I just bought this new Dell laptop and it literally has like two holes on the side and that is it. They told me it was the future but honestly it feels like a nightmare because none of my stuff fits anymore. My old mouse has that big rectangle plug and my monitor uses a different one and I dont even know how I am supposed to charge the thing while using my stuff if I only have two ports total. I went on Amazon to look for one of those multi-port thingies but there are like a million of them and they all use words I dont understand. What even is Power Delivery? Or 4K 60Hz? Does it actually matter if I just want to write essays and watch some Netflix?

I am really sorry if this is a super basic question but I am totally lost and dont want to fry my new computer by buying the wrong thing. I went to a store and they tried to sell me a dock that cost like 200 dollars which seems insane for a piece of plastic. I really dont want to spend more than maybe 50 or 60 bucks if I can help it. I just need it to work when I go to the library or sit at my desk at home. I am based in the US so I can pretty much order from anywhere online.

Here is what I am looking for if anyone can point me in the right direction:

• it needs to have a few of those old school big USB ports for my mouse and my thumb drive
• an HDMI port for my second monitor
• maybe a spot for an SD card because I do a little bit of photography for fun
• it has to be small enough to throw in my bag without being a huge brick
• i need to be able to charge through it if that is even a thing?

Is there a specific brand that is actually good? I keep seeing Anker and Satechi but I dont know if they are just expensive for the name. Also do these things get really hot? I read a review saying one melted and now I am kinda scared to just pick a random one. Any advice for someone who has no idea what they are doing would be great...