Hi all! Well, after a couple of weeks of being the ghost in the machine getting sub-par build skills back up some (and sheesh how things have changed in the last 7 years!!) here's what I've come up with system wise. It's Intel based simply because of potential plans to SLI the GPU's and I've no preference for AMD or Intel (both have thier pros n cons), so if you've suggestions for a better build at same cost, cheaper parts, more built-in flexibility for upgrades down the road (last system I built was 6+ years ago), please feel free to chip in 
. Here's the set-up so far:
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: (e.g.: this week (the closer the better))
BUDGET RANGE: 1400$-1500$ CAN Before Rebates, including shipping
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, video conferences & rendering (weird I know but hey, that's the job), surfing the internet, watching movies.
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.ca, ncix.ca, DirectCanada
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada
PARTS PREFERENCES: none (Intel based platform or AMD based makes no difference to me)
OVERCLOCKING: God only knows
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes, eventually
MONITOR RESOLUTION: See below
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'd prefer if the system would be considered "ok" for at least 4+ years - by OK I know that gaming will stink inside of 2+ years, but hopefully the SLI will compensate .... some
Processors: Intel Core i5 760 Quad Core Processor Lynnfield LGA1156 2.8GHZ 8MB Cache Retail Box 1 $242.82
Heatsinks: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro REV.2 CPU Heatsink Cooler LGA1366 LGA1156 LGA775 AM2 AM3 W/ 92MM Fan 1 $29.99
Motherboards: MSI P55A-G55 P55 ATX LGA1156 DDR3 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI SLI CrossFireX SATA3 USB3.0
DDR3 Memory G.SKILL F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH Ripjaws PC3-12800 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1600 CL7-7-7-24 $138.21
Video Cards: GeForce GTX 460 675MHZ 768MB PCI-E Dual DVI Mini HDMI $209.00
Computer Cases Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced ATX Mid Tower Case Blk 4X5.25 $101.99
Power Supplie: Seasonic SS-600ET 600W EPS12V 24PIN ATX PFC 80PLUS Bronze 6PIN 8PIN PCI-E 120MM Fan OEM 1 $99.99
LCD Monitor: ASUS VH235T-P 23IN Widescreen LCD Monitor 1920X1080 16:9 5ms 250CD/M VGA HDMI $205.20
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM $123.05
Hard Drives Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5IN OEM $104.42
. Here's the set-up so far:APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: (e.g.: this week (the closer the better))
BUDGET RANGE: 1400$-1500$ CAN Before Rebates, including shipping
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, video conferences & rendering (weird I know but hey, that's the job), surfing the internet, watching movies.
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.ca, ncix.ca, DirectCanada
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada
PARTS PREFERENCES: none (Intel based platform or AMD based makes no difference to me)
OVERCLOCKING: God only knows
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes, eventually
MONITOR RESOLUTION: See below
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'd prefer if the system would be considered "ok" for at least 4+ years - by OK I know that gaming will stink inside of 2+ years, but hopefully the SLI will compensate .... some
Processors: Intel Core i5 760 Quad Core Processor Lynnfield LGA1156 2.8GHZ 8MB Cache Retail Box 1 $242.82
Heatsinks: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro REV.2 CPU Heatsink Cooler LGA1366 LGA1156 LGA775 AM2 AM3 W/ 92MM Fan 1 $29.99
Motherboards: MSI P55A-G55 P55 ATX LGA1156 DDR3 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI SLI CrossFireX SATA3 USB3.0
DDR3 Memory G.SKILL F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH Ripjaws PC3-12800 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1600 CL7-7-7-24 $138.21
Video Cards: GeForce GTX 460 675MHZ 768MB PCI-E Dual DVI Mini HDMI $209.00
Computer Cases Coolermaster CM 690 II Advanced ATX Mid Tower Case Blk 4X5.25 $101.99
Power Supplie: Seasonic SS-600ET 600W EPS12V 24PIN ATX PFC 80PLUS Bronze 6PIN 8PIN PCI-E 120MM Fan OEM 1 $99.99
LCD Monitor: ASUS VH235T-P 23IN Widescreen LCD Monitor 1920X1080 16:9 5ms 250CD/M VGA HDMI $205.20
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM $123.05
Hard Drives Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA3 6GB/S 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5IN OEM $104.42
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