Newbie Graph/GPS, suggestions

Hello all! I have just bought my first quality fishing boat (Xpress H17/Yamaha FL70) and I am kinda overwhelmed with changes electronics the last 15 years.

I am retired military so the budget is approx. $500 for a fish finder and GPS combo. Too many choices between sonar types, lake cards and companies. I am leaning towards a Hummingbird Helix 5h CHIRP DI GPS G2. I will be fishing smaller lakes for the most part in the NC area.

I would imagine these are relatively good units but is the HUmmingbird Card worthwhile!
I am sure this is like a Ford vs chevy topic huh?

I drive a 2500 Diesel Ram personally!

Would appreciate the opinions.

The Helix 5 is a decent unit, however I recommend going with a bigger screen. The CHIRP is nice, but its a little bit like watching HD TV on a 20" screen. Sure it's technically "better" but the small screen limits the usefulness. I would recommend trying to find a 1st generation Helix 7 which should be available in your price range. You don't get the CHIRP feature, but the larger screen is worth it in my opinion.

If you are essentially new to the modern graph age, the 5s will be very impressive to you and less expensive. The map card is worthwhile as it will show you break lines, humps, ditches, etc.