A rig for the next 5 years!

I was going to mention buying the best of every item if you truly want to try to get 5 years out of it. Looks like you've already done that. So kudos there. Wish I could afford to spend the kind of money you are.

Only thing I'd suggest, is an aftermarket CPU cooler. I don't like to use stock coolers supplied with the CPU personally. But with that i7 you won't need to OC it anytime soon.

Just make sure you shop around and get the best prices on the individual items you can (unless you're order a pre-built custom machine, then you don't get to price shop).

I'd recommend getting a 4870x2 if you can... only chance it will last close to 5 years... chances are the 4870 x2 will be playing low details at 1280 by 1024 in 5 years...

As for your cpu... good choice... although i'd try to OC... not a whole lot cause high ocs tend to not last a long time... but 3.4 ghz will do you great as for a aftermarket cpu cooler... the xigamatek s1283 should work well... I think they have a bracket out now... but not entirely sure

Ha, try running NFS on my nearly 3 year old laptop, i got a kind of speed buffer where everything moved in slow motion

The system looks good but I don't like the price... what about look on other seller like www.directcanada.com, www.newegg.ca, etc? Let them a week or two and they will beat ncix prices i guarantee you (at least directcanada)

Sorry. I get facts mixed up in my head from time to time. I still don't think it's feasible to build a 5 year rig... not for gaming at least.

If the primary task for this PC will be Diablo III (a year from now? maybe.) why not just wait until it comes out and get components that are that much better?

Here is what I would look at doing if I had the money to spend

Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz - $309.99
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 - $298.99
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 - $219.99
CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX12V 2.2 - $259.99
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel - $109.99
VisionTek 900250 Radeon HD 4870 X2 - $519.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB - $69.99
SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA - $24.99
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium - $99.99

Total = $1,913 on Newegg.com

You could always buy another 4870x2 in the future when you feel the performance is lagging a bit and “Quadfire”
And then throw on any aftermarket cooling you may or may not want

Here are my concerns, I'm referring to abp667's build:
* Is a comparable e8400/e8500 clocked at 4 gHz (highly likely you can get this OC speed) as good as a $310 i7 CPU??
* Is a $300 x58 mobo any faster than a good $150 p45 mobo??
* Is $220 DDR3 really that much faster than 8 gb's of DDR2 800mHz Cas4 RAM??
* Do you really need a 1000w PSU?? Honestly an good 650w PSU is plenty for a 4870x2!!

Here's what I'd personally build right now if I had the $ to do it, with the understanding that in about 1-2 years of upgrading the GPU/LCD (to stay up on the upgrades):
* $165-190 e8400/e8500 are good solid choices for gaming systems. In 1-2 years you can upgrade to one of the higher clocked quads if you prefer!
* ~$130 p45 based mobo, Asus p5q pro is one to consider for $110 after MIR's! And if bundled with e8400 is an additional $30 off!!
* ~$70-100 Corsair 650tx or 750tx are good solid options. Both offer plenty of power 52A/60A on the 12v rail and plenty of PCI-e power connectors 2 x 6+2pin/4 x 6+2pin respectfully.
* ~$55-110 Antec 900/300 or CM690 case. All are good selections, but I'd lean towards the CM690 case for about $74 shipped at Buy.com.
* ~$165-300 for 22" or 24" LCD monitor. Bigger is usually better, but that is up to you!
* ~$30 for a RETAIL version DVD Burner!! Get software with the drive to read/burn DVD's with. Also consider adding a BluRay DVD Drive or burner later, when you need one!
* $70 Start with the WD AAKS 640 gb HD mentioned above as your data drive or up to 1 TB if you want more room. I'd use your Raptors as your OS HD's.
* $100 Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64bit OS (future proofing for logevity)
* ~$40-60 Start with 4 gb's of DDR2 800mHz RAM (2x2gb's) and see if you really need more.
* ~$40 Xigmatek s1283 CPU HSF w/retention bracket

This should put you under $1500 USD for a setup like this (e8400, Asus p5q pro, 4 gb's DDR2 800mHz, Antec 900, Corsair 750tx, 4870x2, 640gb HD, DVD Burner, 24" LCD, & Vista 64bit OS)!
It's up to the OP if that is good enough or not, but @ 3.8-4 gHz e8400 (OC'd) you should be very competetive with the latest i7 CPU's, IMHO. Time will tell if this is true or not, but that is my feeling at this point and time.

If you consider the build I have above, is the $2600 build or even the $1900 build worth the extra $400-1,000?? IMHO no! Okay you get the latest Intel socket, so that is a plus, but for the $, I'm with Rodney on spending $1500 now and in 2-3 yrs from now spending another $1k-1.5k on a complete rebuild. I guarantee that the system in 2-3 yrs from now will blow away the $1,900-2,500 build today. I'm not trying to change the OP mind, just trying to inform the OP of options to consider.

The OP has $3000 0% interest rate loan available and his primary concern seem to be gaming/future proofing. Granted, I'm by no means as experienced when it comes to these builds as many on this board, but i think if he is willing to spend the money then he should get the latest tech. Going with an i7 build would seem to be the more future friendly way to go. He will most likely need to upgrade few parts here and there in 2-3 years but at least it won't have to be a total rebuild.

- An x58 mobo would allow him to upgrade his CPU down the line if need be.
- I added a 1000w psu to give him the option of buying a second 4870x2 down the line without having to replace the PSU again.

Just my 2cents.

I would actually take lunyones build for $1500 and take the remaining $1500 and invest it wisely into stocks and make a profit from the interest free loan. If he were to invest it properly, he can actually have the system for FREE in 5 years.

I would however downgrade from the 4870x2 to a single 4870 1gb GPU. The 4870x2 is overkill for just about anything the OP plans to play...

2-3 years from now we will have already seen Nehalem come and go, it's 32nm Westmere come and go and Sandy Bridge will be on the horizon. 5 years in unrealistic unless the demand on the system never changes (you won't play any new games in the future, save for the next 1-1.5 years).