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Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

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Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#211

Post by criddell »

innocentoldguy wrote: post #20
herbst wrote: post #3

Ive went with a T420 recently, mostly because of the keyboard. But also because $400 for laptop + battery + Samsung SSD + 16GB hyperX Ram sounded so cheap i could not resist. And honestly even after a 2015 MBP it feels perfect for all my needs. In fact due to the superior RAM and SSD it feels often way faster than the MBP for 5 times that price felt. Plus it has way better battery life. Seriously Thinkpads are the be…

Have their trackpads improved at all during the last five years?

I don't know why Lenovo doesn't just flat out copy the behavior of Apple's trackpad.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#212

Post by pessimizer »

therealmarv wrote: post #206

Still frustrating when you compare Apples to Oranges. You carry extra weight of Linux here: Weight as a Macbook Pro 15" but CPU performance (passmark) of a good Macbook Air 11" 2013 http://www.cpu-monkey.com/de/compare_cpu-intel_core_i5_6200u... & display SRGB coverage 61.55% according to Notebookcheck (Macbook Air 55,2%). No real improvements on Lenovo's side. For that money (if battery is a requirement) better buy…

People really evaluate computers by the ratio of weight to CPU throughput?

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#213

Post by iSnow »

voltagex_ wrote: post #161
2bluesc wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you get the XPS and plan on Linux, plan to buy the Intel 7260 2x2 WiFi card. I tried the Dell DW1830 3x3 Broadcom WiFi and the driver support is rough for both WiFi and Bluetooth.

Does anyone have any idea if I could buy the Intel wifi and have Dell swap it in? I have whatever the highest non business warranty support is at the moment.

You can choose the intel card on the Precision 5510, which is basically the same as the XPS 15. I doubt you can send your intel Wifi card to Dell and have it installed.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#214

Post by therealmarv »

Xylakant wrote: post #208
therealmarv wrote: post #206

Still frustrating when you compare Apples to Oranges. You carry extra weight of Linux here: Weight as a Macbook Pro 15" but CPU performance (passmark) of a good Macbook Air 11" 2013 http://www.cpu-monkey.com/de/compare_cpu-intel_core_i5_6200u... & display SRGB coverage 61.55% according to Notebookcheck (Macbook Air 55,2%). No real improvements on Lenovo's side. For that money (if battery is a requirement) better buy…

You're comparing the entry-level Thinkpad CPU with the Top-Level Macbook CPU - not surprising that the 3 year old top level CPU compares well with the entry level of this year. It's not like the faster CPUs for the Thinkpad will be any heavier. The author also deliberately chose the "regular" T460 model instead of the lighter, more integrated (and thus less serviceable) T460s. The T460s is at least comparable in weig…

Also comparing that by intention: A new Macbook Air 13" with top level i7 CPU (early 2015) is in the same price region or even cheaper and outperforms his setup slightly. But it also does not meet his requirements with 16GB of RAM.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#215

Post by UnoriginalGuy »

ronjouch wrote: post #202
mangecoeur wrote: post #190

As an ex-linux user and current mac user, I'm still frustrated by linux laptop hardware support. Ethernet ports that need to be re-plugged, suspend-to-disk not working... lots of glitches things that were already annoying 6-7 years ago but now are hard to justify compared with the polish you can expect from other systems. I could never go back from my macbook because I need everything to just work - no glitchy touchp…

FUD. I do use the features you are mentioning, but encounter none of the issues. Thinkpad + Arch user. We Linux users need to realize we are an island, and it's our duty to: - Either Linux-QA-check on our own / as a community the hardware we're buying before we buy, because the constructor isn't doing it (it's doing it for the actively supported OS, Windows). - Or buy {System76 / Thinkpad}, and get {a lot of / some}…

> FUD.

That's a very disrespectful way of starting a post. In particular as you conclude that you largely agree with them. So which is it, they're spreading "Fear, uncertainty and doubt" or they're right? In either case, seems unconstructive.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#216

Post by favadi »

dorfsmay wrote: post #179
2bluesc wrote: post #12

I've owned Thinkpads in the past and almost bought the T460 last month, then I discovered the Dell XPS / Precision line and fell in love. I picked up a manufacturer refurbished XPS 15 on eBay and wound up swapping in a Dell Precision E3-1505M motherboard I stumbled across. The line has Intel quad core CPUs, minimal bezel (my 15" is almost the same size as the 14" System 76 Galago Ultra Pro it's replacing), reasonably…

A lot of people who buy Thikpads, myself included, are doing so mainly for the track point, which the XPS doesn't have.

The XPS touchpad is comparable to Macbook one, you won't miss the track point.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#217

Post by therealmarv »

pessimizer wrote: post #212
therealmarv wrote: post #206

Still frustrating when you compare Apples to Oranges. You carry extra weight of Linux here: Weight as a Macbook Pro 15" but CPU performance (passmark) of a good Macbook Air 11" 2013 http://www.cpu-monkey.com/de/compare_cpu-intel_core_i5_6200u... & display SRGB coverage 61.55% according to Notebookcheck (Macbook Air 55,2%). No real improvements on Lenovo's side. For that money (if battery is a requirement) better buy…

People really evaluate computers by the ratio of weight to CPU throughput?

yep I do. And I also don't like Apple that you need to buy at least a heavy 15" inch laptop for getting a real quadcore.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#218

Post by sevensor »

keldaris wrote: post #207

I'm still using an ancient Thinkpad T400 I bought when they first came out (2007, I think?), and I still love it. Despite heavy use, everything works perfectly and the case could probably last for decades. Doing normal dev work on Arch Linux (everything from low level C++ to Python/Julia, but no web stuff) is pleasant despite the dated CPU. Every time I look at reviews of "modern" laptops or try a friend's machine (A…

For personal use I'm still very productive with an x120e (under Arch naturally). I love the trackpoint device, and I miss it with my work-issued Dell Precision 5500. That being said, the latter works great under Arch as well, and my only annoyance is the weird screen flicker.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#219

Post by gnuvince »

dorfsmay wrote: post #179
2bluesc wrote: post #12

I've owned Thinkpads in the past and almost bought the T460 last month, then I discovered the Dell XPS / Precision line and fell in love. I picked up a manufacturer refurbished XPS 15 on eBay and wound up swapping in a Dell Precision E3-1505M motherboard I stumbled across. The line has Intel quad core CPUs, minimal bezel (my 15" is almost the same size as the 14" System 76 Galago Ultra Pro it's replacing), reasonably…

A lot of people who buy Thikpads, myself included, are doing so mainly for the track point, which the XPS doesn't have.

I prefer using a Trackpad, however the Thinkpads have a middle button, which I use all the time in Linux.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#220

Post by brightball »

jclardy wrote: post #198
mangecoeur wrote: post #190

As an ex-linux user and current mac user, I'm still frustrated by linux laptop hardware support. Ethernet ports that need to be re-plugged, suspend-to-disk not working... lots of glitches things that were already annoying 6-7 years ago but now are hard to justify compared with the polish you can expect from other systems. I could never go back from my macbook because I need everything to just work - no glitchy touchp…

Similar story here. Used linux in my HS/early college years, but switched to Mac when the swapped to intel. Recently looked at the possibilities of using linux again, but haven't really found any hardware that "just works." There is that one dell ubuntu dev laptop, but that is a pretty expensive gamble at $1800. The best luck I've had for now is installing ubuntu on a crappy cheap Samsung Chromebook. Runs really well…

I've got a Dell dev laptop on order now. Hope to give a full report on how well it work soon.

Dell has a 30 day return policy for what it's worth though.

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