Jerboa errored on sending this, hopefully not a double post:
I’m not sure when the last time you tested it out is, but I’m seeing a few things online about kernel 5.14+ bringing in a lot more support for eGPU, albeit AMD and not Nvidia. I could definitely see how that’d be a deal breaker, but it looks like if it’s not working with the newest kernels yet, maybe someone’s working on it as we speak? Fingers crossed!
I know in the early years of my Linux experience, I didn’t quite understand the underlining system and can agree that I had some catastrophic failures, but I can also say I’ve had probably just as many from Windows. Hell, even had a Windows update that was forced and then it broke my install and system restore, dcim, etc… Nothing fixed it. That being said, I’ve been able to resolve most windows problems without a factory reset, but I’m also super stubborn and will try to fix a problem for a long time before I give up.
Now, for the present… I don’t remember the last time I had a Linux catastrophic failure that forced a reinstall. Yes I’ve run into huge problems from my own mistakes that made me fear potential reinstall, but in the end I was always able to overcome them for at least 1 of several reasons: 1. Just my growing experience of Linux (which I can say I am way more familiar with than Windows or Mac now), 2. Online Linux forums where others had the same issue with fixes that weren’t “start over” like I’ve seen in so many windows forums, or 3. Linux IRC channels. Live support from experts who give their own free time to help for no cost. A lot of people give hate to people who are pro Linux, but the community is so much more trustworthy and friendly in my experience (can’t say if that would be the same for everyone or not of course).
Join the Linux club. You’ll never go back once you get the hang of it! Nothing in my house has Windows. Left it years ago and have had zero regrets.
Dunno if anyone mentioned it, but if I had to guess, you have a DNS leak. Basically your DNS requests are going through your ISP instead of the VPN, resulting in them knowing where you’re going online anyway. Be sure to check for those DNS leaks and setup a custom one if your VPN doesn’t offer one. Don’t forget, DNS traffic over port 53 is also unencrypted, so unless you force those through the VPN, they could still know where you’re going.