Need help on creating a rig!

[Jet1]

I'm very new to computer specs, so I need some help to see if these specs are good.

CPU AMD = Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8Ghz Six-Core (3.2Ghz+ O/C);
CPU Cooler = Black Edition AMD Cooler;
Memory = 4GB DDR3 1600MHz G-Skill;
Video Card #1 = ATI Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 (550W PSU req'd);
Hard Drive Primary = WD Caviar 500GB, 7200 RPM;
Backup HDD = None;
DVD Drive = 24x DVD+-RW SATA;
Card Reader = None;
Power Supply = 650W HEC X-Power SLI;
Mouse / Keyboard = None;
Sound Card = Surround HD integrated;
Speakers = None;
Monitor = 20" Acer LCD 1680x1050;
OS - Windows = Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit;
Wireless = None;
Fans & Cooling = Standard setup;
Case = Raidmax Quantum;
Cabling = Hidden *Better airflow Recommended;
Motherboard = AMD 880G Biostar TA880G;
Free Bonus = Advanced Cabling;

This is what I have currently, it comes in at $1287. For my free bonus I picked Advanced Cabling, because I'm not sure if you PSU can handle and overclock. Can it?

 

[xtropx]

Will this be for gaming?

 

[Jet1]

Yessir.

 

[xtropx]

I have done a lot of research in the past few weeks on computer hardware as I am looking into building my own machine for work/school/testing/gaming in the next month as well.

I have found that although the AMD Phenom 6-core CPU's are attractive, their performance is outweighed by their Intel counterpart. In my case, it was to determine what CPU could compete with the X6 1100T in the same price-range. The winner and my recommendation to build your machine around would be the Intel i5 2500k. The Intel i5 2500k is about $225 on Newegg whereas the Phenom X6 1100T is about 230$.
SOURCE: Bench - CPU - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News
PROCESSOR: Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

Of course you will also need a LGA 1155 motherboard, of which I have had a little trouble finding. Intel has announced a major flaw in all Sandy Bridge (P67/H67) chipsets that resulted in a recall. I am currently waiting for this board to come back in stock:
Newegg.com - ASUS P8P67-M PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

...but your board really depends on your price range. I always go mid-range. Always felt bleeding edge/top of the line to be overkill, whether I can afford it or not.

I also recommend a little more ram. DDR3 Prices have gone down significantly recently, so there is no reason to beef up on a little more RAM. You won't be disappointed. Go with at least 6; 8-12 if you have the extra cash.

1155 motherboards don't use triple channel RAM so keep that in mind also. There is no need to get a triple channel memory kit.
Newegg.com - Memory, DDR, DDR2, DDR3, Memory Stick, Memory Card, Computer Memory, SD Memory Card, Memory Stick Duo, Computer RAM
Good luck! Let me know if that helped or if I can help with anything else.

Edit: Your power supply looks okay. I will admit I am not too knowledgeable about power supplies, but what it comes down to is calculating the amperage that each component draws and then double checking the specs of the supply to ensure each rail will have enough. Watts isn't ultimately the most important thing to consider.

http://www.devhardware.com/forums/power-supply-units-98/how-to-choose-a-power-supply-94217.html
http://compreviews.about.com/od/cases/a/PSUWattage.htm

 

[Jet1]

I have done a lot of research in the past few weeks on computer hardware as I am looking into building my own machine for work/school/testing/gaming in the next month as well.

I have found that although the AMD Phenom 6-core CPU's are attractive, their performance is outweighed by their Intel counterpart. In my case, it was to determine what CPU could compete with the X6 1100T in the same price-range. The winner and my recommendation to build your machine around would be the Intel i5 2500k. The Intel i5 2500k is about $225 on Newegg whereas the Phenom X6 1100T is about 230$.
SOURCE: Bench - CPU - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News
PROCESSOR: Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

Of course you will also need a LGA 1155 motherboard, of which I have had a little trouble finding. Intel has announced a major flaw in all Sandy Bridge (P67/H67) chipsets that resulted in a recall. I am currently waiting for this board to come back in stock:
Newegg.com - ASUS P8P67-M PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

...but your board really depends on your price range. I always go mid-range. Always felt bleeding edge/top of the line to be overkill, whether I can afford it or not.

I also recommend a little more ram. DDR3 Prices have gone down significantly recently, so there is no reason to beef up on a little more RAM. You won't be disappointed. Go with at least 6; 8-12 if you have the extra cash.

1155 motherboards don't use triple channel RAM so keep that in mind also. There is no need to get a triple channel memory kit.
Newegg.com - Memory, DDR, DDR2, DDR3, Memory Stick, Memory Card, Computer Memory, SD Memory Card, Memory Stick Duo, Computer RAM
Good luck! Let me know if that helped or if I can help with anything else.

Edit: Your power supply looks okay. I will admit I am not too knowledgeable about power supplies, but what it comes down to is calculating the amperage that each component draws and then double checking the specs of the supply to ensure each rail will have enough. Watts isn't ultimately the most important thing to consider.

How to Choose A Power supply - Dev Hardware
PC Power Supply Wattage

Thanks for your help! I will take everything you said into consideration when making my purchase.

 

[Indigo]

It should be mentioned that the higher the resolution in gaming, the more even the processor choices become. So if you game at resolutions higher than 1280x1024, the difference between CPUs becomes less pronounced, and it boils down to how good the GPU is.