Looking for a new graphics card

alright, ill go ahead and order these parts and prep to install them. thanks for so much help, and I will get back on this thread when I have them installed and let you guys know if it worked or not.

I look forward to hearing of your success.
remember, do your homework. make sure you know what you're doing. and most importantly, take it slow. removing and inserting the card will take some force, but if you do it incorrectly, it'll jam and may break (that happened to me when I was trying to do a GPU switch in less than a minute , the card ended up making up some worrying buzzing noises after I jammed it in without much care, so I had to get it RMA'd)
also, make sure to discharge yourself of any static electricity before you even touch anything inside your case.
discharge yourself every five minutes or so. probably best not to wear socks and work on carpet either.
(to electrostatically discharge yourself, touch any large metal object, like your case or the power supply).
once again, good luck!

Alright, just got and installed my cpu and gpu. initial installations went smoothly, and it runs well.. With one exception. Everytime I go ingame, in this case Borderlands 2, my card has a tendancy to run at really high temps. According to EVGA's PrecisionX.... around 90 degrees celsius.
My card is this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130664.
My settings are all maxed at 1920x1080 resolution. Perhaps this is too much for my card to handle?
Twice I had the instance where my pc couldn't take it and would blackscree in the middle of a game, and automatically turn off my monitor. Once this happened loud noises immediately followed from within my pc, at which I responded by shutting off and restarting my computer. Needless to say, this concerns me, and I wish to ask for someone's help.

Perhaps there is a restriction of airflow which I am not aware of? I have 3 fans in my tower. And my new pcu has TONS of cords, do these get in the way? I am very concerned with how my card is running, and I don't wish to further mess things up.

I not really sure but you may need to run the monitor on its native settings for the resolution. Check all your connections. Update your video drivers. I am sure someone here will give you a little more advise on this.

So I found out that using this precision tool from EVGA, I can increase fan speeds and keep the card running at 60-70 celsius while ingame. The problem then is that the fan is REALLY LOUD.. and is an obvious setback from what I expected from this card. Any ideas on how to improve performance and get the best from this card?

First of all check your airflow and that the fans are all working, and try to tuck those PSU cords away somewhere (maybe in an unused DVD drive). To be honest I'm not surprised at those temps considering you're using a stock HP Pavilion case which are not designed for running any sort of gaming GPU. Download MSI Afterburner and set up a custom fan profile, one which doesn't crank the fan to the 100%. 60-70C is a good temp while in game but I'd say anything up to 80-85C is acceptable.

Alright, thank you. So my problem is not within the card itself, but more or less my setup? I shouldn't have to return it?

no no don't return it anything.
to be honest, I think should've seen this coming.
a little pre-build PC case is like a sauna for computers. It is highly advised you get a bigger, roomier case whenever you upgrade your computer with powerful components. As for your situation, it depends. can you afford to spend $50-60 on a case? (note this isn't 100% necessary but it would be
a) more aesthetically pleasing
b) better cooling/airflow = lower temps
c) much better in the long run

The card is fine.
Try running it with the case side panel open, if your temps drop significantly then it's definitely the case that's causing the high temps.