What does HackerNews think of throttled?
Workaround for Intel throttling issues in Linux.
Last time I tried to use t480, which is listed as officially supports Ubuntu, I had to use rather ugly hack to fix CPU throttling:
https://github.com/erpalma/throttled
It affects other models as well and not fixed up to this day (at least not by vendor)
Lenovo had a post in their blog acknowledging it, but after some time it mysteriously disappeared
EDIT: Lol, there are HN post about this "fix" happened few hours ago:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35025838
By quickly checking comments seems like better solution is already available:
https://github.com/erpalma/throttled/
Been using it on various XPS laptops for years.
Sadly it requires support for MSR writes which are being slowly deprecated by the Linux kernel. I believe the same should be achievable with thermald be I haven't been able to be bother yet.
As far as I know this issue is still not fixed so I have to use this hack: https://github.com/erpalma/throttled
I’ve also had tremendous Thunderbolt-related firmware issues that could only be fixed in Windows. If you use Linux, there are much better options than Lenovo. I still use my T480 daily but I miss my old XPS 13, which gave me no issues ever.
One big item (which you'll see at the bottom of my install notes) is that intel chips in these thinkpads have a throttling issue. There's a nice python program to fix that, I run it as a systemd service on boot: https://github.com/erpalma/throttled
- Battery: A package called TLP should drastically improve battery life[1][2]. Thinkpad t480s with battery life ranging from 6-8 for browsing to 13+ with min-brightness and just playing music. Before TLP I think it was close to 5 max.
- I'm assuming since X is crashing you're not using Wayland. I've noticed fractional scaling (which is a thing in Wayland) causes blurry text. This isn't an issue in X, but I've noticed if I mess around with custom xrandr config to customize stuff, I have issues -- i.e. total system lockup, reboot required -- with plugging in/out external monitors on to the fly. Anyway, a custom xrandr setup should make things a bit easier on your eyes.[3]
- For CPU performance maybe this anti-throttling script should help. I'm able to run at max CPU clock frequency at 85-90+ deg temps without throttling when doing CPU intense stuff[4]
I'm running Arch instead of Debian, so maybe having newer kernels or packages help in some aspects, such as hibernating, track-pad, and X. Idk. Running newest versions isn't always great either, there are often regressions and bugs you notice after upgrading.
[1]: https://linrunner.de/en/tlp/docs/tlp-linux-advanced-power-ma...
[2]: This is arch wiki, but it should still have applicable information for other distro such as debian and it's a bit more readable IMO, https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/TLP
[3]: FYI, this is somewhat specific for a 1440p display, not 4k or 1080p, but you should be able to modify it for 4k it needed by adjusting the `--fb` value primarily. https://gist.github.com/francium/d93bcf75884ebeea216cc04cee0...
Apple seems to be the only manufacturer that so far escaped the race to the bottom and which still produces somewhat premium hardware. I want: a hidpi screen with lots of nits and a good contrast, a trackpoint or a huge touchpad, good battery life and somewhat light weight.
In the past Thinkpads worked really well for that, but recently I had multiple issues with Lenovo hardware. I'm currently using a X1C3 and originally considered upgrading to a X1C6 or T480s, but given there are known issues such as the throttling bug (https://github.com/erpalma/throttled) that Lenovo hasn't fixed in over half a year I'm very close to giving up on Thinkpads.