IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

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ivanovnegro
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by ivanovnegro » Sat Nov 28, 2020 11:22 pm

gutterslob wrote:
Sat Nov 28, 2020 5:52 pm
I find auto-cpufreq more than adequate.
Damn Gutterslob. Now you recommend another great tool that I also wanted to try out.
Last edited by ivanovnegro on Sat Nov 28, 2020 11:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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wuxmedia
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by wuxmedia » Mon Nov 30, 2020 8:31 am

ok got tlp installed (brought in network manager -- booo :/ )
is powertop totally out of the running these days? I've only just got used to it persisting at boot :D
I have suspected it of making wifi slow to pick up after sleep - assuming it turns it off and then has to start up again...
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GekkoP
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by GekkoP » Mon Nov 30, 2020 9:44 am

^^ I have been trying that for a couple of days and I am happy so far. Not that huge a boost on battery duration, but noticeable anyway.

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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by gutterslob » Mon Nov 30, 2020 4:11 pm

wuxmedia wrote:
Mon Nov 30, 2020 8:31 am
ok got tlp installed (brought in network manager -- booo :/ )
is powertop totally out of the running these days? I've only just got used to it persisting at boot :D
I have suspected it of making wifi slow to pick up after sleep - assuming it turns it off and then has to start up again...
A basic tlp config does the same things powertop-autotune and thermald do, plus maybe a bit more with some tweaking of the config file (there's also a gui app for it, written in python, I believe), and yes, it can have some averse effects on some systems, mostly related to processes around suspend/wake or power levels for certain components (eg: wifi antenna strength).

Thing is, unless you're running a kernel from the Thatcher era (ie; Debian Stable) many of these optimizations are supposedly already incorporated and active with modern kernels. Fedora was one of the first (around the time of Fedora 29 or 30, iirc) but now those optimizations should be on anything Ubuntu LTS or newer.

I played around with Windows 10 the first couple of weeks after my X390 arrived (just in case anything broke and I needed to call the warranty department), and wiped it for Fedora 32 after that. Battery life on Fedora was pretty close to what I got on Windows, maybe just 30-45 minutes less in total, and that was without the ultra aggressive CPU downclocking and wifi power saving (killed the range) or bringing the screen refresh rate down to 45Hz that Windows did when running on battery. I gained most of that back with auto-cpufreq, enabling some gpu/vaapi-related options on Firefox, and killing a couple of gnome services, all while keeping turbo boost and 60Hz.

Obviously, all this doesn't matter if you're a voyeur and use Chrome as your browser, since that thing empties your battery faster than trophy wives empty your bank account.

Edit:
If it's a ThinkPad that's plugged in most of the time, then I'd probably still recommend tlp (doesn't conflict with auto-cpufreq) for the charge threshold and battery calibration features.

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ivanovnegro
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by ivanovnegro » Tue Dec 01, 2020 3:19 am

wuxmedia wrote:
Mon Nov 30, 2020 8:31 am
ok got tlp installed (brought in network manager -- booo :/ )
Really? Did you try to install without recommends?
These days I am happily using network manager albeit without the Gnome.

Regarding the battery features in the kernel, everything Gutterslob says is probably correct but I still gain more battery life on any distro with tlp. The only distro that makes no real difference with tlp enabled is indeed Fedora, also there tlp will always conflict with SELinux (I tested it with Xfce and Mate).
Though it could be that with Gnome it is just like with Chrome, it drains battery like crazy. I might exaggerate a bit but nowadays Windows 7 seems lightweight compared to Gnome 3.

But there is one distro that comes with tlp by default. It is openSUSE.
wuxmedia wrote:
Mon Nov 30, 2020 8:31 am
is powertop totally out of the running these days? I've only just got used to it persisting at boot :D
I never played with powertop.
wuxmedia wrote:
Mon Nov 30, 2020 8:31 am
I have suspected it of making wifi slow to pick up after sleep - assuming it turns it off and then has to start up again...
I personally never experienced issues on my main system but I know it can happen and that could explain why tlp usually is not installed by default on most distributions or auto-cpufreq.

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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by wuxmedia » Tue Dec 01, 2020 2:32 pm

I'm using netpro written by bacon. :)
I don't roam at all, so.. works perfectly when I did (house to shed, and or ethernet)
I did the basic install, I'll see if I can purge it.
ok it's a bit over my head right now, it's plugged in 90% of the time I suppose. I do want that to change though. currently not fucking sleeping when I shut the lid :/
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by wuxmedia » Tue Dec 15, 2020 8:59 am

ok so I think TLDP is doing something. It (acpi -b) says 4 hours and that's about right.
found out I can just get it to hibernate rather than sleep (which now, after killing and stopping a bunch of services, seems to work) with an SSD it's not that bad to boot and restore and zero battery usage as it's just off.
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by ivanovnegro » Fri Jan 08, 2021 11:35 pm

A nice article about love for old hardware, especially Thinkpads, and lightweight Linux, even 32 bit.
He should definitely switch to Debian.

https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2020/ ... ptops.html

Edit: The site is solar powered so it could go offline, so try to get back to it.

