You are overanalyzing. Get a 300$ Mini PC with 16gb RAM, follow the Start9 docs to install it and enjoy.

Once you go through setting and using your first node, you will discover that there are many things you would have liked to do differently. That's fine. We all go through it. It is only the experience that can show you that. Once you've done your first node, you'll probably set up a second one with better choices for yourself.

But the only way to get perfect is to just go and get started.