First time build, $2000 budget

[truedog]

Guys, thanks for taking a look at this proposed build. First time builder, long time lurker. I’m tired of Dell and want to give a home-made build a try. Any input is much appreciated! (And will reciprocate with legal advice if needed!)

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This week.
BUDGET RANGE: $1600-$2000
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Lightroom, Photoshop, Vide editing, Gaming (Starcraft 2), Browsing
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor (Dell 24”, 1920x1080), Keyboard, Mouse, Speaker, HDD x5
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, Amazon
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.S.
PARTS PREFERENCES: Any
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, if I don't blow up the house
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe in the future if needed for StarCraft 3
WATERCOOLING: Not unless necessary
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Newbie, first build.
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I 've spent a lot of time looking at cases, and like the Lian Li listed below as I prefer non-gaming cases. Beyond the case, don’t really have any preferences. Would prefer to shop sales and combo deals as much as possible. Looking for good bang for the buck and a rig that will last as long as possible.

CPU
Intel i7-930 (local Microcenter $200)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225&cm_re=930-_-19-115-225-_-Product

Video Card
XFX 5850 1GB (Newegg $295)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150477

RAM
OCZ Reaper 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pind DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) (Newegg $187)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227415

The VPU and Ram are Newegg combo deal for $42 off ($458 total)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.462703

PSU: online calculator states I need 650W, went with 750W out of an abundance of caution. Will pay a little more for efficiency and long-life; hopefully, this component will be usable in future builds.
CORSAIR 750HX (Newegg $150)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R (Newegg $210)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423

The PSU and Motherboard are Newegg combo for $30 off ($330 total).

Case:
Lian Li PC-A71F (Newegg $200). Stylistic choice. Liked the color and size. Other similar suggestions are welcome.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112244

OS:
MS Windows 7 Pro 64 bit (Newegg $140)

The case and OS were Newegg combo for $10 off ($330 total)

SSD (OS HD)
Intel X25-M (80GB) (Newegg $220)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167027

CPU fan (is this even needed?)
Noctua NH-D14 (Newegg $90)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

Optical:
Samsung 24x SH-S243N (Newegg $25)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151216

In total, this build adds up to $1,700 USD with tax and shipping. Would consider spending a little more to get more long life and efficiency. On the other hand, if I don't need some of the above, wouldn't mind pocketing some of my budget.
Thoughts and input are welcome! Thanks!

 

[truedog]

Thanks for the response. Noted that the OCZ reaper will not fit with the Noctua NH-D14: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_ram_gen&products_id=34&lng=en#DDR3_OCZ

 

[eloric]

What a beautiful build. The motherboard has USB3 and SATA 6 GB/s, so that shoudl future proof you a little bit.

Here are some suggestions to save a few dollars:

I have the same SSD, excpet paid more for it 5 months ago. It is yesterday's model. Buy something faster and cheaper. Here is a Kingston 64 GB SSD that I would buy today.

Shame about the Noctua and the Reaper. Maybe this one has a higher clearance? It actually got a higher ranking on Frostytech, and costs less:Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme. You need it because this rig begs to be overclocked. I run mine a 3.4 Ghz, and its cool and stable while noticibly faster.

Do you need Windows Professional versus the Home Premium? Maybe if you need Remote desktop or Windows XP support. Here, you decide if it is worth $40 more: Win 7 comparison

 

[lowriderflow]

You don't need a noctua heatsink unless you plan to overclock. If you plan to run stock speeds, then the heatsink it comes with will be fine.

Most aftermarket heatsinks dont work with the reaper b/c of the height of hte reaper cooling bracket above it. Pickup some corsair XMS with the normal heat spreaders, will do just fine.

I'd highly reccomend dumping the 5850, and picking up two GTX460's for SLI - costs $400 for two of them, so for another $100 you'll have about 60% more graphics power

 

[truedog]

Thanks for the responses. Decided to heed your wise words; went with the GTX460 1GB (one for now, perhaps 2 @ SLI in the future), and replaced the SSD with a more modern OCZ Vortex 2. thanks again for your help and assistnce!