Hey there. $1000 is a nice price range, it'll easily be enough to build a solid PC that'll last you a good four years or so. If you're planning to build in May though, thats still three months off... by then the parts people will be showing you now will be obsolete then.
Overclock.net - An Overclocking Community
^ Sign up for that forum, and a few weeks before you're ready to build, post a thread asking for advice on parts and your budget. They will be more then happy to assist you with any questions you may have. Its a great PC community. =)