(Part 3) Top products from r/computers

I found this kit which is actually currently on sale, although it's still a tad spendy. Then there's this kit which is still expensive, but it is the cheapest I could find on newegg for any 8GB stick of 1600 MHz laptop ram that's not a sketchy buy. I went on to Amazon, and guess what. They have the same kits for the same prices. Unless you want to go with even slower ram, or a less reliable or unproven brand, these look like the best options you currently have. It really doesn't help that the memory market is so expensive right now. Just this time last year I could have bought this same 2X8 kit for probably $35-$40, but now it's $50. I always suggest that you go with a dual stick kit over a single stick, as it will set your ram in a dual channel configuration, making certain tasks run more smoothly and faster. If you know the number of ram slots on your laptop motherboard, which I'm pretty sure all HP laptops since the early 2000s have had 2 slots, then definitely spend the extra few dollars on the 2 stick kit. If money's really that tight, the single 8GB stick should do you just fine. If we really get down to brass tacks, you can check your ram currently in the laptop and if it's a single 4GB stick in one of two slots, you could just buy another stick of that ram with the same CAS latency, frequency, capacity, and voltage. All of that info should be on a sticker on the stick. Other than the used market, or slower ram speeds, this is what I came up with. There are other options on Amazon for cheaper, but a lot of them look relatively sketch. Hopefully this is useful info to you. Good luck with the search.

Consider purchasing an external drive and do a back up NOW. They are relatively inexpensive, and space keeps getting cheaper so it is likely you can store all your legacy data in a backup on a single drive (or more than one backup on more than one drive) so the data is safe. SATA to USB is still very much alive. I recommended this and this today to someone else on reddit. This fixes the data part of this discussion, I hope.

As far as Win 10 goes, when operating on legacy and lower end equipment, Win 10 does a pretty good job. It does not follow the typical microsoft trajectory of BLOAT until the machine can actually handle it. I have found that Win 10 will sort of scale back on lower end equipment and works rather well. Further, with the Internet, drivers that are not recognized by windows as appropriate (and fully functional) should be easy to find. To this end, though, I would suggest not relying on legacy equipment forevermore; have an upgrade or replacement plan in mind.

I guess I don't truly understand what info you are looking for. Any feedback to guide the discussion?

Something like this...

https://www.amazon.com/Unitek-Adapter-Converter-Optical-Support/dp/B00GLL41MA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1549732557&sr=8-5&keywords=usb+sata

They have some without power but they are for 2.5" drives. You will need one that has power. Or you could by a dock like this https://www.amazon.com/10Gbps-Single-Bay-Dock-SATA-HDDs/dp/B00XLAZTWA/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1549732639&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=usb+sata+dock&psc=1 or a new enclosure like this

https://www.amazon.com/ORICO-Toolfree-External-Enclosure-Support/dp/B00GAML7OK/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1549732670&sr=1-3&keywords=3.5+sata+enclosure

*the above links are examples, I am not saying these are the best quality or best price.

I'm not an expert or anything but I did just buy my first SSD the other day. SSDs are 2.5" and I had to get a [3.5" to 2.5" adapter] (http://www.amazon.com/Notebook-Drive-Mounting-Bracket-Adapter/dp/B00AYJFXIQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1449335558&sr=1-1&keywords=2.5%22+To+3.5%22+Bay+SSD+HDD+Notebook+Hard+Disk+Drive+Metal+Black+Mounting+Bracket+Adapter+Tray+Kit). I'm pretty sure the adapters are universal for all cases too.

They use SATA cables just like HDDs. So you'll need to make sure you have an extra port on your motherboard, a SATA cable and and a SATA power cable off of your power supply.

Finally, I don't think it matters what kind of motherboard you have. I got the Kingston 120GB SSD and for $45 I got a much faster computer! If anyone can confirm what I've said that'd be great because I'm not 100% myself.

I think the WD Blue is a NAND drive where if OP gets a Samsung EVO, same size same price he gets a NVME drive which is faster. Plus the warranty is better on the Samsungs.

However, you can get a WD Black NVME 256 GB on sale at Amazon for $100.

https://www.amazon.com/Black-256GB-Performance-SSD-WDS256G1X0C/dp/B01MS6BYJD/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1520553798&sr=8-3&keywords=western+digital+m.2

The Samsung EVOs are $120:

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-960-EVO-Internal-MZ-V6E250BW/dp/B01LYFKX41/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1520553666&sr=8-4&keywords=samsung+250gb+ssd+m.2

The WD Blacks have a 5 year warranty and Samsung EVOs have a 3 year warranty.

