Weird huh?
Maybe because not all of us have fully embraced cyberspace as an alternative to real life? There is nothing stopping ED to abandon the project altogether if need arise. Other developers will come with new projects and new simulations presenting better and bolder ideas.
It will happen. Israel is a very close ally to the US and their inteligence is the best of the best in the world. Nothing happens without their knowledge. F-22s will be safe in the hands of IAF.
E6600 is easily bumped up to 3+ghz so that should suffice well into future.
I say get a Nvidia chipset, good RAM, 2 WD Raptors and a Gfx that fits your needs.
my 2 cents
I'd like to say switch to linux, but that is not an option and it won't be one for a long while.
Keep that copy of Vista, it might come in handy some time later.