$1000 - $1500 First time gaming build

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE:Today or next week

BUDGET RANGE: $1000-$1500 As a gift for my birthday my mom is willing to help me out on the expenses so I really need to prove to her that whatever I get is the best I can get for the money.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies. I generally want a great gaming computer with everything else secondary.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Mouse.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com seems generally accepted here but if there is cheaper deals elsewhere please direct me to them because price is an issue for me.

PARTS PREFERENCES: I would like to get an Intel chip but I am not sure whether or not the i7 is really necessary. Is there that much of a difference when compared to the core 2 duo? I was also thing of the GeForce GTX 285 or the Radeon 4890. Is there a huge difference between the two or very little?
This Monitor also seems nice. But if there is a better deal I am willing to part with it.
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VH242H- [...] 342&sr=8-1

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe if there is a huge difference in speed

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Not exactly sure here but I guess the higher resolutions like 1920x1200.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This would be my first time building a computer so I would like a build that I won't have too many problems putting together. I have been researching for a long while and I generally know how to put one together but if there is details about certain products that I should be aware of it would be nice if you would tell me.
Also my mom is not too confident that system building is really better than buying a computer at the store. She showed me this ASUS offer at bestbuy.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspag [...] merreviews

Is this computer really worth the price? Would I get more bang for my buck building or could I get this computer and maybe upgrade to a Geforce GTX 285 and upgrade the power supply?

Here a list of some parts I put together at newegg but it seemed a little pricey. I will appreciate any help at all.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827136144
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129021
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136319
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130480
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185093
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185039
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.216527

Grand total of $1297 not including the monitor.

Get a GTX275, its significantly cheaper than a GTX285 and performs almost identically, its clocked at 633 instead of 648. Also skip the scythe fan, you dont really need it, swap the DVD drive out for a SATA drive and change the CPU cooler to the core contact freezer it performs better
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835207005
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835207004

Also, for gaming and the sake of saving money, go amd. And also since u don plan on doing sli or crossfire, the i7 wouldnt be working at its full potential.

So i7 is only beneficial if you are doing sli or crossfire?? I just didn't really want to deal with those since I have never built a computer before. How much actual money would I be saving going with amd and how does the performance differ? Also, I just want a case that is standard and has enough room and not a pain to deal with. Would the antec 900 suit my wants? The reviews for it seem fine though.