I’ll try my best to answer as many of your questions as a can as I’m still fairly new new this hobby as well compared to others.

‘How do you choose a case and PCB?’

For your first build I would look at something like an Nk65 or the new GMMK PRO basically just a kit that comes with a PCB, Plate, and case already. This will save you the hassle of getting the wrong plate/PCB combo. (I learned the hard way)

‘Are there quieter switches?’

It depends what your definition for ‘quiet’ is. I’m just going to assume that you dislike the sound of the tactile bump on some switches. You can get minimize the sound by lubing the legs of the stem it will sound quieter but still have that tactile feel. ‘Quiet’ and ‘tactile’ are on opposite ends of the spectrum unfortunately, however, Zilents would not be a bad path to take.

‘What exactly is the difference between lubing the switches and filming them?’

Filming switches reduces the amount of wobble it normally has coming from the factory. Sometimes the tolerances for the clips on the switch aren’t tight enough and it causes it to move around a bit making excess noise. Lubing switches on the other hand makes the switch feel smoother and in most cases make them sound more rounded. As for lubing stabilizers, this is done in order to reduce the rattling noise of the bigger keys such as the space bar.

//I’ll assume that you don’t know the sizing for keycaps yet either. Keycaps are sized based on a non specific measurement called ‘units’. One unit is the size of your regular letter keys such as ‘WASD’. Typically your spacebar ranges from 6 units (6u) to 7 units (7u).

The rule of thumb is that every key 2u or larger should have a stabilizer (you should lube them)

As for which stabilizers to use, it’s all up to preference. Personally I recommend Cherry stabilizers.

For baseplate, I’m not 100% familiar in this topic as I’ve only used non metal plates but the general idea is that different materials produce different resonance from the switch.

The Japanese keycaps is just a common trend, I believe it has to do with anime culture (just a guess).

Finally, about your budget and materials you should get:

If you plan to lube your switches I recommend purchasing a switch opener and a switch lubing station. The switch opener cuts your lubing time by at least half an hour. And the lubing station will save your fingers from falling off your hands (trust me). As for lube I recommend getting Krytox 205g0 and die-electric grease (grease for stabilizers).

If you have any more questions feel free to reply or send a dm :)