Published Oct 26, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT

Jasmine is Software and PC Hardware Author at XDA with years of tech reporting experience ranging from AI chatbots right down to gaming hardware, she's covered just about everything.

Whether it's breaking news about the latest AMD NPUs or creating video tutorials on social media platforms, Jasmine has contributed to the world of AI and tech in a variety of ways including interviewing the CEO of Razer, AMD's Director of Product Marketing and the VP of Lenovo. Passionate about gaming and PC technology, she has built countless computers, keyboards and other peripherals - knowing them inside and out.

A common beginner pitfall is jumping straight into self-hosting by spending $400 to $800 on a shiny, prebuilt 4-bay NAS, thinking it's the right entry point for a home lab.…