Ryzen 1700 vs 1700x vs 1800x and some Ryzen/PC Questions

i like more msi than asus, but asus has a big reputation for being a quality brand

between those two models, there must be a big reason to justify the price difference, ram slot ammout, pci express slot amount, m.2 slot ammount and
phases of the vrm probably are the reason here

about r5 or r7, it depends on how hard you want to hit the cpu, if your load will be just a couple games and edit one video in adobe, the r5 will be enough for you, if you plan on hit very hard the cpu, start considering 1700x and above

most user will be just fie with the r5 1600 or less

i think it will be fine with a r3 next year

about aestetics, talk about what you like to see, well, you need to look at it, perhaps review videos on youtube, a forum is not the best place to discuss looks of a ram module i think

yes, everything seems to point that those 6 cores will be what most games will need, especially with bios updates on the mainboards

about colors, black and white with white or blue led lights looks great in my opinion

black and gree, well, it is the razar style, if you like green, ok

red, well, most custom pcs are red, too comon and is not a nice color to watch for long periods of time

white, well, is a dust magnet, all colors have pros and cons

Ryzen 7 1800X at 4.0 GHz, 1.40V for $500, or Ryzen 7 1700 at 3.9 GHz, 1.45V for $330?
(1800X OCs +200MHz better than 1700 at same voltage for $170, 1700X gives +100MHz over 1700 for $70)

Get some DDR4 3600 to reach 3200 on Ryzen, DDR4 3200 for 2933, and DDR4 2933 for 2666. RAM speeds are significant to 3200. 1700X/1800X has slighly better IMC (+266 MHz, 1 bin)

As an avid overclocker (I know you are) you want to reach a nice round number of 4.0 GHz than some 3.85/3.9 GHz, and you want that clock at manageable temperatures (fans not turbine loud) and safe voltages.
If not, 1700 comes with a stock cooler good enough for 3.6 GHz, stock clocks for 1800X at ~1.30V.

With 1.35V-1.45V, 1700 usually clocks to 3.7-3.9 GHz, 1700X 3.8-4.0 GHz and 1800X 3.9 GHz-4.1 GHz. The beautiful round 4.0 GHz occurs at a relatively safe 1.4 V for the 1800X, so you may want to buy the 1800X, but performance wise they are not far away, at most 5-10% from the $329 and $499 Ryzens. Unless you want to support AMD/want the best ryzen then go for it.

I have a 1800X @ 4.0 GHz, 1.40V. Thermals are 35-72°C idle/load on my 360mm rad in a hot tropical afternoon.

Ryzen 7 is most futureproof of all Ryzen CPUs.
8 Core 16 Threads will be more futureproof as games start utilising 6 Cores instead of 4, and you will still have an ample 2 Cores to do your background services (Youtube music, Twitch, Torrent downloads) without any performance impact.

Motherboard choice
The Asus Crosshair VI Hero provides the best OC performance of all, and has guaranteed 3200 MHz DDR4 RAM support on overclocked 1.35V 3600 kits. The MSi one is as good for OCing the CPU, but RAM may only clock to 2933, incurring 1-2% potential performance loss. (I suggest you use this extra money for a better Ryzen 7 CPU bin for better thermals and voltages)
Also note that some cheaper boards, like my Asus Prime X370 Pro, does not have BCLK control. So my FSB stays at 100 MHz, which is okay unless you plan on Phase change/LN2 extreme overclocks of >4.2 GHz.

Aesthetics.
I am not an artist nor a designer, what do I know about aesthetics? My suggestion: Get something that looks okay (no need RGB LEDs) that has a nice design, but remember, you are buying a computer, not an artwork. Spend the LED dollars on a better CPU or even a board. But again, I am not a designer, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder, get what pleases your eyes.

Have a nice day.