One of the greatest strengths of crypto is your ability to take responsibility for everything if you go down the self-custody route. However, one of the greatest weaknesses of crypto is the personal responsibility for everything going wrong if that ever comes to pass... and that means that you should try to keep some semblance of decent digital hygiene at a sheer minimum. Now, I'm more careful than most... but with the onset of more and more supply chain attacks, it is probably worth just spending a little bit to buy a machine that is dedicated solely to crypto stuff... which never touches any other use case. Especially gaming... I love gaming, but you don't know what sort of dependencies are hidden back there!

So, with that in mind... I picked up this cheap Aspire Go 15 computer. I had originally wanted to get a Chromebook for this, but in the end... I had to stick with a Windows machine, as Chromebooks still don't play well with all the wallets and transaction signings... yet. Apple was too expensive to fit the bill of a cheap and functional machine, and Linux... well, I wanted to not have to bother with too much tinkering as that would raise the bar for the convenience side of things... and a higher bar for convenience means that the desire to actually push through with getting everything set up gets diminished.

So, this little machine... about 300 AUD, cheap and functional. Actually, the top plate doesn't look to bad!

... and the underside is also good enough. Textured back, and enough speed holes...

The back is only heat sink vents, no ports or power back there...

... and all the ports are on the side. Nothing too interesting, But at this price point, you aren't really expecting that much. Plus, I don't need it to do anything other than to take a USB connection. Anything more than that is just fluff for my use purposes...

The other side is also pretty functional from a ports point of view. One more USB port... but the rest aren't that much use to me.

The screen is nice and large.... again, it doesn't need to be a great screen, just something that is easy to read easily. Most of the time, it will only run a browser anyway!

The keyboard is again functional... not great, but at least it isn't mushy or anything like that. And the dedicated numpad is useful for what I want it for.

My only gripe is that the power could have been a USB-C port instead of a barrel connector. Nothing against barrel connectors, but it is another power brick that needs to go somewhere... and USB-C connections are now pretty much everywhere. Surely a USB-C power port is cheaper than a barrel one?

So, there is the most basic of basic machines for crypto stuff alone. Nothing fancy, but I was sort of surprised by what was possible in the lower end of Windows machines. I'm much more used to shopping in the mid to high end range for laptops, and it has been quite a while since I shopped in the few hundred range.

Now, to get off my arse and port everything over...

Handy Crypto Tools

Ledger Nano S/X: Keep your crypto safe and offline with the leading hardware wallet provider. Not your keys, not your crypto!
Coinbase Wallet: Multi chain wallet with lots of opportunities to Learn and Earn!
Binance: My first choice of centralised exchange, featuring a wide variety of crypto and savings products.
WooX: The centralised version of WooFi. Stake WOO for fee-free trades and free withdrawals! This link also gives you back 25% of the commission.
GMX.io: Decentralised perpetual futures trading on Arbitrum!
Coinbase: If you need a regulated and safe environment to trade, this is the first exchange for most newcomers!
Crypto.com: Mixed feelings, but they have the BEST looking VISA debit card in existence! Seriously, it is beautiful!
CoinList: Access to early investor and crowdsale of vetted and reserached projects.
Cointracking: Automated or manual tracking of crypto for accounting and taxation reports.
KuCoin: I still use this exchange to take part in the Spotlight and Burning Drop launches.
MEXC: Accepts HIVE, and trades in most poopcoins! Join the casino!
ByBit: Leverage and spot trading, next Binance?
OkX: Again, another Binance contender?