How can I determine what kind of processors are compatible with my motherboard? Thanks!

In general, if the FSB speed of the motherboard (which can be found in the motherboard manual or if you don't have it, downloaded from the manufacturer's website) is greater than or equal to the FSB speed of the processor and the socket number is the same, then it is compatible. However a BIOS update may be needed if the processor came out after the motherboard. To be safe, if the currently compatible processors are not listed on the manufacturer's site, then I would suggest calling/emailing and asking.

Well the 9800GT is a pretty solid choice; it's consider an 'entry' level gaming card. There's also the 4850 if you prefer ATI.

Oh, just a quick Q. When do you guys forsee socket 1366s coming down in price? They are almost as much as the damn i7 920 itself right now

If you're just going to rebuild it and buy a new card I'd recommend saving a bit and then splurging on a higher end card.

A 9800GT will do you just fine for those games. I think the closest equivalent is the 4850 which is a bit (~25%) faster than an 8800/9800GT.

Ok, so I'm thinking of building a new i7 gaming rig / some other stuff and I'm debating between the GTX260 (216 version), GTX280, GTX285, or a GTX295. I would not mind SLIing in the future, but I'm wondering what you would suggest for playing newer games at his resolutions and settings. Is it worth dropping $700 on the 295?

Ok, so I'm thinking of building a new i7 gaming rig / some other stuff and I'm debating between the GTX260 (216 version), GTX280, GTX285, or a GTX295. I would not mind SLIing in the future, but I'm wondering what you would suggest for playing newer games at his resolutions and settings. Is it worth dropping $700 on the 295?

I guess if you have that kind of money to piss away, but honestly no videogame is worth spending over 500 dollars to play at higher resolutions. A GTX260 or an HD4870 should be just fine for whatever you need to do.

I'd say get a GTX 260 core 216. SLI'ing those or anything higher will certainly bottleneck the current line of CPUs.

I was thinking that seeing as it is cheaper at a local store and I heard they are easily overclocked to 280 speeds. To my understanding one 260 (216) is about ~2 8800GTs, is that correct?

Definitely.

I originally had some elaborate plans, but it seems my motherboard is dying and only survives now from repeatedly flashing the BIOS. Sounds issues and graphics problems are becoming apparent, and I need to replace it. I want to build a Phenom II system, so I decided to try to knock off two birds with one stone. I'm going to be purchasing a Phenom II X3 720, but what I'd like to do is reuse my 4GB of DDR2-800 rather than buy new DDR3 RAM, so I'll be needing an AM2+ board. I currently have an 8800GT which I'll be sticking with for now, but down the road I'll probably replace it with a 4800 series ATI card. I don't think I'll end up using CF anytime soon, but WHAT BOARD SHOULD I BUY?

If you aren't an overclocker, I would recommend the Phenom II 910, which is what I am using. I got it for 150$ and it is quad core and better than the 810 in terms of cache. If you are going on the cheap and want to chance it, then go for the X2 550 or the X3 720 and try to unlock the cores. Biostar TA790GX motherboards are best for this, but the Gigabyte GA-M4790X works as well. If you go with the 910, 810, or any other quad core, the DFI Lanparty and the ASUS M4A79T (what I am using) are your best bets, though I have not tested it out, ASUS and DFI have pretty fantastic overclocking ability. All of the boards I listed are AM3, but generally come in DDR3 or DDR2 formats, just make sure you are buying the version of the board with the memory you have or intend to use.

As far as the 4800s go, the 5xx0s will be out next month or November, which may be a better alternative. Currently, the only AMD card I would buy are the 4770s, single if you only do moderate gaming or double for heavy gaming or gaming on 1920x1200 or higher resolutions.

What resolution are you looking to game at?