Maximum PC

I got a GTX 260, wondering with all the new cards that just came out, whats faster for the $150 price range? Saw a ton at Best buy of all places but didn't know how they compare to the GTX 260

Either Nvidia or ATI....

Thanks

ATI is dead. Their cards are now AMD.
The GT520 is a latest-gen card for 45 bucks, and looks okay.
I know this is slightly above, but it looks good:
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Free-Game-Downloads/dp/B004WJKDXE

I always look to the Tom's hardware chart when comparing GPUs (or CPUs, but that's another chart). Their most recent choice for the best cards (tie between Nvidia and AMD) for ~$165 are the GTX 460 1GB and the Radeon 6850. The way the Tom's chart works is that you would need to get a card 3 'tiers' (or more) above your current card to really notice a difference in gaming performance. The cards I mentioned are only one tier above your GTX 260.

In short, there is no card at the price you are looking for that would be substantially better than the one you have now. The only advantage I see to one of the newer GPUs is DirectX 11 support, if you play games that actually use it. In my opinion, you are better off waiting until you save up some $, or wait for newer GPUs to come out that fit your budget and are also substantially faster than what you have now.

Hope this helps!

PS: If you are able, you can get much better deals on Newegg or Amazon than buying retail at Best Buy. They sometimes have good (special one-day or weekend) deals on cell phones in the store, but the price markup for items like video cards is awful. To put numbers on it, the GTX 460 1GB at Best Buy is $249.99. You can get it for $159.99 on Newegg. Your mileage may vary, but I doubt you'll be able to find a good deal on a video card at BB.

I saw your 460 at Fry's for 100 clams. Of course, there were none left after two hours after opening.

I've read that those of you lucky enough to be near a Fry's can get some good deals like that. Sounds like word of that one spread fast! I'd take a 460 for $100 too

You can get most of the same deals at their website. You also get fewer of the stocking problems.

i picked up PNY GTX460 at $169.99 with a $30 rebate... and its been totally worth it for me.

i think this site got some deals...
http://www.eio.com/c-286-video-cards.aspx

im sure you can find a faster card (than GTX260) @ $150 anywhere

The amd 6870 AR is around 150 now days, would seem like a decent budget level card in this price range and its a bit faster than the 460gtx if I remember correctly. But yeah, the 460 on sale at the $100ish price is a steal if you can find them.