TL;DR: If the computer that you're looking for has support for an M.2 SSD, you can have both the SSD and the HDD. Otherwise, you'll have to change the HDD for an SSD. Getting an SSD will be expensive, but if you opt for the laptop that already has an SSD, you will be completely unable to upgrade the graphics card. You may want to employ your local nerd to help you change your OS data over to the new SSD. Expect to spend about $300 on the upgrade, but realize that adding an SSD makes the laptop feel faster, not game better.

_____

Look to see if the laptop has support for a m.2 SSD slot. If so, you can have both an SSD and the 1TB HDD for storage/games.

The major improvement for having an SSD is reduced loading times of data that would typically be on the HDD. This means you computer boots in seconds (usually <5 seconds, after the splash screen/logo goes away), has minimal lagging after boot, and storage of any large files are infinitely faster.

However, you are looking at some major costs for an SSD drive: a 1 TB drive looks like it will run you just shy of $300 for either the m.s or a traditional SSD. However, a traditional 1TB laptop HDD will run you as little as $50, and if you step up to a higher performance drive, the price will almost certainly stay below $70.

It is worth noting that with most computers, the HDD will make them feel slow, as loading programs bogs the drive down, especially at startup. However, for gaming, there is no impact on performance aside from loading times. Certainly, the graphics card will have a much larger impact on gaming performance.

As far as how easy the upgrade will be, it should be noted that whether you change to a traditional SSD or to an M.2 SSD, you will have to migrate your OS files over to the SSD in order to see any improvement in speed. This can be a marginally difficult process, so ask your local computer nerd for any recommendations. Generally, the moving of the data is the most difficult part, and swapping the physical drives is no more difficult than upgrading the RAM would be.

A person who can come over and do the process for you will almost always be more helpful than a stranger on reddit. (Especially since said person/friend can see and touch the laptop, here on reddit we only have this forum-text stuff to go by ;)

*Note: The links given are for reference only. I do not endorse any of the brands, and I'm almost certain that you can find better deals and/or higher quality products out there if you search around.

You are looking for something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-2-Pack-8-Pin-Molex/dp/B01DV1Z428/

These are PCI Express power cables (PCIe) There are several types 6-pin or 8-pin, there are both ones to use Molex or SATA power cables. You probably are better off with a properly equipped power supply though. If yours didn't come with these connectors, it will probably get pretty stressed from the video card it wasn't designed to handle. Some just include one connector, to not have any, the power supply must be pretty old or cheap. It would be a better investment in my opinion to sink the money into a decent bronze series or better PSU than some cables.

If you change the CPU like others mention it won't make much of a difference however you will have the oppportunity to clean things up and reapply new thermal compound I always use this stuff. For 8 bucks though it's not a big loss. You can run benchmark before and after to see.

Also consider you need a 64 bit OS when increasing the memory size beyond 3 GB. I assume you were loading it with four modules, you could get these instead with faster timings for gaming for about the same price. The heatsinks look cool, and in my opinion matter but others say they don't do much!

Another piece of advice is if you are faced with upgrading the BIOS to accept the chip or memory, do not flash it from an operating system.

A cheap SSD for the OS and two games would also do justice. You can use your existing drive for storage.

PCI has enough bandwidth for wifi adpaters. The difference is pcie has more bandwidth, but PCI has gigabit speeds, so like I said doesn't matter in this case.

And yeah, tplink is something i'd recommend. But i would recommend this instead. More antennas will provide better connection, and you're not going to be able to us 802.11ac through multiple floors.

by cooler i mean the whole thing which is the heatspreader + the fan mounted to it. if you got something like this https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTsjphLeUGOajYWQrmlc8U0GkZGYoYBUTrAxvxIWDEgXd-Zm5NJ6w then you have a stock cooler. if your 2600 is a non k i would suggest you to get a more efficient cooler which will also be much quiter. as you cannot overclock non-k properly i recommend to get some entry level which will be far sufficient to reduce your heat under load to the 50-60s and also be much less noisy. https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-Freezer-A11-Installation-Professional/dp/B00HO9P0J6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1506582552&sr=8-7&keywords=arctic+cpu or https://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-T2-Heatpipes/dp/B00K7809O2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1506582571&sr=8-4&keywords=master+cooler+cpu or https://www.amazon.com/Scythe-SCKTN-4000-KATANA-Cooler-Socket/dp/B01E57PPR6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1506582518&sr=8-2&keywords=scythe+katana will all be much better than the stock cooler.

