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Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen3 Review – with Linux

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Re: Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen3 Review – with Linux

#111

Post by jgaa »

gabereiser wrote: post #45

I find it rather peculiar that tech folks think a plastic laptop is good build quality considering what we have from Apple and others. I wish more linux laptops had the build quality and support of macbooks. This isn't a rant from an Apple fan, this is a rant from a laptop fan. ThinkPad's aren't good laptops despite what the guy with the pocket protector says. They are flimsy and feel cheap. They still have 20th cent…

What we have from Apple laptops, when it comes to the ThinkPad keyboard, is like comparing stone tablets with a 1980 IBM electric type writer ;)

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen3 Review – with Linux

#112

Post by pimeys »

mateuszf wrote: post #38
rxhernandez wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Me; it's far superior to anything outside of a mouse. And yes, I have a MacBook M1 (I didn't realize how poor the support was for Linux by the time the return window closed).

I'm curious - do you really consider trackpoint better than apple touchpads?

Yes. You can keep your fingers in the hjkl and still use the mouse without moving your hands.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen3 Review – with Linux

#113

Post by dotancohen »

Avamander wrote: post #61
tim-- wrote: post #49

I recently acquired a ThinkBook 16p Gen 2, and while a different machine entirely to the ThinkPad, I must say that this is an _absolute beast_ of a machine. It's a total joy to use. It's the most fun I have had using a laptop since my first MacBook. Moving from the MBP to the ThinkBook has made me realize how... boring MacBooks are - not saying that's a bad thing. MacBooks do 'just work'. But the ThinkBook? The machi…

You have no issues with thermal throttling or inane power limits on Linux? Which kernel version are you running?

From June last year until February this year, I was running the stock Kubuntu 20.04 kernel on a ThinkPad T14 with no thermal throttling or power limits. I would often have a few Docker containers running, a JetBrains editor (Java, shudder), Firefox with some addons and well over 100 open tabs, Chrome with the devtools open, MS Teams, Thunderbird, and some smaller apps such as Keepass, Telegram, Anki, a dozen terminals, and Emacs running. Never had a problem with memory (I think only 8 GiB, actually) or CPU (I don't even remember which Intel CPU it had). It was also connected to a docking station with two external monitors and an external keyboard.

It was the smoothest Laptop I've ever used with Linux, which I've been doing since 2008. Everything worked out of the box, including external displays, wifi, printing. I'm sure that a major portion of that experience was using a Kubuntu LTS release.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen3 Review – with Linux

#114

Post by adamors »

alkonaut wrote: post #41
adamors wrote: post #10

> 7-9 hours of typing, browsing and some programming. > 3-4 hours of video/audio conferencing or other CPU intensive tasks. This is one of the primary reasons I can't even consider moving away from an M1 Mac. I used to love ThinkPads but not being able to use the machine for 10+ hours without charger is a dealbreaker in 2022.

On most laptops I find using a battery for any kind of heavy work a non-starter anyway. I might send an email or take a call on battery but I wouldn’t even launch a heavy IDE. Without aggressive power saving (I.e CPU sits under 1GHz even att full load meaning less than half the performance) then battery is often less than 30 minutes. I should add that this is for scorching hot “desktop replacement” (45W) laptops. But…

This may be true on Intel/AMD based CPUs but it has not been my experience on an M1 machine. I have the same workflow both connected to power and not. Multiple docker containers running, slack, zoom etc. There's definitely no performance compromise.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen3 Review – with Linux

#115

Post by raffraffraff »

narmontas wrote: post #68
raffraffraff wrote: post #57

Why does GPU get a green dot (ie: "good") if the reviewer opted for the non-NVIDIA model and doesn't require GPU for their workload? The biggest issue I had with the Gen2 (aside from the atrocious trackpad) was the fact that with the GPU enabled, battery life was miserable, with it disabled HDMI didn't work (no external monitor!) and switching modes required a restart of Xorg, unless you spend a week trying to figure…

This choice of GPU (Intel) works with Linux perfectly, that's why it's a green dot.

Good point. I never think of the integrated Intel version as "GPU".

