Set up a NiuMeta expert node with an EPYC 7413 chip, a new Supermicro H12SSL-i motherboard, second-hand DDR4 memory with 8 sticks of 16G, and a Samsung PM9A3 2T SSD, totaling about 1200 USD.
This is still very attractive. It is very cost-effective for bare metal service providers to do this.
Cheap hardware is nice, but the Expert node bar in the doc is a spec line, not a budget line: "AMD EPYC 7203 or Intel with TDX + 128GB + 2TB enterprise SSD + 500 Mbps starting bandwidth" (https://niumeta.com/en/docs/36-niumeta.html). So the thing that decides whether your 7413 + H12SSL-i + 8x16G + PM9A3 build works is whether it meets that baseline, and the doc names 7203 specifically, so double-check your CPU against it rather than assuming any EPYC fits. The doc also puts the reference figure at about $1,500 for an Expert node and calls it "meet the spec, not an arms race", so $1,200 is in the same order of magnitude, not a loophole. Two things people usually skip: seats and tasks are assigned by the protocol, L2 is hard-capped at 12,999 and one identity runs one Expert node, so a parts list reserves nothing. And the entry is not open yet; the opportunity page still says land rent, App and the distribution window are not open. Good buy for the hardware, build now, run when it opens.