Clarkius

The AIO you ordered should give you some noticeable improvement, but it would be helpful to know what you're using currently

There is some loss from overheads but there can also be a loss from CPU overhead on the server itself.  If its serving a lot of clients, it can be significant.
 
I can comfortably do 224Mbit to my VPS with the VPN running over UDP, no tweaking at all.  It only becomes a problem as you add more clients especially using OpenVPN which is very CPU heavy and single-threaded.

So the CPU of the client and server can be very important to getting a good speed.  This is why Wireguard is highly regarded now, it more-or-less eliminates the CPU bottleneck.

It is normal for a VPN connection to be slower than a connection without the VPN, as the VPN is adding in extra steps between your computer and your internet connection, so you will see some drops in speeds due to this, but it should only be about 10-20% on average if I remember correctly

This isn't really just limited to navigating file explorer either, I'm noticing a lot of younger people I interact with (even those closer to my own age in college) struggle with navigating websites to find download links etc 

This isn't really just limited to navigating file explorer either, I'm noticing a lot of younger people I interact with (even those closer to my own age in college) struggle with navigating websites to find download links etc 

I thought it was rather low as well, considering the potential value of the alleged data contained. 

Bad decision by the grandparent, not Sony’s problem. 

To me it sounds like you're a little over-sensitive. Yeah buying refurbished tech items isn't a bad idea, but who cares? If your friend wants to buy expensive equipment that's his business. 

To me it sounds like you're a little over-sensitive. Yeah buying refurbished tech items isn't a bad idea, but who cares? If your friend wants to buy expensive equipment that's his business. 

Then yeah it's unnecessary but if he wants it then he wants it. Still not a huge deal, it's his money. 

To me it sounds like you're a little over-sensitive. Yeah buying refurbished tech items isn't a bad idea, but who cares? If your friend wants to buy expensive equipment that's his business. 

Yeah I'm working towards my CCNA as well, honestly Geek Squad could be a good idea but just keep in mind there are different parts to Geek Squad as well, and there's not a lot of room to climb within the position. If possible try and find some local repair stores that would have you doing more hands on and be less focused on pushing unnecessary warranties and protection plans on customers to increase profit.