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Lenovo announces laptops using new mobile Xeon processors

arstechnica.com

61–70 of 103 posts

Re: Lenovo announces laptops using new mobile Xeon processors

#61
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you do on a laptop that requires more than 64 GB of RAM ?

I use more than 32 GB of RAM all the time for ad hoc data processing, analysis and transformation and personally I'd like to be able to do the same work on my laptop that I do on my workstation. Especially since I often divide my time between a couple of different offices.

Why not just remote into your workstation from any old laptop?

Re: Lenovo announces laptops using new mobile Xeon processors

#62
post #11

Finally ECC memory in a laptop, I've wanted this for years! However, I am seriously unimpressed by the maximum memory specifications. 64GB?! I had 32GB in my ThinkPad W510, which was released over five years ago. I've also had 16GB in my seven year old T400. 16GB was enough for me back then, 64GB now is barely enough for me, it will certainly not be enough in a few years, although by then maybe we'd get larger memory…

Doesn't this have to do with the DDR3 standard which mostly maxed out at 8GB per slot and Intel mobile CPUs with 4 RAM slots max?

DDR4 bumps it up to 32GB per slot IIRC, so DDR4 maxes out at 128GB, assuming 4 max slot is still intact for Intel mobile CPUs.

I haven't seen any reports that the Intel mobile Xeon would go further than 4 slots.

Re: Lenovo announces laptops using new mobile Xeon processors

#64
post #35
post #10

Lenovo is now using rootkit-like techniques to install their software on CLEAN Windows installs, by having the BIOS overwrite windows system files on bootup. Someone detailed this here: http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?p=29497693&sid=dd... I had this happen to me a few weeks ago, on a new Lenovo laptop, doing a clean install with a new SSD, Win 8 DVD + wifi turned off. I couldn't understand how a Lenovo ser…

This is getting increasingly disturbing with each new generation of hardware. You no longer have the right to own the hardware you buy. Now it has become a service subject to their terms. That Windows Platform Binary Table sounds disturbing and is ripe for being exploited. Interesting info found [1]: > Lenovo Service Engine (LSE) is a utility in the BIOS for certain Lenovo desktop systems. It automatically sends non-…

> It's just a shame that with Intel ME the Libreboot/Coreboot devs have given up on Intel machines.

The new ones, perhaps. Older ThinkPads (like the X201 and T530) are still relatively-well supported by Coreboot (though apparently ACPI isn't quite green yet).

Personally, I'd like a return to the old days of Open Firmware on some RISC-running machine (I'm partial to POWER or MIPS, but ARM would be okay, too).

Re: Lenovo announces laptops using new mobile Xeon processors

#65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When did you see the Linux distribution like that? In 2000? Specifically Thinkpad laptops are known to work out of the box with popular Linux distributions.

The rule of thumb for Thinkpads and Linux is that you'll be fine as long as you get an Intel wifi card (or some other known quantity) and integrated graphics. For example, the NVS 4200M gpu hasn't really worked out of the box for me even on Ubuntu on a T520, nor the Quadro 2000M on a W520, without having to do some fiddling, or (later) knowing what specific packages to install. Optimus or certain multi-monitor setups…

I don't know whose rule you're referring to, but Atheros has always been far more celebrated in terms of their support and openness towards Linux consumers, appliances, etc. than Intel. They had such an impact on the Linux world that Broadcom ended up opening its drivers as a result.

Re: Lenovo announces laptops using new mobile Xeon processors

#66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe we got lucky, but unless we do BTO, we won't get other than Intel wifi there. Maybe the local Lenovo representatives really like our market :) The last time I've seen something unsupported was T400 with ATI/Intel hybrid graphics. I disabled the ATI part, as Intel was good enough and ATI was crappy under Windows too. (the ATI part worked under Linux, but the switching between ATI and Intel didn't. So it was use…

> For your NVS4200M gpu, didn't Ubuntu offer you an installation of restricted drivers? I vaguely remember that when you booted on such configuration, there was an icon in upper right tray that did exactly that. Yes, I mean, I vaguely remember that, too. But often that didn't work, and when it did, you still didn't get Optimus, and multi-monitor stuff was still annoying to set up (until you learn to install some nvid…

All of the Ubuntu distros have full support for many of Nvidia's cadillac video cards and it's drop in. I was literally playing CS:GO 5 minutes ago on my Xubuntu box I built to game on. I also haven't had to install a driver for any peripheral or other component in any of machines for at least 8 years now. The very few times I do have to do tier 1-2 support for someone on a Windows machine at work, it requires some driver related bullshit for even the most basic devices.

Re: Lenovo announces laptops using new mobile Xeon processors

#67
post #10

Lenovo is now using rootkit-like techniques to install their software on CLEAN Windows installs, by having the BIOS overwrite windows system files on bootup. Someone detailed this here: http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?p=29497693&sid=dd... I had this happen to me a few weeks ago, on a new Lenovo laptop, doing a clean install with a new SSD, Win 8 DVD + wifi turned off. I couldn't understand how a Lenovo ser…

Does anyone know if Lenovo try to put some rootkit on Linux / BSD based OSes? I mean, if it does attempt to do it on Windows, it may as well do it on Linux / BSD based OSes.

I was wondering about buying a ThinkPad soon to improve my hardware... And I'm pretty scared about this.

Re: Lenovo announces laptops using new mobile Xeon processors

#69
post #22
post #10

Lenovo is now using rootkit-like techniques to install their software on CLEAN Windows installs, by having the BIOS overwrite windows system files on bootup. Someone detailed this here: http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?p=29497693&sid=dd... I had this happen to me a few weeks ago, on a new Lenovo laptop, doing a clean install with a new SSD, Win 8 DVD + wifi turned off. I couldn't understand how a Lenovo ser…

CompuTrace has been doing it for years for their "Theft Protection". Opt-out, too, and included on about every Windows laptop.

Yea, the arms race against laptop thieves is ridiculous.

Re: Lenovo announces laptops using new mobile Xeon processors

#70
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's incredible and should be more widely reported.

I just replied to the Ars thread - it's even stranger. Windows 8 and up have an officially Microsoft sanctioned way of letting manufacturers load software through Firmware, called "Windows Platform Binary Table". It means it is impossible to do a clean install of Windows now. I've seen zero mention of it anywhere - maybe Lenovo was the first to pull the trigger and make use of it recently.

This is unbelievable. How the hell did things get to this point? How much worse are they going to get?
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