Quoted:
I have a question does the Zalman CNPS9500A LED cpu cooler block access to some of the ram slots?
Unless you're planning to overclock, or there is a known problem with your particular motherboard, you need not waste money on an aftermarket CPU cooler. Really. I put one on a PC I built in 2003, but it really wasn't necessary. On the last 3 PCs I built, I used the CPU cooler included with the CPU (two AMD and one Intel) and it has worked just fine. Add-on CPU coolers are largely a waste of dough.
You didn't say how old your existing build is, but you may find that you are not able to re-use all your old components. For example, all the motherboards you mentioned for Core i5 and i7 CPUs require DDR3 RAM as far as I know. (but don't take my word for it - double check that stuff.) Video card should be good to go, as long as it's some kind of PCI Express.
Good news is, DDR3 RAM is no more expensive than DDR2, and can be cheaper than DDR2.
Replacing the motherboard is sort of a pain in the ass, what with all the various connections. But, not exactly rocket surgery.