diff --git a/500 archive/510 Daily/ThinkPad Recommendations.md b/500 archive/510 Daily/ThinkPad Recommendations.md index 087bc37..43bfcbf 100644 --- a/500 archive/510 Daily/ThinkPad Recommendations.md +++ b/500 archive/510 Daily/ThinkPad Recommendations.md @@ -1,75 +1,55 @@ -# ThinkPad Recommendations for NixOS + Coding +# ThinkPad L14 Gen 2 AMD — Sam's Machine -## Top Two Picks - -### 1. Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 1 (AMD) — **Best Overall** ⭐ -| Spec | Detail | -|---|---| -| **Release** | 2020 (6 years old) | -| **CPU** | AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U (6c/12t) or Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U (8c/16t) | -| **RAM** | 8GB soldered + 1x SODIMM slot (max ~40GB) | -| **Storage** | 1x M.2 NVMe | -| **GPU** | Radeon RX Vega 6/7/8 (great for Wayland/Niri) | -| **Price (AUD)** | ~$400–$700 | -| **Secure Boot** | Easily disabled in BIOS — no lock-in | - -### 2. Lenovo ThinkPad T480 — **Budget / Max-Upgrade Pick** 💰 -| Spec | Detail | -|---|---| -| **Release** | 2018 (8 years old) | -| **CPU** | Intel 8th Gen i5-8250U (4c/8t) or i7-8650U (4c/8t) | -| **RAM** | **2x SODIMM slots** — fully upgradable to 64GB | -| **Storage** | 1x M.2 NVMe + 2.5" SATA bay | -| **Battery** | Dual hot-swappable (internal + external) | -| **GPU** | Intel UHD 620 (fine for Niri) | -| **Price (AUD)** | ~$300–$550 | -| **Secure Boot** | Easily disabled — no lock-in | +> **Model:** Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 2 (Type 20X6) +> **Hostname:** `nasbox` +> **IP:** `192.168.20.51` +> **OS:** NixOS (managed via `/etc/nixos` flake) --- -## Generation Differences (T14 Series) +## Hardware Specs -| Gen | Year | AMD CPU | Key Changes | -|---|---|---|---| -| Gen 1 | 2020 | Ryzen 4000 (Zen 2) | First T14 — 8GB soldered + 1 slot | -| Gen 2 | 2021 | Ryzen 5000 (Zen 3) | Same chassis, CPU bump | -| Gen 3 | 2022 | Ryzen 6000 (Zen 3+) | **USB4**, DDR5, better iGPU | -| Gen 4 | 2023 | Ryzen 7040 (Zen 4) | Newer CPU, minor refresh | -| Gen 5 | 2024 | Ryzen 8040 (Zen 4) | Latest | - -> **Note:** Only the T480 has 2x full SODIMM slots. All T14 models (Gen 1–5) have soldered RAM + 1 slot. Gen 1 AMD is the sweet spot for value. +| Component | Detail | +|---|---| +| **CPU** | AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U — 6 Cores / 12 Threads (Zen 3, Cezanne) | +| **GPU** | AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (integrated) — `amdgpu` kernel driver | +| **RAM** | 16 GB DDR4 — **2x SODIMM slots** (upgradeable) | +| **Storage** | 256 GB NVMe SSD | +| **Display** | 14" FHD (1920×1080) — **10-point multi-touch touchscreen** | +| **Network** | Ethernet + Wi-Fi | --- -## Why Ryzen over Intel for This? +## NixOS Integration -| | **AMD Ryzen (T14 G1)** | **Intel (T14 G1)** | +- **Flake:** `/etc/nixos#sam-4screen-desktop` +- **User Config:** Home Manager at `/etc/nixos/home/sam/home.nix` +- **GPU Driver:** `amdgpu` (open-source kernel driver) — excellent Wayland/Niri support +- **Touchscreen:** Works with `libinput` touch input — 10-point multi-touch enabled + +--- + +## Upgrade Potential + +| Component | Current | Max Upgrade | |---|---|---| -| Multi-core perf | **~60–80% faster** (6–8 cores) | 4-core, struggles with compilation | -| iGPU (Wayland/Niri) | **Radeon Vega** — excellent driver, smooth compositing | Intel UHD — works but weaker | -| Battery life | **Better** — Ryzen 4000 is efficient | Worse on 10th gen Intel | -| Thunderbolt | ❌ No (but USB-C DP works fine) | ✅ Yes (Intel version only) | -| Price second-hand | **Cheaper** (less demand) | Often priced higher | +| **RAM** | 16 GB | 64 GB (2× 32 GB DDR4 SODIMM) | +| **Storage** | 256 GB NVMe | 1× M.2 NVMe (any size) | -The Ryzen 4000 series was a **generational leap** — AMD jumped from 4 cores to 6–8 cores while Intel was still stuck on 4 cores with 10th gen. For coding (compilation, VMs, NixOS builds), the extra cores make a huge difference. +> **Note:** Unlike the T14 series (soldered RAM + 1 slot), the L14 Gen 2 has **2 full SODIMM slots** — fully upgradeable to 64 GB. --- -## Secure Boot / Lock-in Note +## Why This Machine -The "signed" problem you hit was **Secure Boot**. Both the T480 and T14 let you disable it trivially: -1. F1 at boot → Security → Secure Boot → **Disabled** -2. Boot NixOS installer - -No signed drivers, no Pluton chip, no Microsoft gatekeeping. These are **freedom-friendly machines**. +- **Zen 3 CPU** — 6c/12t Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U is excellent for compilation, VMs, and NixOS builds +- **Radeon Vega 7 iGPU** — first-class open-source `amdgpu` driver; smooth Wayland/Niri compositing +- **Full SODIMM slots** — no soldered RAM; upgradeable to 64 GB +- **Touchscreen** — 10-point multi-touch works with NixOS/libinput +- **Secure Boot** — easily disabled in BIOS; freedom-friendly hardware --- -## Bottom Line +## See Also -| If you want... | Get this | -|---|---| -| Best performance for coding | **T14 Gen 1 AMD Ryzen 7** (~$500–$650 AUD) | -| Cheapest entry + max upgradeability | **T480 i5** (~$300–$400 AUD) + upgrade RAM/storage later | - -**Search eBay AU:** `"ThinkPad T14 Gen 1 AMD Ryzen"` or `"ThinkPad T480"` +- [[../../530 Areas/Tuya|Tuya]]