A GPU, or Graphics Processing Unit, is probably the closest thing to a gamer's bread and butter. A GPU generally handles the graphics of games, as well as any commonly repeated tasks. This is because it can handle single instructions across a wide range of data simultaneously. This makes it extremely good for rending terrain, and as such, is important for most gamers.
As already mentioned, a GPU handles repeated instructions over a wide array of data.
This makes thing such as lighting and object interaction very quick with GPUs, and as such, are very important for gamers who are looking for the slight edge to their opponents.
While not as adaptive as CPUs, a GPU does its niche extremely well, and should be where a large portion of the budget is allocated.
GPUs are much easier to buy for compared to their CPU brothers. Multiple companies can buy the design for the production, with minor differences towards the build and performance depending on the company. These differences are very minor, and most people will not be able to see a difference between two GPUs marked as the same name under different companies. Here are a few sites I recommend.
