If money was no object? I'd splurge and get a shiny new 2011 pin 6 core HTed monster with 4 stick or RAM running in parallel. But realistically you do not need that much CPU power to run games, or at least current games. If you have a quad core i5, it is enough to get by just fine. I say quad core i5 because they have those imposters that are dual core HTed with the i5 sticker. (Intel you and your shady antics)
Most people have a budget and I direct them to an i5 and then pack some money into a good GPU. That is where the real performance is in gaming. Anything over 4 core i5 shows minimal gains. Anything less than a quad core starts to show a bit of performance loss depending on the title. You can also give it a moderate overclock pretty easily with a $30 cooler and squeeze out quite a bit of performance.
Personally? I would buy a 2011 i7. Why? Because I always build out my PC's to last at least 3 years as a decently highend gamer with only graphics card replacements. But when it comes down to it, it is all about maximizing your budget.