I'm new too, but this is pretty much what people have suggested.
Here's my build with about the same budget:
PCPartPicker part list:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1EVJl
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1EVJl/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1EVJl/benchmarks/
CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($118.97 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($122.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($61.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($353.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($84.78 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1248.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-17 19:55 EDT-0400)
Check out pcpartpicker it's a great website for choosing components.
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