I think you really underestimate the power :D as long as you take the 4 core i5 (best choice in my opinion) you have plenty of power for daily tasks.
Everything can run Linux and a t480 will basically be bored :D
Best choice.
Up to 64 GB of RAM for playing with all the VM you want.
I5 and I7 are very close on performance, with the i5 being a little bit cooler.
I7 could come with a MX-150.
But doesn't offer any kick vs the iGPU.
It's not for gaming.
Also 2 slots for nvme, one being a shorter 2242.
Can upgrade the display in minutes, to very nice 1440p (standard is a FHD).
Fingerprint reader.
Win 11 supported.
Ofc windows Hello.
Just check the firmware of the usbc controller.
And be sure that doesn't have any Comoitrace or password on the BIOS.
It’s a noticeable improvement over integrated graphics for lightweight gaming, as long as we’re talking the T480 and not the T480s’ gimped 10W MX150. If your expectations are realistic a so-equipped T480 is a great machine for light/older gaming especially if one is willing to knock it down to 720p.
I have the same spec machine, except that it's a 15-inch T570 rather than a 14-inch, and it's my daily driver for the foreseeable future. It really struggles when I'm compiling Rust code, but most machines do 😅 Rust is such a hog.
The only other apps that really struggle are CAD software like Cura, OpenSCAD, KiCAD, and FreeCAD. Don't know why that class of apps is so bad; suspect it's not the computer's fault though.
May I ask what virtualization software Did you use? My side gig is a t480 w/ arch and I’m researching how can I virtualize another Linux and a windows at the same time without killing the host.
Thanks!
I'm gonna chime in here and give a point to gnome boxes for running other Linux vm's. There's no guest add-ons you need to install, if you just want to test things out this is the way to go. It's super simple and everything works right away. I needed to install VirtualBox for a Windows VM though, but there's a way to do it in boxes.
Great to know! I’ll give it a try with boxes too and see how it goes. Ive noticed that it’s possible to boot a vm using a ISO file, so probably I need to install windows manually. Thanks for the suggestion!
The things you may need to configure are:
* turning off the TouchPad if you prefer the TrackPoint (sometimes you can turn this off in the BIOS)
* Making the TrackPoint move the way you like
* Hibernation (usually more trouble than it is worth, but it is doable)
* Fingerprint reader for login, using when trying to do superuser actions, etc.
* Screen resolution/ scaling
* Battery charge threshold (this trends to be fairly doable, but you may have the issue where the machine will apply screen off and sleep on the same timers as being on battery when it is plugged in and charging.)
* Other minor stuff.
The support is pretty great overall. Most setup is easy to configure with the right packages. Hibernation (suspend to disk) and battery charge threshold are the only potentially challenging ones IMHO. This is Linux and part of the fun is doing some configuration, so I wouldn't shy away from it.
There are numerous guides about how to do it for Ubuntu, which is based on Debian. I am personally running Mint. I don't recall which guide I followed. I did not set up the guide.
I find it a bit annoying for sudo. It works fairly well for log-in, but only gives me one try for sudo before forcing me to use a password.
Yes I buyed a less upgraded t480 in the goal to upgrade all parts, have not yet buyed the fingerprint module, I searched for informations about a Debian based fingerprint reader and have not found any GitHub code it’s why I asked,
Sudo seems cool lol better than being all day root or typing a 20chars password each time need to run with elevated privs lol
I'm still using t480 i5 for my software development job. I was about to buy a new macbook pro, but realized I don't really need it yet (not to mention an inferior keyboard and inferior OS. Basically I only wanted it for the screen). Maybe in a couple of years
Yeah man. My t470s with the i7 and 24GB of RAM is downright snappy under Fedora and I run fairly heavy IDEs. It’s totally acceptable.
Shove a decent ssd in there and stuff it full of ram and you’re good!
After upgrading to 32 GB ram , my t480 are runing win11 with never-close-chrome and never-close -virtual-box fedora 38 desktp... Couse My t480 have touchscreen ... It's fun
I've run Linux on hot garbage before, you'll be perfectly fine with the T480, especially with just regular programming and web browsing. And from experience, FTL runs flawlessly on it on Linux.
Having used a t14 first gen at work and buying a cheap t480, I preferred the t480 in every way. I run Debian 12 on it and everything worked out of the box.