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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by wuxmedia » Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:00 pm

nice site. so... spanish keybs are qwerty? that's pretty nice. The french keyboard gives me the fear. :D
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by wuxmedia » Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:21 pm

just for info - this page generated on the server comes in at:
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maybe a touch more as I've just posted since :D

interesting premise ( I already have a bigger solar panel - just less sunlight per annum) and cool site. glad that it's not only a few people are pissed off at stupid hungry (in all respects) sites.
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by wuxmedia » Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:31 pm

Also - yes he has possibly convinced me to find a cheaper gen 3 X1 as opposed to a Gen 8(!)
like I keep going on about - I was teased by looking at an HP dragonfly which all agreed was a lovely computer (great battery life) the specs for a normal model - 8G ram, i7 (not brand new) 256G SSD.. HD screen (touch and privacy not needed for this old dude) - cost - nearly 2K Euros... hmm
or a X1 yoga 3rg Gen for 500 GBP? hm let me think..
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by wuxmedia » Sat Jan 09, 2021 9:16 pm

https://www.tier1online.com/728-x1yoga- ... ch-grade-c
anyone think why I might (as an x1 lover NOT want to purchase this?)
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by wuxmedia » Sat Jan 09, 2021 11:10 pm

2021-01-09_22-09.png
ok that'll do it:
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by gutterslob » Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:33 am

wuxmedia wrote:
Sat Jan 09, 2021 9:16 pm
https://www.tier1online.com/728-x1yoga- ... ch-grade-c
anyone think why I might (as an x1 lover NOT want to purchase this?)
Because Yoga is not a real sport and LuluLemon is a stupid sounding brand name.
Aside from that (and the lack of delivery), the "Grade C" would imply it's pretty dinged up.

EdiT:
Ugh, I went and edited your post by mistake. Fixed now.
Having the edit button so near the quote quote is dangerous shit, y'all.

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ivanovnegro
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by ivanovnegro » Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:45 pm

wuxmedia wrote:
Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:00 pm
nice site. so... spanish keybs are qwerty? that's pretty nice.
Indeed. German is qwertz and I always have to change muscle memory when I switch laptops.

The article is very good. It describes exactly how I think about hardware purchases and obsolescence. Of course there will be people that need newer stuff but he also mentions that there.
The X200 that he mentions is running here since 2015 and who knows the original product date and we bought it refurbished. I love that form factor but unfortunately I bought that machine for my better half. I am still sometimes jealous about the great keyboard on it compared to my Dell Latitude.
wuxmedia wrote:
Sat Jan 09, 2021 11:10 pm
ok that'll do it:
You probably forgot Brexit and shit. :)
gutterslob wrote:
Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:33 am
EdiT:
Ugh, I went and edited your post by mistake. Fixed now.
Having the edit button so near the quote quote is dangerous shit, y'all.
It happens to all of us.

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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by wuxmedia » Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:41 am

gutterslob wrote:
Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:33 am
wuxmedia wrote:
Sat Jan 09, 2021 9:16 pm
https://www.tier1online.com/728-x1yoga- ... ch-grade-c
anyone think why I might (as an x1 lover NOT want to purchase this?)
Because Yoga is not a real sport and LuluLemon is a stupid sounding brand name.
Aside from that (and the lack of delivery), the "Grade C" would imply it's pretty dinged up.

EdiT:
Ugh, I went and edited your post by mistake. Fixed now.
Having the edit button so near the quote quote is dangerous shit, y'all.
LOL I've done that more than a few times :D I'm thinking: why did gekko's English suddenly get really hard to read.. ahhh it's mine :D
dinged for a X1 is merely ran in. the one i'm hammering on now was a B grade. My eyes are so bad I can't see scratches or dead pixels on the screen anyway, and I'll cover the outside with stickers.
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by wuxmedia » Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:43 am

ivanovnegro wrote:
Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:45 pm
wuxmedia wrote:
Sat Jan 09, 2021 11:10 pm
ok that'll do it:
You probably forgot Brexit and shit. :)
Oh not forgotten, trust me. I thought it was more prevalent with EU companies just stopping shipping to the UK. I don't care about that.
Yeah this X1 is from 2012 :) nothing really wrong with it.
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by ivanovnegro » Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:10 am

wuxmedia wrote:
Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:41 am
the one i'm hammering on now was a B grade.
I always said or thought I would not take refurbished hardware that said B grade but I am typing on one. Though I did not take a look what C grade means.

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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by wuxmedia » Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:48 am

ivanovnegro wrote:
Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:10 am
wuxmedia wrote:
Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:41 am
the one i'm hammering on now was a B grade.
I always said or thought I would not take refurbished hardware that said B grade but I am typing on one. Though I did not take a look what C grade means.
i dunno, on this one hinge covers are missing, the paint is wearing off some keys, somehow caught the fucking open lid in a door jamb while I was wandering about, just managed to stop before I bent the whole screen in half. so one corner of the bezel is a bit chipped. The paint is all gone on the palm rest side. It's been running pretty much all day everyday since I got it. Apart from holidays.
I replaced a key - because the babies ripped it off. replacement battery. although It was pretty much the same as the one which came with it. Got a new SSD - only so I could install a different system but keep the old one, just in case.
replaced thermal paste and gave it a poofy air brush (gutterslob will know the thing) to clear the fan grill. Only about 3 screws holding it all together.

I think C grade for an X1 would be 'repeatedly ran over in a car'
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Re: IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads

Unread post by ivanovnegro » Thu Apr 01, 2021 11:40 pm

I am back in the Thinkpad club. After my recent escapade I ordered a cheap and basic X201 (A grade) on Ebay. I will fill it with RAM (8 GB max) and put an SSD in there and it will be good to go. Anything else from Lenovo is not my cup of tea. I dislike the keyboards, the prices and the soldered shit they put on modern Thinkpads.

Yes, it is a model from 10 years ago but I still love that form factor and it comes with an i5 instead of the Core 2 Duo on its predecessor X200, that I also love and we own. It also comes with the nice 16:10 and 12.1" screen and that is the reason why I did not went with the X220, the last one with a similar keyboard.

I am typing this on a really nice keyboard and I cannot go back to anything chiclet or chocolate.

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