I have already had two of that exact motherboard fail.
Seriously, skimp somewhere else and grab a gigabyte or similar board that has the amount of slots you need and the ports you want. The extra 'features' aren't all that important, and performance between one motherboard and another are irrelevant really.
Get the SSD upfront, a 128GB one is only $95, or $65 for a 60GB (
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?..._909&vk_sort=1) and it will make more performance difference than *any* other option. You will want it there from day one to install as your boot drive. In all honesty, go without something else if need be and get an SSD.
You are right, the i5 is plenty for gaming, and absolutely no slouch for image processing. Very few programs use the extra threads efficiently, so the performance differential is often insignificant. The stock cooler is more than adequate if your case is fairly well ventilated.
I'd much rather get a better motherboard and the SSD than go to the i7.
That is a good choice for the videocard. You might want to get one that runs quieter, there are some good choices here:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?...cPath=193_1372
I've probably built hundreds gaming rigs for people and would definitely steer clear of the Asrock and get the SSD and get good RAM, everything else is up for grabs
I like PCCasegear to buy from as they keep records of all of your purchases and a warranty claim is as simple as clicking on the invoice, selecting the item and requesting an RA number. I had a faulty drive come back last week that was bought two and a half years ago. I went to PCCG's warranty page, found the invoice, put in an RA request and they approved it the same day. As soon as the drive arrived back with them they sent me out a brand new better model the same day. They then worried about the actual warranty return and left me to the new drive.
Great service.