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

[Albert W. Hopkins]

On Tue, 2011-12-06 at 13:29 +0100, Stefan G. Weichinger wrote:
> I have an offer to sell my Lenovo ThinkPad R61 (Intel Core2Duo T8100).
>
> I am rather happy with that notebook, after having upgraded RAM, SSD and
> a new batterypack.
>
> The opportunity to get some money for it instead of using it until it
> isn't worth anything anymore makes me look for a new thinkpad.
>
> I'd like to keep with thinkpads as I like the overall quality ...
>
> Now there are so many variants and additionally it is always the
> question how the specific device behaves with linux and/or gentoo.
>
> Maybe anyone in here has some good recommendation out of personal
> experience?
>
> wishlist:
>
> core i5-2xxx CPU
> >=4 GB RAM
> any hdd (I will put my SSD in there)
> ~15 inches of matte display
>
> I like that thinklight feature ... though it's not a must ;-)
>
> That's about it for a first thought.
>
> Thanks, looking forward to any tips, Stefan
>

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.

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.

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.

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.

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