So I'm getting my first desktop and I want to keep it simple. I only want an internet browser, Sound Forge, and Photoshop. I will be doing a lot of sound recording, mixing, and editing. I will also be doing a lot of .RAW photo editing, etc.

What kind of DVD, CD drive do you think I should get with this. I am a music lover, so will be downloading and burning lots of music. As well as using CDs for my photo/Sound Forge needs. Unfortunately I know absolutely NOTHING about all the latest optical technology.
Any advice? What do you think would serve my needs?
Thanks.

BenQ DW1640 is still on of the best DVD burners out there that can burn good CDs too. And it's bloody cheap now.

NEC 3540A was in fact my first burner and it freakin rox the world of identical copying-burning! (Liggy&Dee firmware required)

get a Lite-On dude. awesome, cheap, fast.

For what u r doing with that thing, get an iMac. From the sounds of you, you dont really want to spend time looking after the computer.

And apple just introduced Aperture, which is essentially the best .RAW photo editor ever. However Aperture and Photoshop dont run natively on their intel systems, so you might want to wait for those apps to come out in a universal version. If you need the comp now, get a G5

www.apple.com