Looking to build a gaming desktop computer?

Ok, so for only gaming I would recommend getting the 2500k instead of a 2600 (or 2600k) just because for gaming there is no difference in performance. The only thing the 2600k has over the 2500k is that it features hyperthreading (allows the cores to work on 2 threads at once) which only helps if you are running the heavily threaded programs (intensive video/photo editing, programming, etc). You will want a motherboard that can make use of the "k" suffix at the end, which lets you know that the processor has an unlocked multiplier and can be easily overclocked and also make sure it supports your CPU (LGA 1155). I would recommend a z68 motherboard for that but a p67 motherboard can also work. Basically look for the features you want when looking for motherboard (e.g. how many pci slots, usb ports, etc) Also, again, unless if you are doing those video editing programs and such, you will not need 16GB RAM. 8GB is the most people get for gaming these days. For video cards, just figure out your budget (how much you wish to spend on it) and then look at all the video cards in that price range, then look at the benchmarks to see which card has the best performance. Sorry for the wall of text! But that should give you the information needed on selecting your components.

I am very fond of ASUS motherboards. I like their BIOS utilities. Also consider AMD processors. If you're building a gaming computer, your GPU, not your CPU will be more important. AMD chips are only a tiny bit slower in processing than the Intel equivalent, have a much faster front-side bus and are often 1/3 the price of the Intel chip. I'm Running ASUS Crosshair Formula MB, 965 Black AMD processor, and I'm upgrading from crossfired Radeon 4850s to 6850's. My frame rates on modern games are well above the refresh rate of my monitor (60 Hz) and I have to enable Vsync all the time. My limiting factor is my hard disk. I'd consider a moderate sized SSD as a boot drive with a Western Digital Caviar black mass storage drive. Put your most modern games and OS on the SSD, run older games and store photos and videos on the cheap conventional drive. And remember to leave room for upgrades. I got (at the time) top-of-the-line MB. Now, a little more than a year later I can easily upgrade. If I had purchased the standard MB at the time, I would have to replace my whole machine now.

Ok, you're going for a gaming computer. That means that you want an i5 2500k and 8GB of RAM; you'll save yourself $200 to spend on a different part, and suffer no performance loss. The 2600(k) and more than 8GB of RAM only have benefits when you're doing hardcore rendering or 3D modelling. Go for something along the lines of this: CPU: i5 2500k GPU: GTX 680 Mobo: ASRock Z68 Extreme 3 Gen 3 OR ASRock Z77 (the $100 one) RAM: 8GB G.Skill Ripjaws SSD: Crucial M4 64GB HDD: 2x Seagate XT 500GB in RAID0 or WD Caviar Black 1TB. The XTs will be faster, but the Caviar black has a lower failure rate and is cheaper. CPU cooler: Coolermaster V6 GT (while it's on sale on newegg) or just a Hyper 212 EVO Case: Your choice. But I recommend a NZXT Switch 810 Monitor: Yamakasi Catleap Q270 (definitely get this one, great buy)