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I own an 4K X1-extreme, which is basically the P1 without the Quadro card and Xeon/ECC option. I run Ubuntu 19.04 on it and have so many problems. - Grub has
by LeonM 7y ago
I own an 4K X1-extreme, which is basically the P1 without the Quadro card and Xeon/ECC option.
I run Ubuntu 19.04 on it and have so many problems.
- Grub has ridiculous performance issues on 4K screens, it renders at less than 1 fps, making it a real pain to do anything in it.
- You can't update the bios through Linux, the update tool is windows only.
- The Lenovo TB3 dock never works properly.
- The dual GPU situation (Intel + nVidia) requires all sorts of hacks to make it somewhat workable.
- The power usage is an abomination under Linux as it can't properly scale the nVidia GPU.
- Working with the TPM under Linux feels hacky, but maybe that's mostly due to my lack of experience and the lack of documentation.
OK, so all these problems are all due to my specific situation (running dual boot, and an external 4K display through the TB3 dock), but I really, really hope they start fixing these issues if they are going to officially support Ubuntu.
One plus though: due to the high power consumption under Linux, the coil whine is a lot less notable...
- josteink 7y ago> You can't update the bios through Linux, the update tool is windows only. They offer ISO-images for these updates too. You can also create a USB-bootable version from these using the geteltorito tool (which is available via apt). https://workaround.org/article/updating-the-bios-on-lenovo-laptops-from-linux-using-a-usb-flash-stick/ https://workaround.org/article/updating-the-bios-on-lenovo-l... Edit: > OK, so all these problems are all due to my specific situation (running dual boot Why are you using GRUB to dual-boot at all? Your machine has UEFI for that.
- pedrocr 7y agoI've done that in the past but apparently now there's even native support for updates from Linux: https://fwupd.org/lvfs/devicelist https://fwupd.org/lvfs/devicelist
- ascii_only 7y agoAnd if you use stock Ubuntu with GNOME it should be preinstalled and your updates should appear in Software Center
- LeonM 7y ago> Why are you using GRUB to dual-boot at all? Your machine has UEFI for that. As far as I know, dual booting through UEFI requires me frantically hitting the F12 button during powerup to get into the boot menu. And then it won't remember your last chosen OS, so stuff like windows updates (requiring multiple reboots) become really annoying. But I'll look into this, maybe I can just ditch grub all together, that would be great! My last linux/grub experience was on non-UEFI machines so I was just so used to installing grub that it didn't cross my mind that I might not need it.
- floatboth 7y agoGet rEFInd, much nicer UI for selecting between various EFI bootloaders, remembers the last one you selected
- rofrol 7y agoguix sd is using grub to create restore points
- josteink 7y agoSure. Use grub to manage your advanced Linux needs, but you don’t need to use it to manage dual-booting of other OSes.
- lower 7y ago> You can't update the bios through Linux, the update tool is windows only. I run Fedora on a T480s and BIOS updates come automatically through the software update channel (in fact, the frequency of BIOS updates is a little annoying).
- SmellyGeekBoy 7y agoSame for me on a Dell XPS 15. Strange that it wouldn't work on another flagship model such as the X1.
- LeonM 7y agoI think it's due to modern stuff such as UEFI and the TPM. There are hacks you can do to flash the BIOS from Linux though, but I always fear bricking my laptop, so I prefer to use the OEM tool.
- pja 7y agoUEFI makes bios flashing easier & with fwupd (thanks RedHat / Richard Hughes!) it “just works” for those manufacturers that do the work to integrate with the fwupd infrastructure.
- zapnuk 7y agoI own an t490, also with ubuntu 19.04+gnome + dual boot. I consider my problems are more basic than yours, and more hardware related. - Under linux, the power management is VERY bad. I'm honestly starteled how it can be so bad. I loose 10-13% overnight while in 'deep sleep', compared to only 3% with 7.5 yo MBA. I get 5-6.5 hours of battery life. Less than the 2011 MBA. With windows it it much better - almost on par with my MBA. - Trackpad has a big deadzone on the left+right + bad palm recognition. - The display is very slow. More so on windows than on linux for some reason. - Installing software is way too difficult compared to how it should be. Some software you install from the store, some from the command line, some offer AppImage. Sometimes the store has old versions that no longer works, things are not available for ubuntu 18.04/19.04, or you have to manually created a link such that the software is available in the desktop launcher. I hope Apple finally fixes the Keyboard+durability issues with their next MBP iteration. Personally, I came to think that the 500$ Apple tax is worth it compared to all the (software) convenience + (hardware) quality that they offer.
