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CPU:
If your new computer is for pure HD gaming and entertainment then stick with a I5 because for those purposes specifically raw speed is what's important and not number of cores. If you were building a workstation video editing and 3D modeling then it be the opposite.
Motherboard:
Be very careful in picking your motherboard make sure you know exactly what's on the motherboard and know what exactly you want to get. As most motherboards has a bunch of features you may not ever use. Are you overclocking? Are you making a mini PC case? You got to ask yourself these things. I personally prefer a Gigabyte as they stick to the basics making a good solid and durable motherboard that lasts a long time under non ideal conditions.
RAM:
8GB of RAM is the standard now, but it doesn't hurt go up more if you have the cash as Windows 7 adapts to the amount of RAM available in your system to optimize it. I personally bought 16GB for my computer and use half of that for system/game cache to decrease load times.
Sound Card:
I personally like dedicated sound cards, I used to use integrated sound cards then move up to Creative cards and now Asus Xonar. On today's modern computers the extra load integrated sound cards puts on the system is rather minimum thanks powerful CPUs, lots of RAM and faster hd. If sound is not important for you then skip the sound card, but if you really like sound quality, immersion with games and surround then buy a dedicated card. I play a lot of FPS games so sound is must for me.
Hard Drives:
If you got the cash then I really highly recommend getting at least one SSD and use it for your OS system. The speed benefits and difference between regular hd and SSD is worlds apart. The computer boots up super fast, programs launch quicker and the overall system just feels more responsive. Now if you a lot of cash then you can go all SSD.
GPU:
It sometimes still shocks me how the GPU is usually the most expensive thing on a computer. For gamers a good GPU is must as that goes without saying. I personally prefer Nvidia cards as they seem to work closer with a lot of game developers to optimize their games for smoother running. I don't have much insight about ATI cards as I never used them.
Misc:
Other things you might consider is upgrade your PC case as the new hardware you'll be buying may require efficient ventilation to work optimally.
My computer is half a year old and pretty much has some of the items your thinking about.
Intel I5 3750k
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler
Gigabyte Z77-UD5H
16GB Corsair RAM (4x4GB)
Asus Xonar DX Sound Card
Nvidia GTX 680 (Gigabyte WindForce Edition)
120GB Force 3 Corsair SSD
250GBx2 WD Velicaraptor HD (RAID 0)
1TBx4 WD Blue HD (RAID 5)
Corsair 1200W Slient Gold PSW
Cooler Master HAF 922 PC Case
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