anthony12538

That seems to have helped alot, thanks for the swift replies fellas

I just checked the coupon and it still works for me. You should be able to
apply it at checkout.
 

Specs :
Display ::MSI GE62 Apache, 15.6" FHD, Anti-Glare 1920x1080 [SKL]
Processor ::Intel® Core™ i7-6700HQ Mobile Processor (4x 2.6GHz/6MB L3 Cache) [GE62]
Memory ::8GB [8GB x 1] 2133MHz DDR4 SO-DIMM Laptop Memory - Corsair or Major Brand
Video Card ::NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M 3GB GDDR5 [GE62]
M.2 Solid State Drive ::128GB Toshiba M.2 SSD -- Read: 534MB/s; Write: 471MB/s - Single Drive
Primary Hard Drive :: Free Upgrade to 1TB 7200RPM
Optical Drive ::8x Dual Format DVD±R/±RW + 16x CD-R/RW Combo Drive [GE62]
Media Card Reader / Writer ::Built-in SD Memory Card Reader/Writer [Laptop]
Sound Card ::HD Audio with Creative Soundblaster Cinema
Network Card ::Killer E2400 Gaming Network
Internal Wireless Network Adapter ::802.11 a/c Wi-Fi + Bluetooth Combo [M.2]
 
 
Comes with free MSI Backpack, Mousepad and Steelsereis Siberia V2 headset and the Division too
I would also suggest dropping another 8GB of ram for a total of 16GB
 
 
http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/MSI-GE62-Apache-Pro-Gaming-Laptop

A Kingston HyperX Fury Red 4dgb free after rebate.
 
 
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?sdtid=7835889&EdpNo=9555011&SRCCODE=LINKSHARE&cm_mmc_o=-ddCjC1bELltzywCjC-d2CjCdwwp&utm_source=Linkshare&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=lw9MynSeamY&AffiliateID=lw9MynSeamY-uB2cHAfVxya1iV5.V651sg 

It was the mount. He brought it over this morning and one of the screws for the mount was stripped in way that made it feel secure when I originally mounted the cooler and had come loose after closing up the case I guess. I had some spare screws and nuts; now its running great. Thanks for the help.

For the 100$ more between the 280x and the 290 and the 40$ more for the 770gtx or the 290 . 
 
It makes no sense to upgrade from a 7870 unless your going to something substantially better - in this case the 290 is hands down the better upgrade. 
 
If this user was coming from having no video card currently then between the 280x -770GTX and the 290 would be what ever he can afford or desired in Brand options , but upgrading to the 280x from a 7870 for 300$ makes no sense to me. 
Upgrading to a  770gtx for 360$ makes even less sense. 
 
The only plausible upgrade is a 290 @ 400$ as it is enough of a performance jump to justify the money spent upgrading. 

Wait a few days till they release non reference r9 290's then get one of them as they will destroy a gtx 770 and 780.

R9 290. If you can spend $400, R9 290.

Okay I am ready for a GPU upgrade. My system is as follows:
i7 970 @ 4.2
12gb Corsair Vengeance
750W Rosewill hive
120gb Samsung Evo
1tb WD blue
Radeon HD 7870 Asus Direct Cu II
 
I have been leaning toward the r9 280x or the GTX 770. Could I get some pros and cons between these cards?
 
Or suggest another GPU within a $300 to $400 budget that will get me the most for my money.