I'd go for the china if you're playing metal. You'd be surprised at how great you can make a simple snare sound. I asume you know the procedure for tuning drums, just make sure the resonant head is tuned lower than the batter head. I did this when I played rock and metal and it sounded great, real snappy.

Get the china and some nice heads for your snare.

I started learning on a Squire strat. Real great guitar and I recommend for a beginner.

http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0310602595