I would definitely get a better wireless adapter if I were you. Those little usb dongles don't tend to get very good reception.. and your D-link adapter has pretty awful reviews in general.

If you don't mind spending a few bucks, I'd suggest getting a good PCI wireless card.

This one would probably do wonders for you: http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Wi-Fi-Express-Adapter-PCE-AC56/dp/B00JNA337K/

One important standout feature here is that it lets you move your antennas away from obstructions, so you'll have a clearer line of sight for your wireless signal.

Also..

• Make sure to move your router away from other electronics if possible to avoid interference.
  
• Download Wifi Analyzer if you have an android device (link) and find the least congested channel in your area. You have to change this in your router config (usually http://192.168.0.1 in your browser)
  
  

1 ) Do not worry about Hard Drive space. You mentioned that "Shes a genealogist and saves lots of documents and photos.". Hard Drives are unreliable, especially in laptops. A simple bump can cause the hard drive to fail and would leave her devastated.

Ideally she should have this on cloud storage or an SSD (Solid State Drive which is tremendously faster and more reliable than a Hard Disk Drive. For about $100 you can get a quality 1TB SSD (a thousand gigs). Even less for a still decent one. These can be installed inside the computer, or in an external enclosure and used just like a Flash Drive / External Hard Drive. Using it externally keeps the computer free of clutter, and lets her take the files to any computer. Installing it in most laptops is not difficult. Buying a laptop with more GBs will otherwise result in you paying hundreds more.

2) Look for a quality LCD screen. An IPS LCD will be an excellent choice and will be very easy for her to read. Higher resolutions (at least 1080p) will ensure that text is sharp. A 15.6" laptop is a great size for elderly people. 14" is more portable however. Make sure the screen is durable, hinge failure is surprisingly durable - it shouldn't wiggle too easily, pressing the back of the screen shouldn't cause the image to distort.

3) Make sure the keyboard and mouse are ones she's comfortable using. These are not viable to change and can make any laptop extremely infuriating.

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to be buying this 400W supply cause I'm cheap.

On a side note, why is power usage not really looked at or even shown in the specs of many websites? It seems like an incredibly major thing, but websites like Amazon and even the AMD website don't include it in the "specs" of the cards.

I never even considered the fact that my PSU could be limiting my current GPU, but for some reason the power usage isn't even shown on the specs on the AMD website so I have no way to check if just getting a new PSU will drastically improve my system.

Be sure to update your BIOS before you swap out the CPU, which can be found here: https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/product-support/product/vostro-410/drivers

PSU: https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-WHITE-Warranty-Supply-100-W1-0500-KR/dp/B00H33SFJU/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=evga+PSU&qid=1565767187&s=gateway&sr=8-4

RAM: Get two (total 8GB) https://www.amazon.com/PC2-6400-DESKTOP-Modules-240-pin-Tech/dp/B00C5378J6/ref=sxin_3_ac_d_pm?ac_md=2-0-VW5kZXIgJDI1-ac_d_pm&keywords=ddr2+ram+8gb&pd_rd_i=B00C5378J6&pd_rd_r=c0152c74-5d0e-41a6-b25e-9c85c9ff097d&pd_rd_w=2llFc&pd_rd_wg=1pcZu&pf_rd_p=443560ff-1213-4884-9e43-6946f940cec1&pf_rd_r=7KJSE3EX29M0YW9VJKFW&psc=1&qid=1565770206&s=gateway

CPU: https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Q9400-Processor-U36011-Category/dp/B001DEWO9W/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=core+2+quad&qid=1565767573&s=gateway&sr=8-10

SSD: https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-480GB-Solid-SA400S37-480G/dp/B01N0TQPQB/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=512gb+ssd&qid=1565767984&s=gateway&sr=8-9

GPU: https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GeForce-Graphics-Windforce-Gv-N1650OC-4GD/dp/B07QHGKC2D/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=gtx+1650&qid=1565768280&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Wireless: https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PCE-AC56-Wireless-Express-Adapter/dp/B00JNA337K/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=wireless+card+PCIE&qid=1565768847&s=gateway&sr=8-4

I think the cooler is proprietary. The original should be able to cool the CPU though. Im talking a guess that the case fan is 120mm and the CPU is 92mm. Might have to ask around about the heatsink.

