What I have learn over the years…
Computers are much more powerful than when I first started out. I would recommend you have somewhat of a good set up. I am currently using a Dell mobile workstation with 64gb ram and 8 core processor. I haven’t always been so lucky. I have generally been using laptops with at least 16gb ram and 4 core processor. It won’t take long for a hard drive to fill up either. I recommend investing in a good portable drive with several terabytes of storage.
Generally, I purchase items on a tight budget. I found a great place to pick up factory refurbished systems. I kept an eye out on dellrefurbished.com and ended up getting a great deal on a mobile workstation. I have purchased several other computers from there and have been very happy with these items.
I use programs like Android Studio, VirtualBox, Oracle SQL Developer and Docker to name a few. Some of these programs suck up a lot of resources on from your system. Especially on Microsoft Windows. Doing development also takes up a lot of storage space. Keep this in mind when setting up your localhost.
Until just recently I kept most of my work on an external hard drive, but I have since added a secondary hard drive on my workstation. What a difference that made. One other thing, I did was set up my local user profiles on my D drive. If you have the opportunity to do this, it is a game changer. Keep an eye out on Amazon or other tech places for sales. If your system has room for an additional hard drive, go for it.
Don’t forget to check how many ports are on the system you are looking at. The laptop I currently use at work only has two usb-c ports. This has been a problem occasionally. I resolved some of my issues by finding a hub with numerous ports that wasn’t too large and bulky. The price on items like this has dropped a lot so it is fairly easy to find them at reasonable prices. This probably won’t be a problem with a desktop, but I like to be mobile.
It can also be handy to have an extra monitor or two. Oh, I know, I may be getting off track now. When I travel, I can use my tablet as an external monitor. Look into spacedesk. And I sometimes use my phone to tether to for and internet connection. It is a lot safer than using public wifi.