One I’ve started using is typing before:2021 at the start of Google searches, it does a good job of removing the obvious gaming the algorithm sites and AI generated content that steal the first few pages. Obviously doesn’t work if you’re looking for the latest products that came out before the year you specify

Can I direct you to this beauty of the older Internet?

Look for Thinkpad T480 (not the T480s, it’s the “upgrade” but they changed a lot of things like no ethernet, non-removable battery, and generally in my opinion a bunch of bad changes). It’s Intel, I don’t think there’s an AMD version, and it’s about 5 years old now so they’re all second hand, and pretty cheap. It worked well with Ubuntu when I tried that (had to change to windows for work reasons). It has a fingerprint sensor, but I found it extremely difficult to make work on Ubuntu, and so it’s good that you aren’t bothered about that.

I genuinely think it fits all in some way all of your requirements, it’s just whether you’ve got availability where you are.

I’ve done fibre optic splicing entirely under the light of a headtorch. I don’t think you could get much more intricate than that.