$1,000 build for a friend

[Asics]

Hey guys, my friend asked for some help with a build.

Budget
=<$1,000.
Resolution
1080p I believe. Based on his current monitor.
Games / Settings Desired
WoW, SWTOR, LoL, SC2 and I believe CS:GO.
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc)
No to doubtful.
Country
USA
Parts that can be reused
I'm going with none.
Do you need an OS?
Yes.
Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)?
No.

You can omit a SSD for now as that money would be best used elsewhere.

[chazus]

Going any higher in power is going to start being a waste of money, imo, especially if it's just pure gaming. At this price, it's definitely worth getting an SSD.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G41 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Wintec One 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($297.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($75.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $873.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-21 01:04 EST-0500)

[Asics]

Thank you for the superb list! What if we were looking to sub the GPU for an nvidia? And in addition is an aftermarket CPU cooler going to be necessary? I don't believe my friend will be overclocking.

[chazus]

nVidia has a weird gap in that area. It goes from 660 ($220), 660ti ($280), 670 ($380), where the 7950 hits about the low 300s mark. I'd say the 670 is the closest one, with a 256bit memory path, however the 660ti performs very close to it from what I've seen, and slightly cheaper. Based off the play style, I'd probably recommend the 660ti. I'm using a 660(non ti) and can very nearly max out Ultra, with maybe 4x AA and low shadows.

[demonskies]

For a nice 1k rig like what chaz posted I would get a better case. The 430 is good for a really low budget case and i have one personally for my wifes build. The case works for what its supposed to do, however the window is fairly flimsy on it, the rear slot covers are weaker than an aluminum can and hardly touching them bends and breaks them lol and if I remember correctly it was kind of a bitch threading fan screws thru the window for a standard 120mm fan. Just a thought though.

[jholdaway]

This it a little more than the first build but it has a SSD included

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($112.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti 3GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($53.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $938.47
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-21 15:39 EST-0500)

[Deleted]

Just remember above build is $1040 without a MicroCenter near and all rebates considered. (The build itself is fine).