also, if you can provide links to some websites for best way to procure mining equipment, i'd appreciate it.
No doubt that ETH still the best altcoin to mine. In terms of stability, sustanability and profitability ETH has it all that is why it is the no.1 altcoin in the market. You only have to visit in your local computer retail store in order to purchase GPU or Video cards for mining. You will be needing a huge budget for that mining rig in order to earn decent coins in the market. You may want to try to purchase in Amazon or Aliexpress for your mining rig but I really suggest you need to have a good supplier for safety purposes of your mining rig because its so expensive.