Re: [gentoo-user] thinkpad w/ core i5-2xxx ?

[Stefan G. Weichinger]

Am 06.12.2011 14:05, schrieb Albert W. Hopkins:

> I too have an R61... was happy that it came preinstalled with Linux
> (albeit SuSe Linux) and the general experience with it has been
> rather pleasant.  It was my first ThinkPad and what got me "hooked"
> on them.

Same here, yes ...

> Earlier this year I bought an X1.. I was specifically looking for
> something thinner/lighter and without things I don't use (e.g.
> optical drive and VGA port).  The X1 fits the bill, but with some
> caveats.. it's a glossy widescreen.  While I've gotten use to the
> screen (and actually like it in many ways), I'd still rather have a
> 4:3 screen.  The thinness and lightness, and nice backlit keyboard
> make up for it though.

X1 -> too expensive for my current budget and needs.
Especially with glossy screen :-)

Thinner/lighter, yes, I would also like that.

> The X1 is pretty much Gentoo-friendly.  all the hardware I have is
> supported (well I haven't tried the fingerprint reader in Gentoo,
> but it works to boot/resume the machine).  Bluetooth and SDHC
> adapter works. All "extra" keys work (there aren't really many extra
> keys, which I like).  HDMI works (though I haven't tried audio via
> HDMI yet). The USB3 port works.  The eSATA port works.  Bluetooth
> works.
>
> Things you may not like: built-in battery. The battery life is kinda
>  only so-so, which is disappointing for a thin/light.  I get about
> 3-4 hours on a charge.  I've heard reports of bigger ThinkPads
> getting better battery life.  It does have an option.

Yep, builtin battery is a minus. I had to buy a new one already for the R61.

> Oh, the keyboard is different, but I like it.  I type pretty well on
> it (as a programmer I bang on it quite a lot).  I originally had a
> problem where the up arrow seemed not to "fit" correctly, and had to
> apply a little extra pressure to get it to work, but I guess normal
> wear on it has made it act normally.
>
> Some people complained that there is not CAPS lock indicator on the
> machine, but as I have CAPS mapped to another CTRL key, it has not
> been an issue for me.
>
> When I got my X1 it kept shutting down.. overheating or whatever. It
> was *very* annoying.  I took it to the authorized repair center a few
> times.  First they replaced the fan, then the battery.  Finally I
> quasi-purposefully bricked it (updated the firmware and it shut off
> midway).  I took it to the repair center again.  This time they
> shipped it to Lenovo.  Lenovo replaced the motherboard.  And, quite
> surprisingly, they replaced my i3 processor with an i7 for free.
> Since the motherboard replacement, the machine has not shut down on
> me once (and I stress it pretty good with Gentoo) so perhaps it was
> just a bad capacitor or something.

Good to hear they were "cooperative" ...

> When it's cool it's quiet.  When it's hot the fan is pretty audible.
>  But it usually cools down pretty quick after an emerge.
>
> All-in-all, I really like the thin/lightness of the machine.  It's
> very portable, but not one of those netbooks (which are too small
> for my tastes and I never touched one with a keyboard that I liked).
> It's powerful enough for my needs and the build quality is good (not
>  withstanding the original heating issue (repaired), the keyboard
> issue (fixed itself), and the glossy screen (learned to live with
> it).
>
> Hope this helps, -a

Albert, thanks a lot for your detailled report ... although I won't get
an X1 it helps anyway.

I currently look at the cheaper ones: Edge E520, L520, T420 ...

Stefan