) and I can hear it, but it doesn't bother me. But I can turn down all the fans and hear the GPU only.
3) Price: under $400. I know that will pretty much buy any single GPU out there minus a couple. But frankly price really isn't an issue with the GPU to me. However, the less I have to spend is of course better. I'm not made of money.
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!
P.S. - I won't be purchasing it this month. Seeing as new cards just came out, I figure there will be a slight lag with new cards. I'm thinking at least 3 months here. So, I'm looking at Jan or Feb for a new card.
Paid like $120 when they were still floating around $200. Anyway, the issue isn't necessarily the performance as it still plays games well with a bit of eye candy on. Granted not too much or the FPS dips too much (I'm looking at you AA). I'm a slight stickler for keeping good frame rates and such. But really as long as I don't notice the slow down it doesn't bother me too much. So, the real question is should I upgrade or just skip and wait for the next generation of cards. The only thing that is really wrong with the card per se is I believe the fan is slowly dying. Plus, it gets a bit louder under load than I'd like.
I guess the "requirements" I'd for a new card are:
1) Has to perform well. Not hard seeing the raw amount of power even $150 or so gets you now.
2) Quiet/ near silent on idle, but some noise under load is fine. For reference I have a little NZXT Vulcan with 3x Nexus 120mms, 1x Nexus 92mm, and a Gelid PWM fan for my CPU Cooler (Coolermaster Hyper 212+) and I can hear it, but it doesn't bother me. But I can turn down all the fans and hear the GPU only.
3) Price: under $400. I know that will pretty much buy any single GPU out there minus a couple. But frankly price really isn't an issue with the GPU to me. However, the less I have to spend is of course better. I'm not made of money.
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!
P.S. - I won't be purchasing it this month. Seeing as new cards just came out, I figure there will be a slight lag with new cards. I'm thinking at least 3 months here. So, I'm looking at Jan or Feb for a new card.