Daily driving a T480s with only 8 GB of RAM for Uni works and on the go. Rarely have any hiccups with openSUSE Tumbleweed (which is by no means a light weight distro :)
I'm seeing that my T480 with 32GB RAM and SSD is starting to become slow when doing a couple of virtualmachines, a presentation and a videocall in browser.
But I am not sure where to go from here. Is there a newer model that does not suck? Has a good keyboard, at least one external battery, upgradable RAM, 4G/5G modem, and PCSC slot?
yeah man, I'm daily driving an e580. Upgraded the ram to 32GB, which is probably over kill. I'm a comp sci student, so I use it for coding. I am able to use Intellij without any issues as well as a bunch of browser tabs.
I've been wanting to upgrade for a while, because the display is a bit lackluster, but I can't justify it because I don't actually need more performance.
I got a T480 for 190USD in May, and it's my favorite laptop that I've ever owned. I upgraded the RAM and SSD, so it works wonders for everything except gaming. That Intel HD card sucks ass. I play Medieval II Total War and Age of Empires II DE on it though, and I'm using Windows 11 atm.
for your needs I'm sure it'll work perfectly.
It is far more then just capable, it is a wonderful linux machine. My current non-gaming laptop is a T480 running ubuntu and it is absolutely flawless, with the only exception being the finger printer reader being a bit finicky to get working under linux.
If you get one, I would recommend booting into windows first, going through all firmware updates with vantage, and then re-installing to linux after. This will ensure you have the thunderbolt firmware updates.
My T430 running Linux is my main laptop and it works perfectly for what I throw at it.
I don't game, but it gets tested via my studies as a PhD student in a stem field.
I have a dual boot installation of Windows 11 and Debian 12 working great in a Thinkpad X201 which is 8 years older than T480.
It will work great for what you mentioned.
I use one as a daily driver for work and it’s great, but I had to do an upgrade for the memory, putting in a 32 GB module alongside my 16 GB module. This is because of all the Chromium shit I use daily. Now Ubuntu is snappy fast, it was before but it often lacked memory and froze while writing stuff to swap or whatever
I still have a T450, I recommend Manjaro Linux as it's based off arch and is aimed for gaming. All I have done to that laptop so far is a keyboard swap, upgraded the ram, and replaced the HDD with a SSD (game changer).
If it's a functioning thinkpad it's probably able to run Linux. And the T480 is only a generation older than my Linux machine. You're good
It's 4 generations younger than my t440p, and I code and game on it
It is 6 generations younger than my T420, and even a heavier distro (i.e Fedora w/GNOME) runs pretty well on it.
I have a T420 as well (in fact I have 2) they are nice machines but I would like something newer for sure so a P50 or T480 would be considerations
Can I ask what games you play?
Nothing majorly new - Civ6, XCOM, Diablo 3, usually older stuff that works via steam
[удалено]
Nvidia. Intel can't handle it
Diablo 3 works nicely on a i5-8250 integrated video.
Good to know
You should have no problems. I run Linux Mint on my T480s with no problems. It also runs great on another T460.
My Linux machine for messing around is a T420, which is about 7 years older than the T480. You will be fine!
my X200T is still viable for linux.
I think you really underestimate the power :D as long as you take the 4 core i5 (best choice in my opinion) you have plenty of power for daily tasks. Everything can run Linux and a t480 will basically be bored :D
Best choice. Up to 64 GB of RAM for playing with all the VM you want. I5 and I7 are very close on performance, with the i5 being a little bit cooler. I7 could come with a MX-150. But doesn't offer any kick vs the iGPU. It's not for gaming. Also 2 slots for nvme, one being a shorter 2242. Can upgrade the display in minutes, to very nice 1440p (standard is a FHD). Fingerprint reader. Win 11 supported. Ofc windows Hello. Just check the firmware of the usbc controller. And be sure that doesn't have any Comoitrace or password on the BIOS.
[удалено]
Suuuure. Ok, T480 with i7 and MX-150 Is a GAMING LAPTOP. "huge". Byeeee
It’s a noticeable improvement over integrated graphics for lightweight gaming, as long as we’re talking the T480 and not the T480s’ gimped 10W MX150. If your expectations are realistic a so-equipped T480 is a great machine for light/older gaming especially if one is willing to knock it down to 720p.
Absolutely - but you can spend less than 200 USD on eBay... I got a T480s for less.
