First build - need opinions on a few components

[bison]

I'm planning on building a midrange gaming rig that is fast for everyday, regular use. Mostly ordinary tasks like multitasking with Photoshop, Firefox, and Winamp; ripping DVDs; etc... I'm a huge Guild Wars fan so I'm hoping that I can max out the settings with this system. I'll be using XP at least until SP1 has been released for Vista. I'm looking to purchase the parts within a few days. Anyway, here are the components:

Motherboard:
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127030
184.99
Might be a little more than I need but appears to give good insurance on futureproofing and has received great reviews


CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115029
199.99
Seems to be great bang for the buck. The Q660 is a little more than I want to spend


RAM:
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820146565
110.99
I've had good experience with Crucial in the past but I'm totally open to suggestions (especially if I can save a little money here)


GPU:
HIS Hightech H195PRF256DDN-R Radeon X1950PRO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161060
159.99 (119.99 after $40 MIR)
Seems that the general consensus is that this is one of the best GPUs in its price class. This shouldn't have any trouble running Guild Wars: Eye of the North at max settings, should it?


PSU:
Thermaltake Purepower RX W0144RU ATX12V 600W Cable Management / Active PFC / 14cm Fan / Quad +12V Rails - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153049
$124.99 (104.99 after $20 MIR)
I really like the modular design and would like to stick with a PSU that has removable cables to keep things nice and tidy


HDD:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148140
79.99
I've had good experience with Seagate in the past. May add another HDD and set them up in a RAID later on down the road.


CD/DVD Burner:
SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827151153
31.99
It's SATA and I've heard good things about Samsung burners


CD/DVD Reader:
ASUS Black 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E616A3T OEM - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135151
18.99
SATA CD/DVD reader. There's not a lot to choose from on newegg but I'm not too worried at $18.99


Monitor:
SAMSUNG 204BW Black 20" 6ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor with Height Adjustments 300 cd/m2 700:1 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16824001087
249.99 (199.99 after $50 MIR)
I want at least a 20" and this appears to be a great price for a decent brand


Noticeably absent is the case. I have a generic ATX case that a friend gave me. Besides it being a year or two old and never have been used, I don't know a thing about it. I'm not sure if I should try to use it or go with a case that will definitely fit nicely with the PSU. For what it's worth, I'm not a fan of cases with a lot of LEDs; I prefer a more discreet look.

If you could critique the system and give me suggestions, I'd really appreciate it. Case, PSU, RAM, and monitor suggestions would be especially appreciated as those are the ones I'm most up in the air about. I'd also really like to hear comments about my motherboard/CPU combo. Thanks a lot

total cost: $1161.91
after rebates: $1051.91

 

[Maziar]

looks very nice , but if u can get a Q6600 , its better for photoshop, DVD riping and multitasking , (although E6750 is a very good CPU)

 

[Solariscs]

I'd get the Corsair 520W for that set up or the Antec NeoHE 550W. That later is on sale for $60 on newegg and is a great PSU.

The board you picked it really good. If you don't need firewire I would go with the Gigabyte P35-DS3R. It's a little cheaper and has great quality as well.

 

[Onus]

My primary interest is also Guild Wars. The x1950Pro you are considering generally out-performs my 7900GS, and that stays pegged at my monitor's refresh rate in GW:EN, so I'm sure you'll be happy with it. I'm also running an e6750.
As to the case, if it can take front and rear fans, it should be fine. Otherwise, check out the low-end CoolerMaster Elite and / or Centurion cases. For as little as $40, they offer tool-free drive and card mounting, decent airflow, and a straightforward, clean design.
Consider getting Retail (rather than OEM) optical drives, as those will also include the software you need, including decoders. I've bought Samsung, BenQ, and Lite-On drives from newegg, and had no trouble from any of them.
I personnally don't think I'd buy another Abit board, after two I had were a little flaky. I'll second Solariscs' choice of the Gigabyte P35-DS3R. If you DO need firewire, the GA-G33M-DS2R is a good choice. It is a micro, but is loaded with all the features of its bigger brothers. I've had no trouble with mine.