Building System[Need Input]

Well to start things off for no-nos, the socket 754 motherboard if you want to use that intel c2d.

For what you want in your system for your price, do you need a monitor, speakers, windows vista/xp etc for that system? Check out a few other threads and you'll quickly get an idea of what you might want to buy at your price range. 1800 USD is a fairly high budget if you aren't including those other side items.

Yup, the Core 2 Duo is a socket 775 chip, won't work in a 754 board.

Also, if you're going to spend $1800, it had better come with a GeForce 8800GTX, if not, you're being taken, assuming you aren't nickelled and dimed with peripherals, and already have a monitor that you like.

Thank you guys for your input. It's greatly appreciated!

I will be getting Windows XP Home and don't need speakers.
Will also be getting 17" monitor, too.

Also, the price is around $1800 CAD  

Would anyone mind listing what I can get for around that price range?(Excluding keyboard,mouse,speakers, and useless things.)

Honestly, you should probably check out some other forum posts and guides on hardware websites to give you an idea of where to start. From there, start cherry picking some components yourself. You might want to look at an e4300 or e6300 for overclocking, some 2x1gb ddr2-800 RAM (as long as it isn't Geil or purchase 1 stick of 1gb ddr-800 and adding another later depending on prices - make sure they are the same though), a cheaper p965 motherboard such as the gigabyte s3 or an nvidia based solution like the asus p5n-e. The video card can be the 7600gt or you can bump it up a bit to an ati 1950 or a nvidia 7900 gs depending on how much it is in CAD. If you were in the US, I'd still be looking in the market for a geforce 8800 but orices are higher there after all. An after market CPU cooler might be necessary and some case fans might be necessary as well depending on the case. You can get moderate overclocks with the stock fan and an e6300 for certain but I have no experience with the e4300. If you really want the 4mb l2 cache right now, go for the e6600 but you may simply want a cheaper processor now and want to upgrade later on when absolutely necessary.

Then you need to count a case and PSU. My thoughts are to grab a recommended PSU and skimp on the case as much as you can if you need to - make sure the case has enough bays for what you want and any additional features such as front panel USB/firewire or whatever. Personally, I like at least 120mm in and out intakes with a lot of space for additional HDs. I found a case with a lower side vent and a cpu funnel and then just added on fans there instead (can always attach the funnel to the fan) with screws and/or plastic tie-knots. Just be mindful of airflow and which way the cpu fan blows etc.

Honestly for 1800 CAD/1500 USD, if you had the same prices here as here in the US, you'd probably be able to get something close to top of the line consumer performance (no quadcore or anything but on most other things...) Granted, you are also getting it at a brick and mortar store plus you need to include the cost of WinXP Home. There are plenty of posts here asking for cheap c2d builds and more expensive ones as well. With some quick research (aka google), you can find something you are easily comfortable with.