I need some help in choosing a new graphics card

[Michael]

I was watching a movie on my machine when the monitor started flickering and the sound cut in and out. The screen would show different black and white patterns and then blank, with no sound. My machine is a fairly new xps 8300 that came with the ATI Radeon HD 5870. I am thinking graphics card here as when I powered it down, then put the monitor cable in the factory 15 pin slot, I could see the message telling me to plug into the graphics card monitor port....the hard drive sounded like it was spinning up and loading Windows so I am assuming and hoping that its the now fairly cheap GPU that needed to be updated anyway.

So my question. I'm off to the local Best Buy tomorrow and I would like some advice on what to pick up. Let me preface this by saying I am not a gamer and I had no complaints with my old GPU as it ran flight simulator x just fine...a little lacking on the frame rate so as long as I'm buying I would like to upgrade, I just don't need the big dog. I would like to find something in the 2 hundred range. Really don't want to spend more than 3. The only thing I do require is 2 monitor ports(one for my graphics tablet).

What's one or two steps above the Radeon 5870? Looking forward to the responses.

Thanks

[Michael]

Well after I removed the card and restarted my machine I pretty much confirmed the card did fail. After concerns about over taxing my stock power supply with a faster card I just decided to get an exact replacement off ebay. My machine still works fine for 90% of what I use it for so no need to speed off to Best Buy, I can wait a few days and save some $$. It turns out the 5700 series(yea I had a 5770, not 5870) has really dropped off in price in the past 18 months. I got a replacement for 80 bucks.

[OverlandMan]

Well after I removed the card and restarted my machine I pretty much confirmed the card did fail. After concerns about over taxing my stock power supply with a faster card I just decided to get an exact replacement off ebay. My machine still works fine for 90% of what I use it for so no need to speed off to Best Buy, I can wait a few days and save some $$. It turns out the 5700 series(yea I had a 5770, not 5870) has really dropped off in price in the past 18 months. I got a replacement for 80 bucks.

Michael, I'm no PC gamer nor do I use my home desktop for much more than internet browsing, Word, Excel, email, and Visual Studio. But I do have a nice inexpensive dual monitor solution and I was able to get all the parts off NewEgg.com. They usually give free shipping (or really cheap) and no sales tax for me (Texas). Check them out if you haven't already. I never go inside a Best Buy if I can keep from it these days.