https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhosted/comments/k5nzkj/google_photos_the_megathread/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=usertext&utm_name=selfhosted&utm_content=t5_32hch

You might have better luck posting in hardware related subs. Maybe homelab?

You can buy a PCIe riser for your NIC. This could be a solution for the GPU taking a lot of space. Naturally you still need a slot on the case to attach the NIC to, but at least you will be able to put it into a PCIe slot.

It’s not normal for a computer to be using 99% CPU with background tasks only. I’d format and reisntall windows. If that doesn’t work, there’s a chance there’s a rootkit infection. In that case, the laptop is a no-go for anything.

In any case, as others have pointed out, I don’t see a lot of benefit of hanging with this laptop if you already have other computers. Unless you want to retire those devices and use the laptop only?