i7 if your money cap isn't too crazy. i5-2500k is what I have, and I'm looking to upgrade after I get my RAM from 8gb to 16gb. i7 is more of an enthusiast build, where i5 is for if you want a fantastic PC. There's also the AMD chips, but I like intel so there.
My setup and rough estimates on cost at the time(some bought in Dec2011, some in 2013):
TOWER
MOBO: MSI P67A-C43 (~$80)
CPU: i5-2500k 3.3GHz (~$250)
RAM: G.SKILL 8GB DDR3 (~$100)
VIDCARD: started EVGA GTS 560ti 2gb (~$250), now have EVGA GTX 770 SC 2gb (~$420)
PSU: Corsair HX Pro Series 750w (~$130)
HDD: WD Caviar 750GB (~$80)
SSD: Crucial M4 128GB (~$130)
DVD-DRIVE DO PEOPLE USE THESE ANYMORE?: Normal one. (~$30)
CASE: NZXT Gamma (~$40)
PERIPHERIALS
MONITOR(s): 2x ASUS VW246H 24in LCD (2x~$200), 1x Emerson 39in LCD tv (~$320)
KEYBOARD: started Razer Lycosa (~$60), now have CM QuickFire TK (~$90)
MOUSE: started Razer Orochi (~$60), now have Logitech G9X (~$80)
HEADSET: started Turtle Beach x11 (~$50), then Siberia V2 (~$120), now Astro A40 (~$250)
WIRELESS ADAPTER: TP-Link TL-WN722N 150Mbps High Gain (~$20, awesome)
WIRELESS KEYBOARD: Logitech K400 (~$25, use for tv when not near desk)
All-in-all, mine probably cost...~$1700 at the start(~$1000 on tower), and right now it's ~2300(~$1200 on tower). This all probably seems expensive, but know that a lot of it is unnecessary fluff, and it was also bought over time...and I like shiny things. So don't judge.
EDIT: Might consider upgrading myself to the cpu you got persuader, the 4670k, along with
this beast.