- LeonM 7y ago> I hope Apple finally fixes the Keyboard+durability issues with their next MBP iteration. Personally, I came to think that the 500$ Apple tax is worth it compared to all the (software) convenience + (hardware) quality that they offer. I agree, I bought the X1-e as the replacement of my rMBP because I just couldn't live with the keyboard and the touchbar of the new MBP. But the experience of the X1 didn't live up to it's expectations, mostly on the software side. Don't get met wrong though, the X1 is a great piece of hardware. The keyboard is awesome and I really like upgradability. But the experience on Windows (or Linux for that matter) is just not so good. A macbook is just more polished, and that is coming from someone who generally doesn't like Apple products. In the end, this is a work laptop for me, and I just want stuff to work. And for that, the $500 Apple tax is worth it.
- abdullahkhalids 7y agoFor power management you need to install tlp https://linrunner.de/en/tlp/tlp.html https://linrunner.de/en/tlp/tlp.html
- viraptor 7y ago> You can't update the bios through Linux, the update tool is windows only. Are you sure? https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/au/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/thinkpad-x-series-laptops/thinkpad-x1-extreme/downloads https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/au/en/products/laptops-and-netb... This lists both a bootable image and a Linux utility. I've got standard X1 carbon and have been using the bootable bios updates successfully.
- 0lpbm 7y agoAlso on an older X1 Carbon (5th gen) and fwupdmgr supports it out of the box. > No upgrades for 20HRCTO1WW System Firmware, current is 0.1.39: 0.1.39=same, 0.1.37=older, 0.1.36=older, 0.1.35=older, 0.1.34=older
- p_l 7y agoFwupd works on all recent thinkpad generations, but you need to run without bios emulator
- stemuk 7y agoMost of these pain points go away if you purchase the iGPU only version. I own a Thinkpad T470 and Ubuntu works like a charm. The only issue I still have is that the Gnome interface (Ubuntu 17.04+) does not support factorial scaling, meaning that I am stuck between 100% (which is way to small on a 14 inch screen) and 200% (which is way too big). Ubuntu 16.10 still supports factorial scaling though, which means I am stuck with it until a better version comes along.
- enriquto 7y agoyou can use the "arandr" program to set any possible resolution. No idea what is "factorial" scaling, though.
- y4mi 7y ago"scale with factor 1.4" to increase the display size by 40%
- enriquto 7y agoThe word "factorial" makes no sense here. Maybe "fractional"? Besides, what is the fucking point of "scaling" at the display level? Isn't it exactly equivalent to setting the font size in points using your physical resolution?
- stemuk 7y agoYeah, I just realized it's called fractional scaling too, my bad. It is still important though, because on 14inch desktops the Ubuntu interface looks way too small on 100% scale and way too big on 200%. At the end of the day you can think of fractional scaling as giving yourself more screen real-estate while at the same time keeping everything in a readable state.
- enriquto 7y agoI don't understand what you mean by the interface. Is it the font size? You can change it independently of everything else.
- NullPrefix 7y ago>TB3 dock never works properly Do these even work on Windows?
- LeonM 7y agoMy Lenovo 40AN workstation dock has worked very reliably under Windows.
- NullPrefix 7y agoCan you undock while it is booting up, powering down or during a 2 hour windows update, that you did not plan on before clicking shut down? Does it BSOD the next time windows boot up ?
- bubblethink 7y agoAll of your problems will magically disappear if you don't buy laptops with nvidia gpus. People really ought to do some basic basic research before dropping a couple of grand on hardware.
- evanslify 7y ago> - You can't update the bios through Linux, the update tool is windows only. Does hwupd work with Thinkpads?
- whalabi 7y agoI dual boot Windows and Fedora on a laptop with a NVIDIA dGPU and an Intel iGPU, don't use the NVIDIA one in Linux but when I boot to Windows I can game. As far as I know, Ubuntu has even better NVIDIA support than Fedora so you should be good You may need to install proprietary drivers though Also I get really, really good battery life in Linux, I think it's accomplished with sudo powertop --auto or similar
- diffeomorphism 7y agoI own an X1 Yoga with the WQHD screen. - grub has no problems - Bios updates work through LVFS - this has no dual gpu. - power usage and fan usage is about the same as windows, running a bit cooler. - Suspend has a linux and windows option in the UEFI options, works fine.
- beatgammit 7y agoI'm stoked about the upcoming AMD-based T series, which hopefully resolves the thermal throttling in the A series and has more ports and battery options than the E series. This would eliminate most of your issues since AMD GPU drivers are first class citizens on Linux.