I don’t know about option 2… if you are only home during weekends, I would stick to something more reliable. (and no, I am not sure if USB passthrough would work this way or not.)

If you want to really boost performance, I would change the hardware. Since the laptop is 10+ years old, it likely has DDR3 SODIMM memory and something like a 640 GB super-slow 5400 RPM 2.5 inch hard drive (of course, check inside the laptop before buying parts if you plan on changing hardware).

I would give it at least 8 GB of RAM (for printing / editing documents and web browsing) seems like a good idea (I would get Crucial or Samsung because then you don’t have to play with XMP, which is unsupported on some laptops, to get the full speed). Of course, upgrading to a 2.5 inch SATA SSD would greatly improve boot and load times. But, be careful, as some laptops only leave enough room in the 2.5 inch drive bay to just fit a thin 5400 RPM hard drives. A lot of SSDs are thicker than that, so make sure you have the room if you choose to do this.

With an SSD and 8 GB of RAM, you could just theoretically use the built-in Windows reinstall feature to get a completely fresh Windows install, and it should work fine for a while (should be Settings > Update and Security > Recovery > Reset This PC).

Or, you could get a nice Windows-like Linux distro like Kubuntu or Linux Mint.

Yes it is, which makes the M40 GPU a better option in some scenarios for better utilization (1 very powerful GPU vs. 2 kinda powerful GPUs).

Just look at the back of the card, you can see 2 sets of VRAM and heatsink mounting screws.

There are “cosmetically damaged” 32-48 port 1U switches with 4-8 10G SFP+ ports on them for under $100 on eBay. I don’t have the need for a 10G network right now but if I do, I will probably get one of these. Of course, they probably all draw around 300W and the fans are probably loud. Some of them even support “stacking” which is when you connect two separate switches together with a thick proprietary cable and they act as one. I can’t think of a specific model but I am sure you will be able to find one.

Old dented 40G QSFP+ NICs and switches surprisingly aren’t too much more expensive. I am finding HPE FlexFabric JG894A (48 port, 4x SFP+, 2x QSFP+) switches for under $70.