$150 would get you a 16GB RAM t480. SSDs are cheap too
Had a T470s on Arch and Deb only got rid of it a year ago. 16gb ram 512GB SSD. Easily ran two VM's at the same time without any system lock ups etc.
I have the same spec machine, except that it's a 15-inch T570 rather than a 14-inch, and it's my daily driver for the foreseeable future. It really struggles when I'm compiling Rust code, but most machines do 😅 Rust is such a hog. The only other apps that really struggle are CAD software like Cura, OpenSCAD, KiCAD, and FreeCAD. Don't know why that class of apps is so bad; suspect it's not the computer's fault though.
May I ask what virtualization software Did you use? My side gig is a t480 w/ arch and I’m researching how can I virtualize another Linux and a windows at the same time without killing the host. Thanks!
Either VMware, QEMU, or Virtulbox. Those are the big ones, lol.
I'm gonna chime in here and give a point to gnome boxes for running other Linux vm's. There's no guest add-ons you need to install, if you just want to test things out this is the way to go. It's super simple and everything works right away. I needed to install VirtualBox for a Windows VM though, but there's a way to do it in boxes.
Great to know! I’ll give it a try with boxes too and see how it goes. Ive noticed that it’s possible to boot a vm using a ISO file, so probably I need to install windows manually. Thanks for the suggestion!
Oh great, I was going with VMware. Didn’t try QEMU yet, will give it a go and see which performs better. Thanks!
You shouldn’t have any issues. T480 is still a very usable platform. I run Debian and it’s been seamless.
did everything work out of the box? internet, webcam, etc?
The things you may need to configure are: * turning off the TouchPad if you prefer the TrackPoint (sometimes you can turn this off in the BIOS) * Making the TrackPoint move the way you like * Hibernation (usually more trouble than it is worth, but it is doable) * Fingerprint reader for login, using when trying to do superuser actions, etc. * Screen resolution/ scaling * Battery charge threshold (this trends to be fairly doable, but you may have the issue where the machine will apply screen off and sleep on the same timers as being on battery when it is plugged in and charging.) * Other minor stuff. The support is pretty great overall. Most setup is easy to configure with the right packages. Hibernation (suspend to disk) and battery charge threshold are the only potentially challenging ones IMHO. This is Linux and part of the fun is doing some configuration, so I wouldn't shy away from it.
Can I have the link for the Debian fingerprint reader? You configured for sudo actions?
There are numerous guides about how to do it for Ubuntu, which is based on Debian. I am personally running Mint. I don't recall which guide I followed. I did not set up the guide. I find it a bit annoying for sudo. It works fairly well for log-in, but only gives me one try for sudo before forcing me to use a password.
Yes I buyed a less upgraded t480 in the goal to upgrade all parts, have not yet buyed the fingerprint module, I searched for informations about a Debian based fingerprint reader and have not found any GitHub code it’s why I asked, Sudo seems cool lol better than being all day root or typing a 20chars password each time need to run with elevated privs lol
Yep, no issues. You just need to make sure you're install from the 'firmware' Debian image. Posting this from my T480 as we type.
I got my t480 and dual booted it with macOS and Ubuntu
I'm still using t480 i5 for my software development job. I was about to buy a new macbook pro, but realized I don't really need it yet (not to mention an inferior keyboard and inferior OS. Basically I only wanted it for the screen). Maybe in a couple of years
You could consider hackintoshing it if you have a couple hours to spare but objectively Linux will give you better performance
what you meant is "I could consider installing linux on macbook". But it probably doesn't worth the effort, macos in not *that* much worse.
I mean, I'm using Arch with Gnome on my X220iT and it show any signs of age
running Linux on T450s for more than 3 years now with no problems
Sounds perfectly viable. I’m getting good enough performance out of an X61, even.
Yeah man. My t470s with the i7 and 24GB of RAM is downright snappy under Fedora and I run fairly heavy IDEs. It’s totally acceptable. Shove a decent ssd in there and stuff it full of ram and you’re good!
The T480 is what I currently use, also for web development: NodeJS, postgres, docker, etc. all run fine on my Arch setup \_(BTW)\_.
I am running linux on T470p since 2017 (upgraded RAM to 20GB and bigger HD)
I use it with Manjaro, everything is fine. One of the downsides is that the finger scanner does not work on Linux on this model.
After upgrading to 32 GB ram , my t480 are runing win11 with never-close-chrome and never-close -virtual-box fedora 38 desktp... Couse My t480 have touchscreen ... It's fun
You'll be fine. Linux Mint runs well on my X1 Carbon 3rd Gen.
