As mentioned the DS Arms A3 Enhanced Upper is the lightest upper with forward assist I could find anywhere (Lighter than V7 Upper) and at $80 its less expensive also.
On that note one thing to keep in mind is the optic mount you will be using. The DS Arms has the groove cut all the way down the middle to the valley depth of the picatinny lugs. If your optic mount uses only small centered recoil lugs (Larue Mounts as an example, however I do not know if they have an issue with this upper vs full width lugs such as on Bobro or Aero Precision) this may cause an issue as there is no material where they would contact. The V7 Upper is more expensive and heavier however the groove down the middle is concave and does not go all the way down to the valley height so there is material for any recoil lug to grab on to.
That said, if you are going for lightweight and dont need QD I would suggest Aero Precision anyhow as its the lightest quality 30mm mount out there and has full length lugs anyhow.
Just like you I am starting a lightweight budget build (under $1500 not including optic) and am buying the
DS Arms Enhanced Upper because of the math.
DS Arms 6.4oz and $80
V7 LW Upper 6.8oz and $147
I have no doubt the finish and machining on the V7 will be nicer but for a non-precision, lightweight, budget build I would rather save the $67 and .4oz for other parts to save even more weight or to put in my savings account