Upgrading rig - what's the best GPU/CPU I need/my rig can handle/I can afford?

[fillasophy]

I've always disliked the premise of a refurb ("if you didn't make it right the first time, why should I trust that you can fix it?") but that IS a really good deal... plus, checking some benchmark data shows the 960 is roughly comparable to the 770, so that should get me to medium pretty well I should think I'll need to think about it some more.

That said, I have one last question...I know there are different versions of the same card by the same manufacturer, and I now know that it's because the clock speeds are a little different on the different models. Should I be focusing on any particular model/speed, or will the most budget friendly still work for me?

I ask because I've found a variation on the 960 that's new but about the same price, so I avoid the refurb issue... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...-_-Product

I just pulled the trigger on the 6300 (amazon will have it to me by tomorrow) so I'll start the rebuild now, then add in the new card if I get one/when it arrives.

PS - I nearly forgot, but leaving the 6850 in there won't do anything but add load to the PSU since I can't use a bridge on it and the new card, correct?


In general thanks a ton for all the advice!

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Oh, and by the way...good call on checking the BIOS... mine are set at F2, so I'll need to take care of that first