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submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

I need a portable laptop to:

  • have a lot of online quality video calls
  • type a lot during each meeting
  • have a ton of browser tabs open
  • have a few CPU-demanding apps running at the same time

I will use this laptop as my main PC.

I'm also considering:

  • T480s
  • Carbon X1 Gen 7-8
  • Dell 7490
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[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

I daily a T480 with Debian for work, and I'd recommend it highly. Great performance, battery, build quality, look & feel, etc. We have some 7480s deployed and while they've been solid as well, I much prefer the thinkpad. T series will have better performance and battery than X series, also, so I'd take the T480 over the X1C.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

how is the build quality of the t480? I had a t580 for work, and that one crashed when you picked it up at thr wrong corner. and after a month over the warranty, it completely died

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

I can't speak for all of them, but we've had a couple hundred deployed over the last several years with very few issues. Mine's been solid as a rock.

The usb-c docks, however, are a nightmare, though I gather that's fairly universal.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Why do you need to use the usb-c docks?

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Just part of our standard office package, everyone gets a laptop, dock, and external monitors for their workspace.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

I've ordered this ThinkPad T480 with:

  • Intel Core i7-8650U processor
  • 16GB DDR4 RAM
  • 512GB storage
  • 14" FHD IPS display
  • Integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620

When it arrives, before paying, what would you recommend to check within 10 minutes of receiving it?

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Personally I'd do the following:

  • boot into the bios config menu to make sure it's unlocked (if it's locked and they don't have the password that'd be a dealbreaker for me)
  • boot into a live linux environment from usb and test both batteries, keyboard, trackpoint/trackpad, speakers, microphone, wifi, and all external ports (T480 has 2 usb-c, 2 usb-a, ethernet, hdmi, headset, and sd - make sure batteries charge well from both usb-c ports)
  • to check the storage health, install nvme-cli if not installed, run nvme smart-log /dev/nvme0 and check the "percentage_used" value: if it's near 100% it might die and need replacement soon
  • to check that the vents, airflow, and cooling hardware are in good shape, install stress if not installed, run stress -c 7 to load up 7 of the 8 available cpu threads, make sure the fan spins up good and strong, and watch /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp to make sure the cpu temperature stays under ~90-95 degrees

On my own time later, I'd run memtest86+ overnight from bootable usb to check the memory, then install tlp and run tlp recalibrate with the laptop on the charger to recalibrate the batteries

Edit: enjoy the new laptop! I hope it works great for you

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Damn, you hiring?

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

I now realize you are trying to buy a laptop on a budget. I’d definitely go for the X1 gen 7 or 8, 16gb of ram minimum. The 1080p screen will give you better battery life but the 4k screen has Dolby vision and will make watching movies a better experience.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Why would that be better than T480?

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

The Carbox X1 Gen7 is probably a decent choice, but it will depend on the specs - get at least an i5, and max out the RAM to 16GB - you can't add it later, so make sure to buy one with the 16GB.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

What's truly so much better about it compared to T480? Or 7480

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

What are the apps that you will be using? I’m really excited by these new Qualcomm laptops coming out. LTT is doing an experiment and having 3 of its employees switch full time to see if they are viable. If you can wait another week I’d see what their conclusions are.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

I'm not in the West and buying on a budget so my options are very limited

this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2024
22 points (95.8% liked)

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