Graphics card question. Should I or shouldn't I?

[misha1967]

Yes, I know, that's a loaded question because we all have our preferences, but I'm asking to hear from people who've done the same as I'm contemplating or something similar. I could have also put it in "General", but really the only reason I'm even thinking about it is because of SH5. It runs just fine on my current setup, but I wouldn't mind a little extra "oomph" to push the FPS up a bit.

My "old" 2 and half year Phenom II X4, 4GB Vista 64 box still runs everything I want quite satisfactorily even though I might not always be able to push it to 8x8 AA (which, at 1920x1080 is a waste if you ask me), and I'm perfectly happy with its 30FPS even when there's a lot going on.

But I was thinking about upgrading my GTX 260 to a GTX 570 since they're so damned cheap and wondering if anybody has done something similar and what their experience was. Yes, I know the GTX 580 is even faster, but then I'd have to get a new PSU due to the power config which, if necessary, I'd be happy to, but I'd rather not if I can avoid it.

And yes, I know that nVidia has a problem with sun flare, I've known that for a decade, but it doesn't really matter all that much to me. What I like about them is that they're generally rock solid out of the box and you don't have to spend a week tweaking and hunting alternate drivers like you have to with a lot of the ATIs, even though I'll be the first to admit that they're bloody awesome GPUs, no fault on that. They kick a certain part of your anatomy once you get them tuned right.

But I know nVidia, I've never been disappointed with them and they're generally quiet, cool and tough.

So, is it worth it? My current 260 runs fine, cool and quiet and the last thing I want is a card that heats up my entire room and sounds like a Boeing wind tunnel.

Oh, my PSU is 800W.

Any thoughts most welcome.