Hey I'm at work and since I can't be playing Skyrim right now i'm pondering my next character. I want to go with a pure mage that can use a wide variety of spells. This is the build I came up with so far.

http://skyrimcalculator.com/#45007

Please give me all criticism positive or negative, I'm looking to gather as much information as possible before I go ahead and start my mage.

Thanks guys.

No real point in taking master of the mind if you haven't gone down the middle of the illusion tree.
You have the half/cost for master destruction. I have heard those spells really don't shine, so using a perk for it may be iffy.

That's all I guess. So you are planning to use destruction/summons/paralyze to deal with hostiles?

ya, I don't know a whole lot about illusion, I really want to use it, but it seems to be successful with it you need to invest a ton of perk's into it. I plan on using the Dead Thrall spell in conjuration.

What are the best destruction/restoration spells? Are wards worth investing in? Is enchanting really important?? I'm soo lost haha!

Alright, well for illusion to shine (except for an assassin type using the tree for invsibility) you need basically all the perks in the tree, Since all the illusion attacks are level limited, and the perks increase the level of enemies affected.
The expert destruction level spells are generally considered the best (dual cast with staggering)
You have Rune master. Runes unfortunately do not scale so they become weak by the end of the game. But I also like slapping runes around the level, and I assumed you took that for a style choice.
Wards, are not worth investing in, There was a great thread about them a couple weeks ago. I suggest searching these boards for it. YES- I am sure someone will come and correct me with some situational use for wards, but really- it is ACTIVE defense at the cost of your attack, and that usually is not a good idea.
Enchanting will be important for you since you will want to lower the cost of casting your spells.
I assume you want to wear robes, and armor is out. That is viable with the alteration tree for sure, but it is also an active defense, so be prepared to time your castings.

The more specific questions you ask, the better everyone can help.

I play as a pure mage altmer (no armour or weapons). I don't have much experience with illusion but i have heard that its one of the strongests schools of magic but to be viable at high levels, it needs dual casting as well as the perks that increase the level at which targets can be affected. In that regard its quite a 'perk heavy' tree. The necro branch of Conjuration has a spell called 'dead thrall' which can be one of the strongest spells depending on who you resurrect. Would not recommend destruction master spells as they are quite weak at high level. Expert spells are fine but a tad magicka heavy so may want some cost reduction if you are going to use those. Also, i would recommend two different elements for destruction in case you find an enemy resistant to shock (like a storm atronach). Also, would not recommend wards though i do like the idea, they simply drain too much magicka and don't provide enough benefits for the cost. For restoration, I would personally shoot for fast healing at apprentice level since that restores quite a bit of health but if you are smart, dual casting the normal healing spell is usually enough. Enchanting for a mage is very important as some of the higher level spells are very costly however using the tactic of reducing costs to zero can make the game a little boring.

Ask if you need any more help

there are no builds in skyrim. the build is what you imagine your character to be.

Builds are determined by perks.
When people refer to / ask about builds, they invariably are asking about perk choices.

ok, i've taken some of your advice and i've come up with this for a build.

http://skyrimcalculator.com/#45037

I'm just wondering now if Restoration is important to a pure mage at all. I've invested 3 points into it to get the extra Magika regen but are there any spells I'm going to need in there? I assume if I'm getting hit and losing health i'm doing something wrong.

Restoration is important for all classes but it does depend on the type of mage you play. I assume, from your description, that you play a long range mage that controls the battlefield and tries like hell not to get hit? If that's so, then a tank would be needed in order to soak up damage as there may be a good chance of getting one-shotted by a few enemies. Can't remember how many times i've been mauled by a bear from behind But as long as you get the jump on the enemies. Most battles should be okay. Also many people don't regard magicka regen as very important as it is slowed down to a third of it's normal amount in battle. 250-350% magicka regen is needed for a significant change otherwise you may want to reduct the costs of the spells. I normally pick the novice restoration as well as the regeneration perk for all my characters at least as i don't like useing potions

This is the build that i am working towards - http://skyrimcalculator.com/#45071

your build is awesome, in that it svcks. this being skyrim, your focus on destruction, minor points in conjuration, and points in illusion will lead to a fun challenge instead of the godlike bore most people end up with...

dont bother with restoration, though. as a mage, if you are taking damage, simply taking the time to cast a spell can be deadly, whereas potions are basically thrown at you and with i assume a focus on magicka and not health leveling up, can heal you easy. put those points in lockpick or pickpocket or speech or whatever... not even the regen is worth it.

I started my first mage this week. Already finished the College quests (am Arch-Mage) and figured I'd do the Bard quests since I haven't done those yet. I'm level 12.

I wanted to really play with many spells, but bottom line I am using Destruction (generaly Fire) and Summoning nearly exclusively. I will heal once in a while and I like to turn iron into gold. This wasn't intentional, it just happened that way trying to stay alive. I'm beginning to think the other schools of magic are not really needed.

I'm at level 36, and I find I only need the lower perks of restoration. Destruction and Conjuration sustain me. I have only a couple of illusion spells and hardly use them. I quit using alteration, put on ebony armor and enchanted it, and got the Steed Stone. Now I had to turn the difficulty up. It's a fun character, though.

That's what I thought too.

But then I tried and was punished.

OT: You're better off just dropping Destro and focusing on being a support mage.

It'll save you perks that you would have otherwise wasted on a broken in the long run(Fact), skill.