$1000 Gaming PC

My current rig is slowly dying, so I want to build a new one at around $1000. Here's what I've come up with so far:

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/redav496/saved/300O

I plan to use it primarily for gaming and I'd like to hit comfortable framerates at 1080p on pretty much any game. I would like to have an SSD for Windows/programs and maybe a few games. I have (almost) no experience with overclocking or liquid cooling but I do want to try both of these things out. I'm not worried about peripherals or the OS.

Any suggestions for improvements? Have I missed anything important? Also, bonus points if you can find a way to fit something similar into an mATX case.

For just a bit more money, you could get the 7970, which is probably a better investment and has a noticeable performance difference versus the 7950.

Looks good.  Some things to consider:

RAM: You only really need 1600mhz.  The speed of the RAM doesn't really matter once you have a dGPU in your system.

The HD 7950 is out stock everywhere, including in the pcpartpicker you chose.  It's highly unlikely that they'll restock again.  HD 7970s/R9 280Xs are great, but they're also out of stock lol.  Currently, most people have to go nVidia due to the lack of AMD GPUs available(bitcoin miners bought em all :P).  Take a look at the GTX 760.  It's similar to the HD 7950.

The motherboard you picked cannot support crossfire/SLI, since the second PCIe x16 slot runs at x4.  Get a board like the Asus M5A99FX Pro R2.0 if you want to crossfire.  Also, the VRMs on the M5A97 can only handle small overclocks, so an H100i will surely keep your CPU cool, but due to motherboard limitations, you may not be able to overclock as much as you would like to.  I would recommend getting the M5A99FX Pro specified before, and a cheaper cooler such as a Hyper 212 Evo.  Small liquid cooling loops are not worth the extra money, as they perform the same compared to budget air coolers.  AIO liquid coolers are easy to install, as it's pretty much mounting the CPU block, and then mounting the radiator and fans.

750W PSU is fine for two GPUs.  If you only plan on getting one GPU, you can get a 550w-600w psu and be just fine.

Cool, thanks.

I don't plan on Crossfire/SLI but I assume the motherboard upgrade is still worth it for the overclocking?

Also, are there any specific models of HD 7970/R9 280X/GTX 760 that you can recommend?