I need help choosing between two gpus

[Avidgamer]

Ok, This is my first post so hi all.

But I come here with a problem; Deciding the gpu that works for me. My comp cost me $500 usd, it came with a pretty good processor, hard drive and 6 gigs of ram. It also came with 1 big weakness: The gpu. My current gpu is an internal ati radon hd 4200, it's abysmal. I'm going to upgrade my gpu soon enough, I've narrowed it down to 2 gpus:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102959
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127616

I only have 1 monitor running so some people claim the extra gb won't be necessary and to fork up the exra $30 for the nvidia gpu, but I'm not certain why. The ati gpu costs less and has 2 gigs, the nvidia costs more and has 1 gig. I've come here for help as to which gpu would be best for me, I want to be able to play bf3 at a decent frame rate as well as Skyrim. I'm trying to stay below the $200 price range but if the Nvidia really is better I'd be willing to fork up the extra $30 or so bucks. When it comes down to it: Which gpu will serve me better, I will be willing to elaborate if necessary. Also, if anyone comes across a better gpu around the price point i'll be willing to consider.

[soldant]

I'm not 100% certain why they're going on about VRAM with 2 monitors... presumably you'd only be using a single monitor while gaming anyway, which makes it irrelevant. VRAM is more to do with resolution and with textures; the more you have, the more high-res textures can be stored and therefore the smoother the experience. 1GB is pretty much mandatory these days but 2GB probably isn't really 'essential' just yet.

That said, the 560Ti is supposed to be superior to the 6850. Some people claim it's a fair margin, others claim that it isn't. Personally I'd pick the 560Ti, but only because I've never had much luck with ATI drivers.

[Nalano]

I have the 560. I'm biased (I pretty much always choose nVidia), but it works great. Just make sure to check the boards about drivers, because their newest ones aren't always their most stable ones.

[Kadayi]

Pretty much everyone I know who bought a 560 has been thumbs up about them. Nvidia generally seem to be faster than ATi when it comes to driver support as well.

[Mohorovicic]

I only have 1 monitor running so some people claim the extra gb won't be necessary and to fork up the exra $30 for the nvidia gpu, but I'm not certain why. The ati gpu costs less and has 2 gigs, the nvidia costs more and has 1 gig. I've come here for help as to which gpu would be best for me, I want to be able to play bf3 at a decent frame rate as well as Skyrim.

1. What is "decent frame rate"
2. What is your resolution

Memory on a card (at least in the 1-2GB range difference) is only good for storing top quality textures. Trick is, 6850 is simply not good enough for top quality textures in BF3/Skyrim(we're talking texture mods in Skyrim's case). You get the cart, but the horse is limping.

Radeon HD 7850 is solution to all your problems but it's $40 over budget:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161406

I'd say, if you're not willing to go with 7850 or 560 Ti(only if you're nvidia fan, 7850 is just simply much better at the same price), don't bother with 2GB at all.

[Avidgamer]

1. What is "decent frame rate"
2. What is your resolution

I'd prefer over 55 fps on max, if that's possible, also graphic mods aren't too important to me (I will probably do some map modding for Skyrim), I just want a card that will be able to play games at a good resolution 2-3 years from now (if that's even possible at my price point), I also plan to upgrade my moniter which is why I'm on a tight budget (I'm going to get a really good one)

I would like to know if either gpu is capable of handling the overhaul as seen in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xJ9k...eature=related. (I highly doubt it but w/e)

[Odeon]

If you're going to be getting a 1080P monitor, then you'll want to get the best card you can afford even if it's overkill for your current monitor. And if you want to get Skyrim to look as good as it does in that video and with that framerate, you'll want as much VRAM as you can get.

Here's what I found on NewEgg, in both price and performance order from lowest to highest:
$170 HD 6870 1GB ($160 after $10 rebate) with free shipping and free copy of Dirt3 - best card for under $200
$220 HD 6870 2GB ($190 after $30 rebate) with free shipping and free copy of Dirt3
$230 GTX 560 Ti 1GB ($200 after $30 rebate) with free shipping
$240 GTX 480 1.5GB with free shipping

This is where NewEgg gets me because I think, "Okay, for $40 more I can get a better card, but I have to wait for the rebate. For $50 more I can get an even better card, but I have to wait for the rebate. Rebates take a long time, so I might as well consider paying $60 more for a significantly better card even though I won't get a rebate..."

[Avidgamer]

I have seen an evga 560 for $170 at my best buy, it has 2 gigs and is "Superclocked" is this a good option?

[kalelovil]

Using a system which dates back to the 785g chipset, your CPU is possibly going to bottleneck you. If you listed what CPU you have that would help.

AMD currently has the price/performance advantage in the low end discrete market; this is probably a good card for your system:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127664

[Grizzly]

The 560Titanium is significantly faster then the ATI 6850HD (its faster then the 6870!) According to this neat little graph (and website). I am quite sure that the 560 titanium is quite capable at handling all the games currently available at maximum at a 1080p resolution.

2gb apperently becomes an issue if you want to play BF3 at ultra on a 2560*1600 resolution, but if you are able to afford such a big screen, you most likely can afford an even better card.

[Avidgamer]

Using a system which dates back to the 785g chipset, your CPU is possibly going to bottleneck you. If you listed what CPU you have that would help.

AMD currently has the price/performance advantage in the low end discrete market; this is probably a good card for your system:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127664

I'll do you 1 better: my computer is basically stock (Aside from my extra hard drive)

The model is HP pavilion p7-1054, and yes I will upgrade the psu.