Upgrading my graphics card

[ShenGuardian]

Hello,

I'm moderately new to upgrading my pc, and know next to nothing about graphics cards upgrading compatibility. I was wondering if someone could help me figure out what graphics card I can upgrade my computer to (if I can upgrade at all). My intention is to upgrade to play Skyrim at "Ultra" settings (if possible). I'm currently able to put the game to "Ultra" graphics settings, but getting around 20-30 fps and would like to fix up my computer rig to run at least a solid 50+. I am considering upgrading the memory if needs be.

Here's what computer I have:
Motherboard: Giga-Byte GA-870A-UD3
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 640 Processor 3.00 GHz
Memory: 4 GB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
Windows 7 Home Premium
(PSU is 700w)

Thanks for reading, and all advice in advance!

 

[cliffordcooley]

With the 700w PSU you have plenty of headroom for GPU upgrade. That is assuming your case has room for a longer card. The 700w will power any single card you want.

On the memory front you might consider doubling that value to 8GB. The 4GB of memory is pushing it for several games.

 

[ShenGuardian]

Would you recommend any specific type of card? I usually prefer NVIDIA cards, but have an open mind as far as price/performance goes.

Definitely overdue for a memory upgrade, so thanks for the extra confirmation that it would be a necessity.

 

[cliffordcooley]

I'm a fan of nVidia, but that's just me. I will only recommend a card from either camp of the last couple generations. I'm not a fan of buying old tech, and choose to only when needed.

 

[lexarflash]

Something like a $100+ GPU like a 750 TI or 960 would be good enough.