Have you already purchased the rock? I'm no expert but based on my past (live rock) and current (dry rock) I'd go live rock all the way as it's more diverse and stable. New tank (2 years old) dynos will pop up never had that issue b4. New tank has no copapods, amphipods, feather dusters, bristle worms, sponges, sea squirts, its sterile and fragile....my two centsI also bailed from the hobby around 10 years ago and am currently building a new cube tank.
I'm all in on the new stuff. For example I couldn't be happier with with "BeanAnimal" style overflow and DC return pump I'm using. Did a leak test the other day and couldn't believe how quiet the system was. Would never go back to a Durso or External AC return pump.
I also plan to go LEDs for my lighting and won't miss my 5' long T5s.
I'm going the dry rock route this time vs the Tonga Live Rock that I used last time. Only time will tell on this one. One thing for sure is the Dry rock is so much easier to aquascape than the live rock. The Base rock that is cut flat lays perfectly on the bottom of the tank making the aquascape very stable.