Fan, case: https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NF-F12-PWM-4-Pin-Premium/dp/B00650P2ZC/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=noctua+120mm&qid=1565769226&s=gateway&sr=8-5

Fan, CPU: https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NF-A9-PWM-Premium-Cooling/dp/B00RUZ059O/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=noctua+92mm&qid=1565769286&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Bam. Just got yourself a decent gaming rig.

Total cost: About $415

Shouldn't be an issue then.

BTW you mentioned looking at the hyperx predator 250gb. The price I'm finding on them isn't great. You may want to consider buying a pcie to m.2 card and getting a different m.2 drive to put into it. I've seen them with dual m.2 drives as well. Just make sure it's for a pcie m.2 and not just a sata m.2.

Cheap converter for single M key M.2 and a Good M.2 drive would be $136 vs $168 for the Predator

The Samsung drives offers 3,200 MB/s read and 1,500 MB/s write speeds while the Predator only does 1400MB/s read and 600MB/s write.

You might be able to find a converter with a proper fan or heatsink to keep the SSD nice and cool. Also you may want to look into compatibility with your system and NVMe. A lot of the newer ones are NVMe and I don't know how older systems work with it. Might check for BIOS updates on your motherboard as well.

PSU should be fine. around the max you could do for it. use sites like :
http://www.coolermaster.com/power-supply-calculator/

or

http://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator

both should give you around 250W of needed and recommmend 300W PSU, but if you want to get new PSU I would recommend to get 400W to 450W and not 600W that is way too big for your system.

also check that you have all cable installed to your GPU. I do not know if it needs 6-pin additional power cable. If it does and your PSU do not have it then you need new PSU. also if you go for getting new PSU. get something like this: https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Warranty-Power-Supply-100-N1-0400-L1/dp/B00LV8TZAG/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1482836063&sr=1-2&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_two_browse-bin%3A6906983011

corsair is decent brand as is EVGA, do not get any no brand PSU. Also check carefully that you new PSU has all the connections your computer need it is HP prebuilt one and they might have some kind of propietary connectors there.

your problem is not likely to be with the PSU, but graphics drivers. here is some kind of guide.

1. Connect your GPU to your motherboards slot and you should see the the picture.
   
2. download display driver uninstaller from here : http://www.guru3d.com/files-details/display-driver-uninstaller-download.html
   
3. download latest catalyst/crimson/whatever amd GPU drivers are called today
   
4. run DDU and follow its instructions. You should go to safe mode to remove all drivers.
   
5. then connect back to your new GPU and install latest drivers.
   
   
   that worked for me on spring when I moved from GTX 660 to GTX 970.

Check this out
A very good laptop for this price point.. The only downside of course is don't expect any heavy gaming performance outta this (don't know if you're a huge gamer or not) other than that, this can handle things like web browsing, watching video, word processing, etc. With ease. Hope this helped :D

Sorry to tell you it looks like that model laptop only has 1 memory slot and the largest module it supports is 8GB. You would have to replace your existing 4GB module with the 8GB module, so the laptop maxes out at 8GB RAM.

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Single-PC3-12800-Unbuffered-204-Pin/dp/B006YG8X9Y/ref=sr_1_1

Good luck!

Yes absolutely.

However you may be better off getting a 2.5" size drive. The 3.5" drives take more power to run, and the external enclosure will require an external power source. A 2.5" drive can be run off the power from the USB alone. So if you want something portable, get a 2.5" drive for sure, or if it's just going to sit on a desk or in a closet you can get a drive like the one you linked and get an enclosure for it.

3.5" HDD enclosure

2.5" HDD enclosure

Looking at all the products being listed, they all will mirror the image which wasn't your goal, correct? The Cable Creation will extend the screen on Windows 10, but it looks like it won't do that for MacBook Pros. The HooToo product will just mirror the screen, but will give you additional USB ports. The ORIE just does the same as the Cable Creation.

