Computer accessories

This category gathers useful small items around the desktop computer – external enclosures and docking stations for disks, adapters and brackets for mounting SSDs, splitters and extenders for fans, audio converters, stands, lamps, and green screens for streaming. Here you can find products from Orico, Kolink, HAMA, Delock, Vention, Corsair, Rain Design, and other brands. Often, just such an accessory solves a problem for which you would otherwise replace a larger part.

How to choose

• Enclosures and docking stations for disks. An external enclosure turns an internal disk into a portable one, while the docking station allows for quick disk swapping and sometimes cloning without a computer. Choose based on the size and interface of the disk – 2.5 inches, 3.5 inches, or M.2.
• SSD mounting. Brackets and adapters allow you to place a 2.5-inch SSD in a 3.5-inch slot of an older case.
• Fan cables. Splitters and extenders for PWM fans help when the motherboard does not have enough connectors or the cables do not reach. Check the maximum current of the connector on the board.
• Audio converters. They convert optical or coaxial digital sound to analog and vice versa – useful when connecting a TV to old speakers.
• For streaming. Green screens, microphone stands, and lamps improve the picture and sound during video calls and broadcasts.

What to watch out for

• For M.2 enclosures, check whether your disk is NVMe or SATA.
• Do not connect too many fans to one connector on the motherboard.
• For fast external disks, use a USB 3.1 Gen 2 port or faster.
• If you are going to clone a disk, the target disk must have the same or larger capacity.
• White and braided cables help for a neater look in a case with a glass panel.

Compatibility

Most accessories are universal, but for disks and fans, it is important that the interface and connector match. For more options on external enclosures, check the category external hard disk enclosures, and if you need more ports – USB hubs. For laptop-related accessories, there is a separate category laptop accessories.