UHD. I'm glad I did, as it has a higher pixel density than a retina MBP, and it looks amazing. Battery life seems to be around 7 hours under light use.
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Lenovo X1 Extreme
- Thread starter lcseds
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Its funny the fans were running for some time this morning and while I was getting a little annoyed by it, I thought maybe throttlestop wasn't active so I started looking.
I actually forgot that I had Vmware Workstation running and building out a new VM, Lightroom running, and various office apps. I'm actually quite pleased that I hadn't even noticed any dip in processing, and the only indicator was the fans.
I actually forgot that I had Vmware Workstation running and building out a new VM, Lightroom running, and various office apps. I'm actually quite pleased that I hadn't even noticed any dip in processing, and the only indicator was the fans.
Love these hex core CPU's, they just dig deeper and deeper as long as the chassis and cooling system are up to scratch. Next for me will be the i9 octa core, just waiting on the right notebook to emerge. Definitely not looking for a neutered product with just big numbers solely to impress the uninformed. I want the same as my current Asus rock solid performance, real-world usability, with no reliability concerns...
Q-6
I will wait for 10nm from Intel, of even better, that AMD comes to the mobile market with full force.
I see no reason to upgrade without either of those two happening. Performance from 'new' chips is almost the same like I have at the moment, and 1550Ti is more then enough for me at this moment.
But I highly doubt Intel will produce any 45W chips before 2021, if even at 2021. So AMD has more then enough time to move in and try to disturb yet another Intel market.
I really hope that they have plans in doing so. I would really love to see X1E with AMD CPU&GPU. nVidia isn't all that great for Linux users.
I see no reason to upgrade without either of those two happening. Performance from 'new' chips is almost the same like I have at the moment, and 1550Ti is more then enough for me at this moment.
But I highly doubt Intel will produce any 45W chips before 2021, if even at 2021. So AMD has more then enough time to move in and try to disturb yet another Intel market.
I really hope that they have plans in doing so. I would really love to see X1E with AMD CPU&GPU. nVidia isn't all that great for Linux users.
Got the latest x1c with the 2K screen last week. Love the keyboard, as expected, but haven't had a chance to do much with it as we've been in the process of moving.
Planning on going with LibreOffice or just Google Docs/Sheets.
Also looking into Linux to experiment with.
Anyone know how to disable hdr on these X1 extreme? I tried enabling and disabling it through Windows display settings but when I play the hdr preview video from it and enable or disable the hdr. It doesn't do anything. No difference
![ceba4dec28c18e04d399b7585c48d148.jpg]()
Install PopOS as a test. Easy to install, and 99% stuff works right away. Then just install TLP and TLPUI. And you're set. It will work like a charm. Speaking from experience
Problem is with Lenovo and with Windows. Lenovo doesn't include codecs for HDR, google it up and install it.
But then the problem will be with Windows. You won't be able to disable HDR afterwards. At least I wasn't able in previous Windows builds, maybe they have fixed that issue in newer builds.
Windows 10 requires that the LCD panel is 10bit for HDR content. X1E is 8bit.
Under Linux everything works without any tinkering.
And funny thing is, X1C 6th gen HDR screen is far better then X1E HDR screen. You can really tell the difference.
Is it just me or when viewing something in its dark mode theme. I have to ramp up the brightness a lot to see?Install PopOS as a test. Easy to install, and 99% stuff works right away. Then just install TLP and TLPUI. And you're set. It will work like a charm. Speaking from experience
Problem is with Lenovo and with Windows. Lenovo doesn't include codecs for HDR, google it up and install it.
But then the problem will be with Windows. You won't be able to disable HDR afterwards. At least I wasn't able in previous Windows builds, maybe they have fixed that issue in newer builds.
Windows 10 requires that the LCD panel is 10bit for HDR content. X1E is 8bit.
Under Linux everything works without any tinkering.
And funny thing is, X1C 6th gen HDR screen is far better then X1E HDR screen. You can really tell the difference.
I use android studio and in Dracula dark mode you can barely see the text and the dark grey background unless you ramp up the screen brightness to almost full.
This is what questioned whether it's a hdr issue or not. In my previous dell xps 13 4k the screen was much more better for dark mode content
I really can't help you out there, but I have no issues with dark themes on my X1E. It's the opposite, everything is crisp and looks really nice.
Install PopOS as a test. Easy to install, and 99% stuff works right away. Then just install TLP and TLPUI. And you're set. It will work like a charm. Speaking from experience
Problem is with Lenovo and with Windows. Lenovo doesn't include codecs for HDR, google it up and install it.
But then the problem will be with Windows. You won't be able to disable HDR afterwards. At least I wasn't able in previous Windows builds, maybe they have fixed that issue in newer builds.
Windows 10 requires that the LCD panel is 10bit for HDR content. X1E is 8bit.
Under Linux everything works without any tinkering.
And funny thing is, X1C 6th gen HDR screen is far better then X1E HDR screen. You can really tell the difference.
By dead silent under windows, is it also when plugged into an ac adapter?
Is x1c7 also dead silent under linux?
I'm not using X1C at all, my wife is. But my X1E (4K) is dead silent, even when hooked up to 2 monitors. Under Linux. I don't use Windows often, so can't comment on that.
Thanks. What have you done to make it dead silent under Linux? After I logged into Linux, I was bombarded by jet engine noise.