Actually, if you want to get wifi for your PC, you don't need to buy a new motherboard. There are wifi cards you can buy, like [this one](https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Express-Adapter-TL-WDN4800/dp/B007GMPZ0A (which plugs directly into your motherboard) (which plugs directly into your motherboard) or this one (which you plug into a usb port in the front/back of your computer).

But yes, the motherboard generally doesn't get upgraded on its own too often.

Here's the thing though, different generations and brands of CPU use different motherboard sockets, meaning that if you were to buy a new Intel CPU, it wouldn't be compatible with your current motherboard. You'd have to buy a new motherboard that is compatible with the series/generation of the CPU you're buying.

The power supply doesn't really need to be upgraded unless you need the extra wattage or you currently have a lower-quality power supply. A higher-quality PSU should last several years.

You're right about the ram - it doesn't usually get upgraded unless you need more. However, with Intel's skylake chips that came out a year or two ago, DDR4 ram became the new standard. It's not cross-compatible with DDR3, the previous standard; as a result of that, when you buy a new CPU and motherboard (if it's Skylake or newer), you'll also have to buy all new DDR4 ram as well, as you won't be able to use DDR3.

Depending on usage case, I'd say the most often upgraded part is the GPU.

Pretty sure this is exactly what he needs.

I found 4 pretty good ones for around that price

1. 
   ASUS F556UA-AB32 $389.99
   https://www.amazon.com/F556UA-AB32-15-6-inch-Full-HD-Laptop-Windows/dp/B01LX0KIGB/?tag=aboutcom02lifewire-20&th=1
   -Has a 15.6 inch 1080p (HD Screen)
   -Wireless internet
   -Average 5 hour battery life
   -1 Terabyte hard drive (Thats 1000Gb)
   -Doesn't have a DVD/CD drive
   

• Webcam
  
  2.
  
  ASUS F555LA $549.99
  https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B011KFQASE?tag=laptopmagca-20
  -Has a 15.6 inch 1080p (HD Screen)
  -Wireless internet
  -500 Gigabyte hard drive
  -Has a DVD Drive
  -Average 5 and a half hour battery life
  -Webcam
  
  3.
  
  HP Laptop $479.99
  http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-17-3-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-1tb-hdd/5723313.p?skuId=5723313
  -Has a 17.3 inch screen (Not HD)
  -Wireless internet
  -1 Terabyte hard drive (1000 Gigabytes)
  -Has a DVD drive
  -5 hour battery life
  -Webcam
  
  4.
  
  Dell Inspiron $399.99
  http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i3-6gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-black/5709800.p?skuId=5709800
  -15.6" HD screen
  -Touch screen
  -Wireless internet
  -1 Terabyte hard drive (1000 Gigabytes)
  -Has a DVD drive
  -4 hour battery life
  -Webcam

Thanks so much. By it saying "16384-MB (8192-MB×2)" does that mean that I only have 2 ram ports? And where is the location of it in my laptop so I can make sure I currently have 1 8gb stick, instead of 2 4gbs. I have taken out the hard drive before so I know how to open the laptop. I found this, will it work/can I find it any cheaper than $86.
Just found this for $70. It is crucial brand, the other is kingston

You should be looking for something like this: https://www.amazon.com/CableCreation-Compatible-Thunderbolt-Adapter-Chromebook/dp/B01M6C3B39

or

https://www.amazon.com/UPTab-2-Ports-Adapter-Monitor-Splitter/dp/B07566J4G4

If your laptop doesnt have USB-C, you need to start looking for actual docks like the one I’m using:

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/accessories-and-monitors/docking/mechanical-docks/ThinkPad-Ultra-Dock-90-W/p/40A20090US

All you need would be a external hard drive encloser. Can pick them up cheaply and yes it would become plug and play.

https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-2-5-Inch-External-Enclosure-EC-UK30/dp/B00LS31KQG/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1524740417&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=external+hard+drive+enclosure&psc=1

A third alternative is to get a splitter. Because the TRRS (Tip, Ring, Ring, Sleeve, or headset) plug usually puts the microphone channel on the sleeve, modern computer mics are mismatched because they put their audio channel on the tip. This splitter takes the mic audio connection from the sleeve of the TRRS jack and moves it to the tip of the mic jack.

