2) Semi-automatic arms are bad for the vinyl and bad for the sound.There is more mechanical resistance and spring tension in the lateral swing of auto and semi-auto arms. This causes extra wear on the outer edge of the grooves.

3) You can buy an Audio-Technica or similar turntable with USB, but it will not sound good. These are low quality turntables. For ~$30 you can get a much better outboard Analog to Digital converter (D/A). It will plug into any normal turntable.

4) You can’t get good sound quality without a good turntable/arm and cartridge. Once the sound quality is lost, it is lost forever.

I recommend the Audio-Technica AT440MLa cartridge for a beginner. If you want to spend a little more, try a Dynavector 10×5.

Technics makes some OK turntables to start off, Rega makes some that are still better. I use a Rega P3 myself.

If you are on a tight budget, buy an old belt drive turntable at a garage sale or eBay. Open it up and disconnect the mechanical elements which cause the arm to "auto return". This will allow the arm to swing freely and smoothly. Don’t pay more than $60. Spend the rest of your money on a good cartridge. Next do some research on setup. You will want to use a bubble level to make sure your ‘table is lying flat. This is critical. Then research VTA and azimuth.