sam-4screen-desktop 2026-7-27:15:14:15
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# ThinkPad Recommendations for NixOS + Coding
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# ThinkPad L14 Gen 2 AMD — Sam's Machine
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## Top Two Picks
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> **Model:** Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 2 (Type 20X6)
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> **Hostname:** `nasbox`
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### 1. Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 1 (AMD) — **Best Overall** ⭐
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> **IP:** `192.168.20.51`
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| Spec | Detail |
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> **OS:** NixOS (managed via `/etc/nixos` flake)
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| **Release** | 2020 (6 years old) |
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| **CPU** | AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U (6c/12t) or Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U (8c/16t) |
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| **RAM** | 8GB soldered + 1x SODIMM slot (max ~40GB) |
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| **Storage** | 1x M.2 NVMe |
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| **GPU** | Radeon RX Vega 6/7/8 (great for Wayland/Niri) |
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| **Price (AUD)** | ~$400–$700 |
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| **Secure Boot** | Easily disabled in BIOS — no lock-in |
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### 2. Lenovo ThinkPad T480 — **Budget / Max-Upgrade Pick** 💰
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| Spec | Detail |
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| **Release** | 2018 (8 years old) |
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| **CPU** | Intel 8th Gen i5-8250U (4c/8t) or i7-8650U (4c/8t) |
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| **RAM** | **2x SODIMM slots** — fully upgradable to 64GB |
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| **Storage** | 1x M.2 NVMe + 2.5" SATA bay |
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| **Battery** | Dual hot-swappable (internal + external) |
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| **GPU** | Intel UHD 620 (fine for Niri) |
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| **Price (AUD)** | ~$300–$550 |
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| **Secure Boot** | Easily disabled — no lock-in |
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---
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---
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## Generation Differences (T14 Series)
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## Hardware Specs
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| Gen | Year | AMD CPU | Key Changes |
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| Component | Detail |
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| Gen 1 | 2020 | Ryzen 4000 (Zen 2) | First T14 — 8GB soldered + 1 slot |
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| **CPU** | AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U — 6 Cores / 12 Threads (Zen 3, Cezanne) |
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| Gen 2 | 2021 | Ryzen 5000 (Zen 3) | Same chassis, CPU bump |
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| **GPU** | AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 (integrated) — `amdgpu` kernel driver |
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| Gen 3 | 2022 | Ryzen 6000 (Zen 3+) | **USB4**, DDR5, better iGPU |
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| **RAM** | 16 GB DDR4 — **2x SODIMM slots** (upgradeable) |
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| Gen 4 | 2023 | Ryzen 7040 (Zen 4) | Newer CPU, minor refresh |
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| **Storage** | 256 GB NVMe SSD |
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| Gen 5 | 2024 | Ryzen 8040 (Zen 4) | Latest |
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| **Display** | 14" FHD (1920×1080) — **10-point multi-touch touchscreen** |
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| **Network** | Ethernet + Wi-Fi |
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> **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.
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---
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---
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## Why Ryzen over Intel for This?
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## NixOS Integration
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| | **AMD Ryzen (T14 G1)** | **Intel (T14 G1)** |
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- **Flake:** `/etc/nixos#sam-4screen-desktop`
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- **User Config:** Home Manager at `/etc/nixos/home/sam/home.nix`
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- **GPU Driver:** `amdgpu` (open-source kernel driver) — excellent Wayland/Niri support
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- **Touchscreen:** Works with `libinput` touch input — 10-point multi-touch enabled
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---
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## Upgrade Potential
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| Component | Current | Max Upgrade |
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| Multi-core perf | **~60–80% faster** (6–8 cores) | 4-core, struggles with compilation |
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| **RAM** | 16 GB | 64 GB (2× 32 GB DDR4 SODIMM) |
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| iGPU (Wayland/Niri) | **Radeon Vega** — excellent driver, smooth compositing | Intel UHD — works but weaker |
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| **Storage** | 256 GB NVMe | 1× M.2 NVMe (any size) |
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| Battery life | **Better** — Ryzen 4000 is efficient | Worse on 10th gen Intel |
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| Thunderbolt | ❌ No (but USB-C DP works fine) | ✅ Yes (Intel version only) |
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| Price second-hand | **Cheaper** (less demand) | Often priced higher |
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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.
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> **Note:** Unlike the T14 series (soldered RAM + 1 slot), the L14 Gen 2 has **2 full SODIMM slots** — fully upgradeable to 64 GB.
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---
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---
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## Secure Boot / Lock-in Note
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## Why This Machine
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The "signed" problem you hit was **Secure Boot**. Both the T480 and T14 let you disable it trivially:
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- **Zen 3 CPU** — 6c/12t Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U is excellent for compilation, VMs, and NixOS builds
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1. F1 at boot → Security → Secure Boot → **Disabled**
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- **Radeon Vega 7 iGPU** — first-class open-source `amdgpu` driver; smooth Wayland/Niri compositing
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2. Boot NixOS installer
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- **Full SODIMM slots** — no soldered RAM; upgradeable to 64 GB
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- **Touchscreen** — 10-point multi-touch works with NixOS/libinput
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No signed drivers, no Pluton chip, no Microsoft gatekeeping. These are **freedom-friendly machines**.
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- **Secure Boot** — easily disabled in BIOS; freedom-friendly hardware
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---
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---
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## Bottom Line
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## See Also
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| If you want... | Get this |
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- [[../../530 Areas/Tuya|Tuya]]
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| Best performance for coding | **T14 Gen 1 AMD Ryzen 7** (~$500–$650 AUD) |
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| Cheapest entry + max upgradeability | **T480 i5** (~$300–$400 AUD) + upgrade RAM/storage later |
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**Search eBay AU:** `"ThinkPad T14 Gen 1 AMD Ryzen"` or `"ThinkPad T480"`
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