Inspiron 5559 - Disabling current adapter - And is there room for 2 antennas if I upgrade from AC3160 to AC8165?

My inspiron 5559 has been impossible to depend on from day 1.  I didn't use it much at first (I had a work laptop, etc.) so I didn't return it in time, and since then, I don't (and can't) use it for anything important, because there's always the risk it'll freeze on me.  (When it does, it leaves the fan running and whatever was on screen at the moment it froze. It no longer registers as connected to my router, and nothing but powering off gets it working again.)

After 4 years of this, and after trying everything imaginable, I came across one other person who had the same exact WinDBG code as me, and they (maybe, sometimes people celebrate too early) said that something was wrong with their Intel AC-3160 wifi card, and everything was fixed with a new one. (In this case, the person never came back later (like most people do) to say it wasn't really fixed, so I'm hopeful.)

So two questions:

1. Since it's still not guaranteed replacing the card will fix it: I happen to have a USB wifi card that I could try.  But if the AC-3160 defect exists, it's still installed and electrically connected to the computer. Will disabling it be a real simulation of the card being removed?  (I'm just being lazy, but since it's a quick trial-and-error situation, I'd rather avoid taking the computer apart to remove the card, while just trying the USB card.)
2. If I do decide to replace it, the AC-8265 appears to be completely compatible.  However, I haven't taken the laptop apart yet.  Is there room or someplace to put the second antenna? (The AC-3160 only has one antenna.)

Thanks in advance