What graphics card should I get?

I've been upgrading my current 3-year-old Gaming PC and just added extra storage. One crucial component that I need to upgrade is undoubtedly my GPU. I'm currently running on an old 460 with 786 MB. I'm thinking about getting an GTX 760, as that would be the most balanced option for my system to avoid bottle-necking (although there still will be a little bit I'm sure). I could also wait for Maxwell next year and get the lower end card for that series. However, my plan is to completely upgrade my mobo/CPU/RAM, etc, by the end of next year with Haswell- E. The storage I just ordered can be used for that next platform.

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz

GRAPHICS CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 768MB

MOTHERBOARD: EVGA X58 SLI LGA1366

RAM: OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1066

DISPLAY: SyncMaster 2233SB,SyncMaster Magic CX2233SB(Digital) 1920 x 1080

HDD: Western Digital WD VelociRaptor 10000 RPM 300GB

SSHD: Seagate 2 TB Hybrid drive <---(New Upgrade)*

SSD: Samsung EVO 250GB <---(New Upgrade)*

OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 7 64 bit

PSU: Corsair 750TX

The 760 will definitely be a huge upgrade. Normally I would tell people to go AMD if they are on a tighter budget but the prices for all decent AMD cards have risen dramatically because of miners. Also they're not really available right now. If you are not satisfied with the performance of the 760 because it gets bottlenecked you could still OC your CPU a bit until you upgrade.

As far as upgrading goes, you should probably also consider getting new RAM (after upgrading mobo and CPU). 2x4Gb of 1600 MHz or 1866MHz ram should also give you a performance boost. Besides that you should be totally fine.

Yes I'm considering the 760. As far as RAM goes, I intend to upgrade oonce I go with a full upgrade. At which point I'll jump into a new platform out of my old x58. I'm thinking about x99 for Haswell-E, or perhaps could wait further depending on how things go.

If you see a good deal on a 770 or a 280x, go with one of those. Hell, even a 7970 ghz edition or a 680 (although I would go for the newer gen). The reason I recommend this is purely for higher resolution gaming. In a year or so 1440, 1600 and 4K resolutions will be mainstream for monitors. A 770 or 280x will push those resolutions (especially if you have a 4gb version). The 760 will struggle.

Which 770? One with 4GB of RAM, with a good, quiet cooler. My suggestion would be EVGA's SC ACX. If you can't afford it, go with the 280x.

maybe not 4k and probably more like 2-3 years.

I don't think so. Technology is moving at a faster pace than we realise. Its not a straight line on a graph its a curve and it increases quickly. Think about computing a year from now. No more installing cpu's, half the gaming world interacting with hardware in a completely new way via mantle, Steam box becoming a common item in the living room, curved phones becoming the norm, watches that interact with daily life. 4K isn't way in the future. It's here. In the past 3 months, 4K prices have plummeted. It will plummet further and 4K will be the norm.

I dont like change

No, nor do I to an extent. I will miss plugging in my CPU but thats the way the cookie crumbles I'm afraid :(

my wallet really doesnt like change (no pun)

No, I can imagine. I probably put 80% of my spare wages into tech but thats the price one pays for such a hobby :P

I understand that 1440p monitors are going to become more mainstream in the next few years, but until their price drops to that of 1080p monitors, 1080p will still be the norm.  I honestly think you'll be fine with 2GB for the next year and a half if you stay at 1080p, which is likely unless you plan on shelling out $500 on a 1440p monitor.

In regards to 1440p gaming, 2 GB of VRAM are still totally fine. The speed of your card is always going to be a bottleneck before you have to worry about VRAM (as long as you don't SLI) I have a single gtx 770 2GB and it runs BF4 all ULTRA, HBAO with no AA at 1440p without problems. And that's the point, with lots of AA VRAM might be a problem, but your card won't be fast enough anyway (also AA really isn't needed at 1440p)

 

also AA really isn't needed at 1440p

They said the same thing about 1080p.

If you have a 19'' 1080p monitor that is true. It's about the pixel density, try it out for yourself if you don't believe me. 27'' 1440p doesn't benefit a whole lot from AA, except that it kills your framerate. The difference really is minimal.

I may skip 2k and just wait for 4k to be more affordable and mainstream. Only until then will I make the leap from 1080p to 4k. 2k is tempting, though. As for the new GPU, I just think that the 760 is a more balanced option for my system, considering I have an older CPU that will very surely hold back the potential of even the 760. Anything more than a 760 will probably amplify the bottleneck effect to a greater extent I'm afraid.