So anyway, it would be nice to know if my rig is "in the ballpark" of where it should be.
It sounds like your rig is definitely in the ballpark of where it should be.
If you want to skip the i7 series (which I am), rip out that c2d and add in a Q9550 or Q9650 and overclock it. I'm running a Q9550 e0 at 3.4 GHz, a modest overclock. Make sure to throw a nice cooler on top of it too. I'm using a Xigmatek S1283.