What to upgrade to from a 9800GT

Hey guys, I'm running on a Phenom II X2 system with the good old 9800GT pushing the games, but just barely. I've got the thing overclocked to 700 MHz/1000 GDDR3 MHz to keep it going, but it's still starting to get very lukewarm. 

 

I'm looking at a 7870 to be my next video card, but I am not terribly sure how bad of a bottleneck the CPU will be. Regardless, it will be a very powerful card and a worthy upgrade from the 9800GT. Does anyone else here have any suggestions that differ from the 7870? I think it's going to work for me for the price, but it's always good to get a second opinion.

 

Also, this is my first post here, I am really liking the YouTube channel.

The 7870 is better at stock speeds and a better overclocker than the Nvidia card in its price range (660). If you are planning on overclocking, I definitely recommend the Hawk edition from MSi. The Twin Frozr III cooler, extremely overbuilt PWM, and custon PCB definitely make it worth the few extra bucks. Your CPU bottleneck should be slim to none.

Here's where I shop:

CA: http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=77736&vpn=R7870%20HAWK&manufacture=MSI/MicroStar&promoid=1030

US: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=77736&promoid=1030

Thanks a lot!

 

By the way, how is MSI warranty? I've been told to stick with XFX due to their amazing warranty program.