I have repasted the cpu & gpu, undervolted, and installed and adjusted tlp. Nothing more then that.
I had a similar issue with many laptops.
The usual culprit is adaptive contrast.
I don't have any Lenovo laptops so I don't know how to disable it on them.
I`m certain that you can google it.
This reddit link might work, I did a quick google.
[SOLVED] Disabling "adaptive contrast" on my X1 Extreme (4K)
In the past year and a half, I had the privilege to experience a number of ultrabooks and powerhouse laptops through work and my own purchase. I quickly found ultrabooks are not for me and focused on the following 4 contenders for my personal use in the coming years. Just want to share my experience.
Will list the product specs, purchase price before tax (MSRP can be wild, let's go with the price I actually paid), pros and cons I found in each product.
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018
I7 8750H, 2880x1800 15.4" IPS 500 nits, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 560X 4GB. $2299
Pros: Beautiful machine in and out. Just works. Top quality screen and speakers. Compact and light weight. 8+ hrs battery life.
Cons: A little expensive, gets really expensive if want further upgrades. Keyboard doesn't feel good, started double entries within a month. Using Windows cut battery life in half (cannot blame Apple but I do need to use Windows apps quite often). Dongle life is real.
Verdict: Keyboard is the killer. I feel myself handicapped with this keyboard. And it may get worse over time. I wish to have more RAM and SSD, but it is out of budget with upgrade pricing (only the standard config models go on sale).
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15 2018
I7 8650U, 3240x2160 15" IPS 450 nits, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, GTX 1060 MQ 6GB. $2200
Pros: Unique combination of U-series CPU in tablet and powerful GPU in base. Refined user experience in touch and pen. Can game. 8+ hrs battery life when use performance base.
Cons: MSRP is wild, only make sense to buy when heavily discounted. There is M2 SSD slot but you can't get to it because everything is glued together with corporate greed. The screen is highly reflective and wobbles when I type, that fancy hinge is not very stable. Game runs fine, however no game supports 3:2 screen ratio, expect distortion or black bars.
Verdict: If you are about tablet, touch, and pen, this is perfect. As for me using laptop in traditional clam shell mode most of the time, not so good. And you know what is worse than dongle life: We got no dongle for that. A single USB c port without Thunderbolt is an absurd design choice. You want to connect 2 high-res display? Good luck.
Dell XPS 15 7590 2019
I7 9750H, 3840x2160 15.6" OLED 400 nits, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, GTX 1650 MQ 4GB. $1600
Pros: Affordable prices for the specs and OLED screen. User upgradable parts. No dongle life. Decent thermal after undervolting, can game.
Cons: OLED is not what I expected. Vibrant color and deep black, yes. But over saturated and inaccurate color. The current gen OLED panel also has the common flaw of color banding in dark / gray scenes, which is where you want it be to save power. Dell's BIOS and firmware is bit of a mess. Somethings just don't work. Wi-Fi randomly slows down, Bluetooth randomly drops dead, laptop sometimes won't sleep, warming your backpack.
Verdict: It is like a rough relationship that barely works and needs a lot of care. And it cured my craving of OLED screen, thanks Dell.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme Gen 2 2019
I7 9750H, 3840x2160 15.6" matte IPS 500 nits, 8GB RAM (upgraded to 32GB), 256GB SSD (upgraded to 1TB), GTX 1650 MQ 4GB. $1450 as configured + $320 for upgrade parts
Pros: MSRP is wild but there is permanent sale going on, price is OK for base config. Designed for easy customer upgrade. The 4K IPS screen is as high quality as Apple's, and the unique matte finish eliminates reflection. Got all the ports I need. Decent thermal after undervolting, can game. Best laptop keyboard I have used, feels like low profile mechanical keyboard.
Cons: Short battery life, getting around 5 hrs. Over tightened soft SSD screws required screw extractor pliers to remove. Fans spin loudly and frequently before undervolting.
Verdict: No deal-breaking flaws found. After a few days of tweaking everything works fine. Sitting next to the shiny MacBook Pro, the ThinkPad has a nerdy reserved kind of attractiveness. My wife said, that's a handsome piece of tech. OK that's a keeper.
So that's what I am keeping for the next few years. Bought 4 year warranty just in case. Yes Intel 10th Gen 45W CPUs are just around the corner. Given the benchmark results of Ice Lake CPUs, I don't expect much improvement. Yes MacBook Pro 16" is just around the corner. I expect a starting price of $3000+ and a 32GB/1TB model should be well about $4000. Out of my reach. Still using iPad Pros, there is no alternative for that. Typing this on the ThinkPad, it's just so good to type on…
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Thanks for the detailed breakdown. I am evaluating the ones you listed and also the Razor Blade 15 as well. Will likely get the X1 Extreme however since the pricing right now is quite good. With discount and rebates I am looking at a base X1 Extreme Gen 2 with 9750H and 1080p 500 nits upgrade for ~1.3k.
So what exactly are the changes for the gen 2 and do they make any difference?
The X1E Gen 1 was simultaneously the most promising and most disappointing of all the bajillion laptops I tried to switch to.
The X1E Gen 1 was simultaneously the most promising and most disappointing of all the bajillion laptops I tried to switch to.
Spec bump, some changes to the camera and fingerprint reader and maybe some QC improvements.
What did you find disappointing about Gen 1?