Audio-Technica M40x. I use it for music production / video editing as well as general use. The flattest pair of headphones in that budget. I love them to death and will have no regrets if I have to buy another pair today for any reason.
I’m running Ubuntu as a VM on Proxmox. Ubuntu, in turn, runs Docker containers with an *arr stack containing Radarr, Sonarr, Prowlarr, Lidarr, Readarr. Finally, Jellyfin runs in another container to stream all media through the home network.
Have you tried adjusting the fan curves? The stock fan might scream like a banshee at 100%, but nothing else comes to mind for lowering temps without an aftermarket cooler. Replacing the thermal paste with a better one won’t do much.
I use a pair of OnePlus Buds Z2, and have had them since July 2022 with my iPhone SE 2020. I also use them for office meetings. They still provide more than 4 hours of calls on a single charge after 2.5 years and the charging case can go on for days. Straight out of the box, they sound muddy...
I use Windows 10 on my personal laptop. Been a long time user of Windows and find it the most comfortable. I have macOS on my work laptop and have been using it for the past 10 years, so I know my way around that quite well too.
Trying to get into home servers and stuff lately, so I'm venturing...
You can go for any Intel 600/700 series desktop chipsets such as H610/H670/H770/B660/B760/Z690/Z790. Since your usage would be very light, stick to H- or B- series boards.
This is the cheapest motherboard that will support both 12400 as well as DDR4: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0BKRDV1V3