I'm still trying to work out if mr SKP is a particularly astute Ai spam bot, or an actual person who talks in bulletpoints lol

$300 is an interesting area.
if you buy direct from the chinese market websites you can get a lot more machine than from amazon. But there is usually import tax - so it probably evens out in the long run.

Dollars - right so you're most likely in the states. Okay
This is a jice looking I3, good reviews and all the bits you should look for in an i3 design: https://www.amazon.com/FoKoos-Odin-5...626085&sr=8-14

Looks good.