Hi
I run proxmox and Ubuntu machines on my server , but have always used a windows laptop(which is work based).
The work laptop now is very restricted so I was thinking of getting a laptop with Linux.
There are a few ThinkPad X1 carbon gen 7 i7 on sale in Europe.
I was wondering would they work well for Linux.
I just be using it as a daily driver , battery life is prob main concern.
Thank
HP EliteBooks are usually very supported out of the box and work flawlessly, even with Debian. Lenovo is no longer a good brand, they now have weird issues such as a simple USB 3 cable passing along the back of the laptop will slow it down because the laptop’s EM shielding isn’t properly done.
I’ve never heard or seen this. Mine has it setup like that to the dock - is there anywhere I can read about this issue? Generally my hardware from Lenovo has been amazing and well supported.
For context, 3 years ago I worked at a company that bought 20 new Lenovo IdeaPads all equipped with i7 CPUs and 32GB of RAM. After 6 months only 3 or 4 survived. All of them had that shielding issue, others started to fail randomly like microphones not working, failing USB ports , screen glitching out or other issues. One of them even broke by itself during a firmware upgrade. We ended up going back to HP because, at least, they’re reliable.
I’m always surprised when people buy the non-thinkpads for work, and then wonder why the break, as they are home use at best. The ideapad and their other line are not commercial grade, definitely avoid. But the ThinkPads are in my experience the best, most rugged made systems on the market
Well hardware suppliers still sell IdeaPads to companies. But you see them small things… that lack of proper EF shielding doesn’t happen in HP consumer lines.
Regardless, if you’re buying the cheapest computer, you’re going to get corners cut. I’ve had my share of HP shortcuts even in their elite book lines, used to buy 150-200 a year for work. They were ok, but the lower models were terrible. This em shielding thing seems weird to me, you’re saying the cables aren’t shielded on their own and interfere with computing equipment: that doesn’t have special shielding? I’ve had my laptop’s open, never seen any shielding from the outside… Just heat shielding from itself really but maybe it’s delicate and tiny?
When I talked about EM shielding I wasn’t strictly talking about shielding metal plates inside your computer. Although certain components might be shielded with metallic plates most components are tested for EM compatibility with other devices (they have to by law) and there are different possible levels of EM interference resistance and hardening. What I’ve noticed with cheap brands is that their components usually tend to be cheaply built and very susceptible to EM interferences. This doesn’t happen in brands like HP or Asus, they take a lot of attention to that detail. And yes, that typical copper heat shielding sometimes doubles as EM shielding.