AHAHAH! I had a sweet computer at one time loaded to the tits with lights and my wife made me shut the thing down at night because it was so bright.

I'd say I'm a little of all the above now - I pay a little extra for the better components now, I have a water cool unit that I haven't yet installed but swear I will get to it one day and far too bloody many parts to make the mother of all Frankenstein's computers.

I came to the same realization after my first custom desktop. I think it is a phase all custom PC builders go through.

Now I think all the "flash" is overrated. LEDs and flashing lights do nothing for you...well backlit keyboards have a purpose I guess. Now I am the type of builder that concentrates on longevity. Whenever I build or buy a device/computer I intend on getting 3-5 years out of it.

According to this article I would be a Ninja / Enthusiast / Cable Whisper. The only reason I partially fall into the enthusiast category is that every system I spec up ends up in the $2000-3000 budget range, but this is because I pick out high quality performance components that will have very good longevity for the mainstream user without needing to be replaced. Because of my distaste for LEDs and flash I tend to look for Cases that are as boxy and inconspicuous as possible but still highly customizable and flexible on the inside (ex. the Antec P280). Lastly I'm a little OCD and like to make my cable routing as neat as possible, even if it means using 100's of zip ties (they're quite literally a dime a dozen anyway).