#1 what is a good case company?

Antec makes good cases but you can probably go with just about anything you like the style of. Some things to look for in a good case are, light weight, easy to open\access the interior, number of drive bays, HD mounting style, powersupply. If you plan on getting the power supply seperatley try to get a case without one, you might save some cash that way.

#2 what is good wattage for a power supply? (going to get something like a geforce 8500)

I think with an 8500 you can use just about any Powersupply, but Id get at least a 550watt fot possible future needs. Just make sure it has the right connectors that are spwcified by your video board, if that board is powered by more than just the slot.

#3 What is a good cpu fan?

Im not very good in this area but i think if you dont plan on overclocking any solution made for your socket type and cpu ratings will be fine. Font get anything super fancy and it should fit on the mobo.

#4 what is a good motherboard for gaming?

I like Abit followed by Asus. Others might have their own favorites.

#5 I don't know where my soundcard is on the motherboard, are soundcards usually integrated, or can they usually be transferred from one computer to another?

Most mobos will come with integrated sound. If you want more thats up to you.

Hopefully youll get somemore opinions on here by those who are way more familiar with hardware than me.