I should probably also say why I feel qualified to give advice - I have over 10k posts on a PC forum, and while I haven't been active for at least a year, maybe two years now, I still keep in touch with PC technology. That forum was packed with people with way more money than me, given I was a broke student, and I learnt pretty quickly when building PCs using part-time job wages that there are plenty of corners you can cut to be able to have a PC that's just as good as someone else's just without the flashy lights and top range prices. Like you said, there's a middle ground to be found - a place where the price/performance ratio suits you perfectly - and a $200 motherboard with Thunderbolt when you're trying to spend $1k or less just doesn't fit into that. Don't get dragged in by the fact there's always something a bit better, and make sensible choices. That fanless PSU is complete overkill in the noise department and is costing you nearly $100 over an essentially silent 140mm PSU which is going to be more efficient and offer more upgrade options! and so on and so on.