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Well... cost is cost, whether in the original machine or buying USB 3.0 hubs, DP to HDMI adaptors, etc. The problem is that if one cheaps out on the hubs and adaptors too much, they can give ya' trouble too.

(I would note that my present "main" desktop machine has TEN USB ports: 4 are 2.0, and 6 are 3.0, and I still have 3 hubs and a card reader-hub connected to it! Hahahaha! Yes, Paul R. is sometimes a really busy boy... But then again, not all the USB ports are particularly handy as I need to use right angle adaptors to keep them from getting clonked sometimes, and Dell did not consider the spacing and location of the 4 on the front to each other and also relative to the headphone jack very wisely.)

Having perused eBay pretty thoroughly last early a.m., the "right" combination of specs and price is likely to turn up sooner or later, but in the end, yeah, it looks like I'll be able to nab a machine with "enough" RAM (16 GB minimum), an 8th or 9 gen processor, HDMI out, a 250 GB or more NVme SSD, and all those USB ports needed. Although my more recent familiarity is with Dells, it MAY be back to HP again. I like the spread out front panel ports' configuration on the HP's. Then again, I...
WOW... just got a 15% off offer on a Dell. It doesn't have the HDMI output, but for that I can get a good quality adaptor.

I suspect a good strategy is to put all my prospectives in my cart and see what transpires with offers. ;-)

I wonder what planned obsolescence of present machines that are actually plenty fast, etc., will be built into Win 12? :-(