E8400

that processor is fine for gaming if you pair it with a good gpu. you can also overclock it easily - some reports out there of those hitting 3.8 on stock voltage. mine did it just a tad over stock.

i can run most games maxed out with my setup so you should be fine.

Thanks for the replies.

Would my motherboard be enough to OC the 8400. Are there any cheaper alternatives?

Yes, your ASRock N7AD comes with native support for 1600 MHz fsb. I wouldn't go cheaper than the e8400 unless you'll be playing on a 17 or 19 monitor. If you're going to game on 1280 X 1024 or less, then you could get by with an e5200 and 9800 GT.

I have an e8400 with E0 stepping. It is a great processor. I have it overclocked to 4ghz at 1.3 volts, well within the operating range. This is with a Hyper TX2 Cooler ($25), and it keeps the temps nice and low. I suspect it could go higher; I just stopped there because I don't want to up my chipset voltage.

Motherboard wise, I don't have any experience with ASRock. You'll just need to find a chipset with a solid reputation and the features you want. Also, if you want to overclock don't forget to get a quality psu. It is not just the mobo and cpu that matter.

Regarding HundredIslandBoy's concern about gaming on a monitor larger than 19", with the e8400 I can play any game at 1900x1200 (except Crysis) maxed out with a GTX260. If you go with the e8400, the processor will not be a bottleneck, at least for games. The GPU is what will limit you.