I see a few reasons why one would go with older 1366 socket vs sandy bridge.

1. You can buy mobos with 3 way SLI/crossfire which are all x16 in bandwidth

2. It supports 6 core CPUs. I doubt 1155 will ever get a 6 core cpu

3. its cheaper

Honestly I'm probably the most tech savvy of my friends, which is sad. 

I also have one last general dumb question (which will prove how little I actually know).  The video card says it has DVI, HDMI, VGA....so is that the way I can output the video, as in that is where I hook my monitor up?

Yeah, that''s how you connect it to a monitor or TV.

Get more geeky friends! :D 

That is pretty much the reason.  The i7 960 was the cheapest i7 option.  I don't remember which ones they were exactly, but the next option up was another $400, and the best option was an additional $800

960 is a stellar CPU. You won't need to upgrade for another 5 years minimum with that cpu. Might need to overclock a bit and you can easily do 4.0 ghz with any aftermarket cooler.

But the GPU you listed just doesn't belong in this build. It will hold your gaming back pretty badly. Get something with a radeon HD6800+ series or GTX560 and up.

be cautious about pre made since you are most likely placing 100s of dollars more for hardware and installation. Its very simple to build your own, literly its basically screw in 4-6 screws and plug everything in the right spot which if you have eyeballs and a manual it boldly tells you which goes were. An the reward for going build your own is 1. You save lots of money, 2. you are getting better hardware at still cheaper price, 3. You can splash out on better hardware if you want and still end up cheaper than the pre made depending on how willing to search around for a great deal.

I'd suggest paying $20-30 more and get the 2600k. The amount of performance you get from that CPU is ridiculous. Unless the programs you're going to use can utilize 6 cores, Sandy Bridge is the way to go imo.

You might also need to get a better GPU (much, much better) because if the programs rely on the GPU to do its rendering, the 440 isn't going to cut it. I'd suggest going for a 6850 or GTX 560.

What's your budget for this computer?

like mentioned above the GPU will get in your way you definetly should go for another graphics card. programs develop requirements rise and this relatively weak gpu will be the first hindrance if you intend to keep your pc longer. GTX 560 should be a financially viable option. Also GTX 480 is rather cheap nowadays and very strong. just need more power for it.