I removed Intel ME from my Thinkpad x230 last weekend. I highly recommend this machine. Still quite powerful, very serviceable, upgradeable, Linux friendly and

I removed Intel ME from my Thinkpad x230 last weekend. I highly recommend this machine. Still quite powerful, very serviceable, upgradeable, Linux friendly and cheap (you can get one in good condition for ~$150 USD in USA). I used the following guide (very easy to follow): https://steemit.com/tutorial/@joeyd/run-don-t-walk-from-the-blob https://steemit.com/tutorial/@joeyd/run-don-t-walk-from-the-... EDIT: You can also get a laptop with Intel ME disabled. As far as I know you can get a modern laptop without ME from System76, Purism. For a while Dell offered such machines, but that might no longer be the case.