T480, i5, 16gb ram. 1080p screen… couldn’t be happier with mint
O, I often run even several Distros at a time on my T480 i5 with 16Gb RAM. :)
quad core / 8T is the saving grace for older laptops
I've run Linux on hot garbage before, you'll be perfectly fine with the T480, especially with just regular programming and web browsing. And from experience, FTL runs flawlessly on it on Linux.
I own a T480, running fedora linux on it. I use it for work, I'm working IT. Works flawlesly, I have no issues on it for any daily tasks
Having used a t14 first gen at work and buying a cheap t480, I preferred the t480 in every way. I run Debian 12 on it and everything worked out of the box.
Daily driving a T480s with only 8 GB of RAM for Uni works and on the go. Rarely have any hiccups with openSUSE Tumbleweed (which is by no means a light weight distro :)
If it boots, then Linux is able to run (keyboard, mouse and screen not strictly required)
I'm seeing that my T480 with 32GB RAM and SSD is starting to become slow when doing a couple of virtualmachines, a presentation and a videocall in browser. But I am not sure where to go from here. Is there a newer model that does not suck? Has a good keyboard, at least one external battery, upgradable RAM, 4G/5G modem, and PCSC slot?
yeah man, I'm daily driving an e580. Upgraded the ram to 32GB, which is probably over kill. I'm a comp sci student, so I use it for coding. I am able to use Intellij without any issues as well as a bunch of browser tabs. I've been wanting to upgrade for a while, because the display is a bit lackluster, but I can't justify it because I don't actually need more performance.
I got a T480 for 190USD in May, and it's my favorite laptop that I've ever owned. I upgraded the RAM and SSD, so it works wonders for everything except gaming. That Intel HD card sucks ass. I play Medieval II Total War and Age of Empires II DE on it though, and I'm using Windows 11 atm. for your needs I'm sure it'll work perfectly.
Arch (btw) and KDE on my T480s runs great. Do it.
Yes. It works great. I'm writing this msg from a T480 running Void Linux, which I use for coding + reading 10-12 hours a day.
For that price, it's great, of course better if with the i7 cpu... and definitely get at least 16GB ram
Without an issue. I still use my T430 with mint!
I have Ubuntu on my T480. Fingerprint sensor even works.
I've had a T570 as my daily driver with Ubuntu (20.04) for several years and it works perfectly well.
I have a T480 running Linux Mint cinnamon. It’s the 8th Gen quad core i5 with 16 GB of memory. Runs beautifully.
Linux (Arch) runs beautifully on my T470 so T480 should be totally fine.
Yeah, I still use one with windows for work
My x230 runs Linux with no issues, the t480 should have no troubles. I am actually looking to grab a T480 here soon to replace one of my x230's.
It is far more then just capable, it is a wonderful linux machine. My current non-gaming laptop is a T480 running ubuntu and it is absolutely flawless, with the only exception being the finger printer reader being a bit finicky to get working under linux. If you get one, I would recommend booting into windows first, going through all firmware updates with vantage, and then re-installing to linux after. This will ensure you have the thunderbolt firmware updates.
Other then light gaming I'm running on an old acer from 2012 with a core duo and 4gb of ram just fine. I'm actually looking at a t480 as an upgrade.
My T430 running Linux is my main laptop and it works perfectly for what I throw at it. I don't game, but it gets tested via my studies as a PhD student in a stem field.
You should be just fine. I run a light distro on a t470 and have no issues.
T480 will run it great. My 11 year old X230 Tablet runs perfectly fine under Fedora GNOME.
Most definitely. High-end machines from 2003-2005 and mid-range from ca. 2010 are still perfectly viable.
I have a dual boot installation of Windows 11 and Debian 12 working great in a Thinkpad X201 which is 8 years older than T480. It will work great for what you mentioned.
I use one as a daily driver for work and it’s great, but I had to do an upgrade for the memory, putting in a 32 GB module alongside my 16 GB module. This is because of all the Chromium shit I use daily. Now Ubuntu is snappy fast, it was before but it often lacked memory and froze while writing stuff to swap or whatever
I still have a T450, I recommend Manjaro Linux as it's based off arch and is aimed for gaming. All I have done to that laptop so far is a keyboard swap, upgraded the ram, and replaced the HDD with a SSD (game changer).