Upgrade time!
 

So as much as I love the fact that my GTX 550 Ti is smooth as a baby's bottom covered in butter, it's not going to withstand the rigors that, say, the Crytek engine will force upon it.

Given a budget of $200-300 (the cheaper the better for the most part) and a preference for nVidia, what would the forums recommend is my upgrade? Need moar VRAM! I'm willing to step outside my price range if so convinced, as long as you're not talking me into a 590!

Dont' buy anything yet.
Wait until kepler launches and AMD bring out their mainstream to keep prices in check.

-ST

*$200-300 banked*

^this, but if you can't wait, EVGA 480 for $260 is going to be the best bang for the buck in that price range.(love mine)

And or get used when they do, as always when a new gen comes and everyone starts upgrading there is many deals to be had.
So if you dont "need" the latest gen you should find some good buys in the BS/WTT/WTB section.

Good point.
Maybe my i'll let my 580 go for cheap when Kepler lands.

-ST

Yeah for someone that doesnt need cutting edge and/or are on a budget very good time to buy IMO.
Bad for sellers though since there tends to be a glut of cards/hardware once the mainstream cards start selling.

Given that you seem happy with what you have for now I also say wait for the next generation to be released and then put your money out for a new GPU.

I also agree, wait until Nvidia shows what they are bringing to the table with their new cards.

Wait until kepler if you can. Otherwise... a gtx 480 can be had for $249.99 brand new which is a pretty good deal. Just make sure you have decent airflow and a decent power supply to complement it.