Hi guys, this is going to be my first custom PC so I would like some suggestions if you have any. I will be running AutoCAD a lot and play games with it.

Here is the base components:

Case :: Thermaltake Chaser A31 Gaming Case - Black

LED Fan Lighting :: 3x [Blue] 120mm LED Case

Processor :: Intel® Core™ i7-6700K Processor (4x 4.00GHz/8MB L3 Cache) - Intel® Core™ i7-6700K

Processor Cooling :: Asetek 550LC 120mm Liquid CPU Cooler - ARC Dual Silent High Perfornamce Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow)

Memory :: 8 GB [4 GB x2] DDR4-3200 Memory Module - GSKILL RipjawsV

Video Card :: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 - 4GB (VR-Ready) -single card

Motherboard :: MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon -3x PCIe x16, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 2x USB 3.0, 1x M.2, DDR4 Memory w/ RGB LED

Power Supply :: 700 Watt - Standard 80 PLUS

M.2/PCI-E SSD Card :: None

Primary Hard Drive :: 250 GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD -- Read: 550MB/s, Write: 470MB/s - Dual 250GB Drives (500GB Capacity) - RAID 0 High Performance

Data Hard Drive :: 500 GB HARD DRIVE -- 16MB Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive

Optical Drive :: 24x Dual Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black

I would upgrade your ram to 16G. No real reason not to because it's so cheap. I'm pretty sure stuff like Autocad is more cpu intensive so getting a beefy cpu isn't a bad choice(can't say for sure, check out what Autocad recommends). A 700w power supply seem like a little overkill for what you have. Put all your parts into pcpartpicker and it shold tell you the wattage you need and will verify your compatibilitybetween parts. Other than that I would wait a few weeks and see where the prices land on these new cards. Even if your on a budget for your gpu I would wait to the end of the month and try to snag AMDs new card. And as always Google is your friend and greatest resource.

I agree with Cloneslayer. I think you should definitely consider either the new AMD 480 or a Nvidia 1070. Unless you're getting an amazing deal on a 970, recent GPU announcements have sorta decreased the value proposition for that card.

Agreed with above. I'd also recommend getting a more efficient PSU. Always get at least a Bronze, if not better. Also make sure you get from a reputable brand, like EVGA or Corsair's RMx series.

Dont buy a 970 right now it would be a waste of money unless your getting it dirt cheap

The difference between 80+ and 80+ bronze is almost nonexistant. The difference between 80+ and its top tier 80+ titanium marking is about 30W under load for a normal PC. Thats half a lightbulb of powerconsumption and it comes at an $100 premium at least.

If you can wait until the end of the month for the RX 480, go with the RX 480. The RX 480 is by far the better value. Based on the benchmarks floating around, it performs somewhere between a GTX 980 and a R9 Fury.

Are you going through one of those sites that builds the computer for you?

If you're going to get a CPU other than stock get something from a reliable brand. Like a be quiet! Pure Rock or Cooler Master Evo 212.

There's no real good reason to not just do 2x8GB on your RAM, it's so cheap.

Maybe wait for the RX480 that's about to come out before throwing money at a 970.

NEVER cheap out on your power supply. A power supply is an investment and not something to be taken lightly. I'm a big fan of Corsair power supplies personally (CX series is affordable).

There's too many manufacturers making awesome components out there, don't get stuck with cheap knockoffs. Do your research and ask people about brands you haven't heard of before to see if they're any good. I've been doing this for a minute and I've never heard of Asetek for example. Tom's Hardware has a lot of good recommendations when it comes to video cards, power supplies, and pretty much any other major component.

EDIT:

I did a little digging and it looks like you're going through iBuyPower. There's nothing wrong with wanting someone else to put everything together for you but just be careful. When they say GTX970 that can be any number of cards and that's not something you want. You always want to know exactly what kind of components are in your rig. Building computers is pretty easy nowadays so if you're even moderately competent with a screwdriver you won't break anything putting it together. Just be careful out there.

Thank you guys, so I think I will wait for the RX480 then and upgrade to 16GB RAM. It is a little over my budget now so I don't know if its necessary for me to get a better PSU...

@zhoukewww: You would save about $400 by getting the components and putting them together yourself. That's a pretty rough estimate but something worth considering.

@musclerider: REALLY? They do offer some free things like mechanical keyboard, gaming headsets etc...and good deals on some parts. But if I want to do it myself (assuming I have zero experiences,) what are some good websites to purchase parts and guide me through the process? I mean if I don't know what im doing, this can turn into an endless money pit.

@zhoukewww: Amazon or newegg if you are in the states. Watch some youtube videos for a rundown of how to build a pc to make sure it's something you want to do. It's not hard, but it's a little intimidating.

Also, don't do raid 0 with SSDs. I did and it was a bad idea. You don't really get much noticable performance and it's hard to move if your mother board dies or something.

1070 1070 1070

@zhoukewww: With modern components they usually snap together only one way so installing most things is pretty easy. You look for the slot that looks like the bottom of the thing you're holding and it just works. Everything else varies by which case you get. My first case was a Cooler Master HAF XB EVO where the motherboard rests parallel to the ground so it made installation a breeze. There's also tons of guides out there for building PCs and even specific guides if you're having trouble with things like the CPU cooler.

Tom's Hardware has some great buying guides and help as well.

There's nothing necessarily wrong with going through a site like iBuyPower but you just don't always get the best stuff. For the price they charge you could easily build something with brandname components. Notice in your original post how the brand of video card, hard drive, and power supply are not mentioned. Kind of a crap shoot. Also every review I've found(not many out there) of that CPU cooler mentions leaking.

Hold off on the 970. Get a 1070 instead.

You might want to consider a 5820 on an X99 platform since you're going to be doing production as well.

Don't RAID your SSDs. You won't notice any real world difference while gaming and a plain ole striped RAID is going to bite you in the ass one day. Do 1 500GB SSD and a 2TB+ WD Black.

I wouldn't do water cooling from a boutique shop. If a fan on your heat sink fails, your CPU throttles down. If the hose decays and springs a leak, or if a clamp loosens or fails, or a hose disconnects, you have a dead computer. And if you're not experienced with water cooling, what will you do when you have to replace a failed pump?

A cheapo 212 heatsink/fan will do just fine, even if you're doing some mild overclocking. Besides, unless you're watercooling your video card as well, you'll still get a lot of noise when that GPU is heating up.