I RECENTLY purchased a new computer and I'm ready to install a graphics card. I want help deciding what card will compliment my machine the best. I mainly want to run the newest PC games WITHOUT having to turn down the graphics and am not really concerned with the price.

Windows 7 64bit OS
Processor-- Intel Core i5-2500K (3.30Hz)
Motherboard-- Asus P8H61-m
8 GB DDR3 RAM
WD 1TB SATA HD

Thanks Nvidia and Intel work well together, so that would be my first thought. Secondly, are you able to SLI two cards in the future, or are you able to support just one with your motherboard? It's not a big deal in picking a first card, but in the future when upgrading you'll want to keep that in mind. Often two SLI cards down the road can match the capacity of one very nice card, so you can save some money on upgrades.

That being said, I hear the Nvidia 560 is a good one to have for today's games. They also have the 580 and 590, which are better, but also much more expensive right now. I would shop around on a site such as newegg and compare prices on 560's. Find one that you like and has good reviews.

Also pay attention to how the cooling works on the card and how your case is set up. Proper airflow is key to running a good graphics card. Some blow out the back of the card, and others directly into the case. Finally check and MAKE sure your power supply is good enough to handle the card. The 560 will require (with everything else you're running) a 650W or better supply.Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer my questions
im looking at the box for my motherboard right now and it says i have...
1 x PCI Express 2.0 x 16 Slot
2 x PCI Express 2.0 x 1 Slots
1 x PCI Slot

All chineese to me lol

Ive already accepted that ill have to replace my power supply that i purchased on christmas eve lol

I dont Mind spending the extra bucks for more high end products as im in the belief that quality comes with a price.Graphics cards will use the PCI Express x 16 port, so it looks like you have one slot. This means you cannot run SLI, but you can have one decent graphics card. Most of todays games should run at high settings on a 560, with PERHAPS some extremely power hungry games requiring you to have to turn down some shadows or smoothing of edges to get the best framerate - but the changes will not at all affect gameplay.

The difference between the 560 and the 580/590 is about $200 and while they are about 20% more powerful than a 560, the average game will not be built to utilize that power for a while yet. You'd also need to consider the better cards do require more power and generate more heat. I am running a single Radeon 6850, which isn't as powerful as the 560, and I am still able to play games like Dirt 3 and, Battlefield 3, and Skyrim just fine.