Just looking at the mobo, it seems quite old, about 18 months if I'm getting it right - so I'm wondering if there is something a bit newer you could get your mits on. That said Asus are usually great and if a board is still selling now then it must be good.
On the whole it's good, Intel are ahead with their core i stuff at the minute but still quite expensive so bang for buck you're looking good. I'd go for more RAM but that's an easy addition later.
If you really want to fly, get a solid state drive - again not cheap, but getting cheaper and an instant gain in speeds
Whatever you choose, good luck. And finally -
(whispers) how did you convince the wife, and could you speak to mine? 