> Those laptops don't have any junk

I bought a Signature Edition Thinkpad Yoga S1 from Microsoft and it didn't have any junk on it, except in the registry. I think all they do is open the machine, uninstall all the non-Microsoft stuff, then ship the machine. A clean install wouldn't have registry keys for Evernote (for example).

I think I would only buy a Microsoft Surface machine at this point. The hardware is very good and they aren't junked up.

do they remain junk-free when you install manufacturer software updates? Was wondering if manufacturers are mandated to keep the signature laptops clean or if the first time you install your "control center / driver center" update it will automatically pull in things you'd rather not

can you explain to me how an i5-6300HQ/8GB memory/256GB SSD worth 1'700$ ?

For that price I'd buy a gamer laptop and just do a clean install.