You'll want 4GB of DDR3 RAM, preferably with Low Latency, this will help with your 3D Modelling. I am doing the same course as you, Games Design & Development and I can tell you, 3DSMax required a lot of memory, when you start getting into 6/7 iterations on your smoothing, it can really slow your computer down.
Here's a decent build, feel free to swap it out for parts more suitable to you/your budget:-
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K - 3.30GHz Core Speed, made for Sandybridge LGA 1155 MoBo's. Probably your best bet without going into those Pricey i7's.
RAM: G.Skill RipJawsX DDR3 RAM - 2 X 4GB Sticks (8GB Total), this stuff is fast, low latency and made to work best with the SandyBridge chips (Like the one I mentioned).
MoBo: MSI Z68A-GD55-G3 or Z-ASUS P8Z68-V PRO. Any Z68 board will do fine though, make sure you get a decent one, and if you want dual GFX cards, make sure they support SLI/CrossFire.
GFX Card: XFX ATI Radeon HD 6870 1024MB GDDR5 is a decent card form what I've read, but GFX cards are personal preference, I have a Nvidia 460GTX 2GB Sonic Edition that hasn't done me wrong.
As for power supply, anything that can support high end systems, Go for 650w + as anything less could cause issues when running graphically intense programs/games. CoolerMaster are always good.
Again, any case as long as it can all fit, you don't need an amazing case to have an amazing rig, after all, its just a shell. If you're worried about overheating, a gaming case would help somewhat, with the addition of extra fans to keep things cool, but that in turn means a better PSU will be needed as the fans do use up SOME power, no matter how low it may be. The Lexa S case form NZXT is a great case for the money, as are all NZXT cases.
www.aria.co.uk are really good value for money and you can read reviews and ask questions on the same page to find out more info on products before buying.
Hope this helps.