1) Students don't get Vista for free or for $5. Microsoft's "Ultimate Steal" program offers a Vista UPGRADE for $65 (
link)
2) The solo gives me no heat problems with an 8800GT, an E8200 proc, and several hard disks (two of which are 10k rpm Raptors). Cooling is less about number of fans and more about air pathways in your case. 12-fan mega rigs are seriously overrated, and end up eating more fan power than they are worth. I love my Solo.
3) The Zalman cooler is plenty good enough. But really so is the stock cooler if you are not overclocking. *shrug*
4) For OS I recommend getting a 64-bit Vista Ultimate Upgrade. Worst case scenario, you can upgrade from the preview install from that disc. It's cheesy, but MS acknowledges it and has made NO moves to fix it, thus legitimizing it. Basically you install from the upgrade with no key (gives you a 30-day preview version) then you put the disc back in and "upgrade" that trial version with the key. Bam! Beautiful 64-bit Vista-age!
5) CoolerMaster issues are with the brand, but it's not that they are bad cases, it's just that you can generally get better for the price (like Lian Li... except Lian Li cases are beautiful!)
6) My recommendation for a display is the
HP w2408h. Not sure if it fits your budget, but I recently did a LOT of research about LCD displays, chose this one and have never looked back.
7) OEM hardware will almost never come with cables, as mentioned above. Be sure to pick up some SATA cables and such for the drives you get. Newegg has them. If you forget about them when you order, and you are already going to be making a separate order, check
www.monoprice.com.