I primarily play World of Warcraft which I know is not a very graphics intensive game but should I spend $300+ dollars on a high end video card or would a 2GB 128-Bit 750Ti do the job? Also have a question about the R9 290 I've read good reviews on the card but I' ve read many reviews with this card arriving DOA, thoughts? And have you ever reviewed or tested the Crucial BX100 500GB SSD?
Question is what resolution you play on, or wish to upgrade to, and what would you like to do beyond WoW in the next year or two?
As for DOA cards, amd is more dependent on the brand you buy for that particular line, more so than the nvidea lines. Just check up reviews and see if the brand you are thinking of getting has inordinate number of complaints; whether revision, driver or hardware issues.
960, 290 for 1080
970, 290x for 1440
980 for 4k (I don't really suggest 2xx series for 4k...)
Unless you are playing at resolutions above 1080p, then I see no reason at getting a $300 card. At your price point of about $130, you should get the R7 265 which performs a bit better than the 750 Ti. If you want to spend a little more, then you can get the R9 270.
@drewjn No idea why you suggested the R9 290 with the GTX 960. The R9 280 is more of on the performance and price of the GTX 960. The R9 290 is better for 1440p.
Mostly use Nvidea myself, I recall 290x more equal to the 970, which pretty much does all you need at that res. Made a bad comparison then with the 290. Granted though, it also depends on what quality he wishes to run on too... Noted though on the comparative models, well keep it in mind next time.
To be honest I don't really care about playing WoW at 1080 I want a good resolution obviously but I don't really need it for WoW, I do play Battlefield now and then but I don't play on high/ultra settings.
I say in my opinion, if you can afford a $300 GPU, just get it so that you have the freedom to branch off to other games within the next few years. Because if you just spend $150, then you'll have to spend another $150 or more soon without the freedom to play other games at a better quality.
This is precisely why I mentioned looking toward two years. Ideally, you want something you can afford, and perhaps lengthen the life by going sli/xfire if needed, granted that your mobo has that option.
Up to you though, @milkwar hope you come upon a decision that suits you well.