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen3 Review – with Linux

#116

Post by avidphantasm »

scrlk wrote: post #73
gabereiser wrote: post #45

I find it rather peculiar that tech folks think a plastic laptop is good build quality considering what we have from Apple and others. I wish more linux laptops had the build quality and support of macbooks. This isn't a rant from an Apple fan, this is a rant from a laptop fan. ThinkPad's aren't good laptops despite what the guy with the pocket protector says. They are flimsy and feel cheap. They still have 20th cent…

I will never understand the fetishisation of metal as a "premium" feeling material - if anything, it's impractical for a laptop. (conducts heat so can be uncomfortable to use on your lap if the thermal solution is poorly designed; dents/bends when dropped; probably harder for RF/antenna design...) It's the same reason why phones turned in to "premium" glass and metal sandwiches that people immediately slap in to a ch…

Plastic is made from oil, and has limited recyclability (the polymers degrade so at best you only down cycle). Aluminum is one of the most abundant materials in the earth’s crust, and once refined is basically infinitely recyclable (or so the story goes). Aluminum is also reasonable light and strong, with good thermal properties (if your laptop chassis gets too hot, it has other design issues at this point IMO).

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen3 Review – with Linux

#117

Post by cassepipe »

pmontra wrote: post #89
gabereiser wrote: post #45

I find it rather peculiar that tech folks think a plastic laptop is good build quality considering what we have from Apple and others. I wish more linux laptops had the build quality and support of macbooks. This isn't a rant from an Apple fan, this is a rant from a laptop fan. ThinkPad's aren't good laptops despite what the guy with the pocket protector says. They are flimsy and feel cheap. They still have 20th cent…

I'm writing this on a plastic laptop that I've been using as my only machine since 2014. Anecdotally its build should be that bad if it's still good to let me pay my bills. Of course it's not in the $300-400 range and its upgradeability made the difference. I would have replaced it a couple of times if I couldn't have added extra RAM and swapped the HDD and DVD for 2 SSDs or replaced the keyboard every time my finger…

Same, I bought mine for 600 euros in 2014, still running fine with additional 4GB and a SSB but I had to drill the plastic chassis and put three small bolts to keep the hinge and the chassis together. Just like the previous one. I am planning keep it for another ten years but still if I ever buy another ruggedness of the chassis will be absolute priority.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen3 Review – with Linux

#118

Post by jen20 »

jgaa wrote: post #111
gabereiser wrote: post #45

I find it rather peculiar that tech folks think a plastic laptop is good build quality considering what we have from Apple and others. I wish more linux laptops had the build quality and support of macbooks. This isn't a rant from an Apple fan, this is a rant from a laptop fan. ThinkPad's aren't good laptops despite what the guy with the pocket protector says. They are flimsy and feel cheap. They still have 20th cent…

What we have from Apple laptops, when it comes to the ThinkPad keyboard, is like comparing stone tablets with a 1980 IBM electric type writer ;)

It’s pretty unclear to me which is supposed to be which in this comparison after the ThinkPad switch to mushy chiclets in the early 2010s (limited run anniversary edition excepted).

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen3 Review – with Linux

#119

Post by jen20 »

ankurdhama wrote: post #74
gabereiser wrote: post #45

I find it rather peculiar that tech folks think a plastic laptop is good build quality considering what we have from Apple and others. I wish more linux laptops had the build quality and support of macbooks. This isn't a rant from an Apple fan, this is a rant from a laptop fan. ThinkPad's aren't good laptops despite what the guy with the pocket protector says. They are flimsy and feel cheap. They still have 20th cent…

Why do you need such a build quality? Do you toss around your laptops? Do you keep dropping your laptop? My question is what is the use of such a build quality (apart from the very subjective - "it feels good")

> Do you toss around your laptops?

Yes.

> Do you keep dropping your laptop?

Yes.

> My question is what is the use of such a build quality

Travel. As a former on-the-road consultant my laptops have taken all kinds of beatings - spills, inconsiderate recliners, drops etc. A (small) part of my preference for Apple machines is that they can be replaced with something basically identical almost anywhere in the world almost immediately by visiting either a first or third party store when something bad happens. Even commercial warranties with on-site support don’t get that good.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad P1 Gen3 Review – with Linux

#120

Post by [deleted] »

Stratoscope wrote: post #13

I have two of these machines. They are very nice. Actually, one is an X1 Extreme Gen 3, and the other is a P1 Gen 3. Same machine with different GPUs. My work provided me with the X1E with Ubuntu preinstalled (that is our standard dev environment). But I found the hardware support very unsatisfactory. I use a specific display configuration. Three monitors in total: the ThinkPad's 4K display, with a 24" 4K display abo…

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