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ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

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Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#51

Post by weystrom »

nextos wrote: post #9
vesche wrote: post #4

I also use a T480 as my main laptop and love it. Here are my notes & dotfiles for running Arch Linux: https://github.com/vesche/t480 One big item (which you'll see at the bottom of my install notes) is that intel chips in these thinkpads have a throttling issue. There's a nice python program to fix that, I run it as a systemd service on boot: https://github.com/erpalma/throttled

Is it silent? I've found recent Thinkpads to be a hit and miss in terms of good thermal cooling and fan firmware. Sadly fan speed is not adjustable by the user in the last few generations. I'm also curious about their new AMD offerings.

I have one at work and it's not, I ended up using my personal MBP13 instead.

Fan seems to struggle to dissipate even 25 watts of heat. Sometimes it would be sitting at 50+ degrees C, just idling.

I asked our IT guys if I can repaste it, but they told me it's still on warranty. It might help, but I'll never know I guess.

Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#52

Post by fjp »

Aperocky wrote: post #16
revicon wrote: post #7

I also have a t480, mines running Ubuntu but unfortunately I’m giving it up for a new MacBook Air. The touchpads on the thinkpads are beyond horrible after using macs for many years, it’s finally too annoying for me to keep going :(

I have a new macbook air, no complaints except that the keyboard is still butterfly. They DO jam. If I were in your shoe, I'd wait for a longer traveling version of the keyboard that's not butterfly.

I'm doing exactly this - excited about the speed and screens on the new ones, but waiting for the longer travel keyboard to come back.

I can get along with my 2015 for now, but I really miss the Retina display and it is pretty slow for doing heavier stuff.

Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#53

Post by namirez »

ntw1103 wrote: post #24
namirez wrote: post #3

The other good development with Thinkpads is the introduction of AMD processors in their mainstream offerings (T495, T495s, X395, etc.). Unfortunately their screens suck though.

While not for most people, it is realtively easy to replace the screen with a higher quality panel. I have a T495, and replaced the panel with a higher quality one. No screws, just sticky stuff, I was concerned about this at first, as I didn't know of the sticky substance would remain viable after swaping thescreen, but it is working great. Since I am not changing panels everyday, it isn't an issue.

Yes, I've seen the DIY videos of it, but I never felt confident enough to do it myself. And what would you do with the old panel? Ebay?

Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#54

Post by alias_neo »

wldlyinaccurate wrote: post #13
revicon wrote: post #7

I also have a t480, mines running Ubuntu but unfortunately I’m giving it up for a new MacBook Air. The touchpads on the thinkpads are beyond horrible after using macs for many years, it’s finally too annoying for me to keep going :(

If you want to stick with Linux, I can vouch for Dell's XPS range. I've been running Ubuntu and Arch on various generations of XPS 13 for about 8 years now with minimal issues. Honestly, my work-issued Macbooks have been more problematic than my XPS laptops. It definitely helps that Dell actively support Ubuntu and provide kernel patches.

Later models have some issues, my personal 2019 XPS13 has lots of graphical glitching issues on 19.10, My colleagues with 2019 XPS 15s on 18.04 have various display and performance issues while my 2017 XPS 15 is just fine on 18.04.

I'm hoping 20.04 will be a smoother experience once it's released (we only run LTSs on development machines at work).

One of my new team members couldn't get her brand new XPS15 to output to a 4K TV (1080p internal disolay) on 18.04 yesterday. The screen would just constantly flash on and off. We had to settle for her using 1080 for presentations etc on the office TVs as no combination of proprietary drivers or Nvidia on/off resolved it.

Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#56

Post by floatboth »

bluedino wrote: post #42
tedunangst wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it's fast enough you don't notice it's "slow" outside of benchmarks?

If you only have 6Mbs DSL for an internet connection, you won't notice!

Or if you only use the laptop for surfing through Tor and do all the heavy stuff (YouTube 4K) on a desktop

Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#57

Post by namirez »

hdkwowjdj wrote: post #48
funklute wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The screens are actually the very reason I choose a thinkpad over a mac. Gloss screens are pretty much impossible to work on if you prefer dark colorschemes, and at least the thinkpads give you the matte option.

Another of these things I don't get. Matte screens become unreadable with indirect light. I've been a long time ThinkPad user. But dim screens just don't work, no matter if it's matte or not. Bright screen with anti-reflective layer work much better, hate to say that.

> Bright screen with anti-reflective layer

True! I've come to realize that anti-reflective coating is more effective than matte screen.

Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#59

Post by ahnick »

gzu wrote: post #18

The T480s has so much better build quality. Its all metal vs T480 which is plasticity and soft touch. Not sure why you would choose T480 unless you REALLY need > 24gb ram or giant extended battery. Even the inside is better built. The plastic front clips of the T480 backplate break super easily, whereas the T480s has replaceable clips.

I have a T480 and I've definitely needed >24GB of ram before when running some VMs. It has come in handy. Don't forget too that the T480 has hot-swappable batteries, which is really nice on extended coding sessions where I'm not plugged in or if I'm traveling. Also, I love the rubbery feel of it. It feels solid in my hand and doesn't slip at all. Admittedly that is subjective though. :-)

Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#60

Post by weystrom »

wldlyinaccurate wrote: post #13
revicon wrote: post #7

I also have a t480, mines running Ubuntu but unfortunately I’m giving it up for a new MacBook Air. The touchpads on the thinkpads are beyond horrible after using macs for many years, it’s finally too annoying for me to keep going :(

If you want to stick with Linux, I can vouch for Dell's XPS range. I've been running Ubuntu and Arch on various generations of XPS 13 for about 8 years now with minimal issues. Honestly, my work-issued Macbooks have been more problematic than my XPS laptops. It definitely helps that Dell actively support Ubuntu and provide kernel patches.

Can't wait for 9300 developer edition, going to pick it up hopefully very soon.
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