I keep one of those and the reverse (TRRS plug to separate mic and headphone TRS plugs) around because they're pretty handy when dealing with mobile devices.

https://www.amazon.com/CableCreation-Adapter-Thunderbolt-Compatible-Chromebook/dp/B01M6C3B39/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1525890906&sr=1-3&keywords=2+hdmi+to+usb+c

Does it look like this would accomplish what I'm looking for? That would use one of my Thunderbolt inputs, and then I could use the other one for the HooToo hub?

For single use, yes.

If you want tto use it as an external, backup, get this.

here u go (http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Digital-SSDNow-SV300S37A-120G/dp/B00A1ZTZOG), eBay had it for cheaper but I'm sure it'll be gone by the time u check this reply out

If you're picking out of those three I would go with the second one. Your links are from eBay and they dont give the best descriptions so it might be a diff model from what I found.

I'm looking at Amazon Canada. That should ship to where you live.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B011KFQASE/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480128373&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=laptop&dpPl=1&dpID=41uXvMCE9UL&ref=plSrch
This one is alright. When you said you had 500 for it. Did you mean Canadian currency? Also, do you really want to spend 500 or would you rather spend less?

Ideally, if you're talking about a desktop you should wire it via Ethernet cable. If that's not an option, I recommend going with a PCIe card. PCI and PCIe both deliver data faster than USB so they are a better choice, but you sacrifice the convenience of a USB adapter.

I use this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007GMPZ0A/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1415887470&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

And it works flawlessy

USB Recovery Boot Password Reset | Works with Windows 98, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, & 10 | Better Than CD Disk | No Internet Connection Required | Reset Lost Passwords | Windows Based PC & Laptop https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BO6604S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_wtA3DbX64S0Z7

https://youtu.be/NHN0pqHpBqc

Just getting it up off the floor can help a lot. There are also these.

This computer has a VGA port and two Displayports for monitors. You'll need to buy a Displayport to HDMI cable to make this computer to work for you.

Get two of these monitors and two Displayport to HDMI cables to connect the monitors to the computer. Monitors that come with Displayports and Displayport cables are much more expensive than these well reviewed devices.

Yeah you can do this easily.

https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Lay-Flat-Docking-EC-DFLT/dp/B00LS5NFQ2?ref_=Oct_BSellerC_160354011_3&pf_rd_p=6616413b-1c60-55ef-a1ae-ef9578b5d282&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=160354011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=QK5CH1SB3AGK2HKT93MG&pf_rd_r=QK5CH1SB3AGK2HKT93MG&pf_rd_p=6616413b-1c60-55ef-a1ae-ef9578b5d282

​

One of these will do the job.

If it's the same as my 1070 there's only one hdmi, the others are display ports. If that's the case just get a cable like this one for your monitor.

The computer is around 10 years old. I'm just looking for a temporary, short term solution.

My other option would be to use this type of enclosure that would make it connect via USB.

HP 14-an013nr There's a 500GB version as well.

Reuse the laptop hard drive that you are taking out with something like this. It's a simple enclosure that you just slide your laptop hard drive into and turn on and you've got an external drive.

You can buy any m.2 to USB adapter from Amazon. I have personally used this one

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-M-2-SATA-External-Enclosure/dp/B00T8F298Y/ref=pd_sbs_147_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=076NHJ9Q7ZQPN3K3XM3M

It's about 27.99

You probably want one of these!

Metro Vacuum ED500P DataVac 500-Watt, .75-HP Electric Duster https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U899HQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_kAMRAbZJYZ8S7

This is all you need. You won't regret it.

I bought an electric duster to save on disposable air cans. Also, don't have to stop every two minutes because the can is too cold or lost of pressure.

Have you tried this product? https://www.amazon.com/Recovery-Password-Better-Windows-Versions-7/dp/B01BO6604S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501721481&sr=8-1&keywords=windows+usb+password+key

How about this one https://www.amazon.com/HP-14-inch-E2-7110-Windows-14-an013nr/dp/B01F4ZG68A?th=1&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BO6604S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1-r1BbHKW5T33

You need a splitter. https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-headsets-separate-headphone-microphone/dp/B004SP0WAQ

If you don't have a combo jack already built in you can't do this with software, it's a limitation to the number of contacts in the port. You will notice 4 contacts on your headphone plug and there are only three in each of the ports. so no software will fix that limitation