Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Works Great As A Linux Ultrabook

[sbenninger]

Is that ethernet adapter an USB-C, or some proprietary connector?

The ethernet adaptor is a proprietary connector. There is native intel gigabit ethernet on board but the standard rj45 jack is too thick to have directly on the X1 so the adaptor is required. Native On board ethernet is what made me choose the new X1 over the new XPS. I don't want to have to rely on USB adaptors/drivers etc for ethernet.

[arjun]

Get OneLink Pro Dock, a bit more expensive but it works pretty well. Both two external output works with recent kernel (Fedora 21) and matching Intel driver. Main advantage over all that previous USB based docks Lenovo had - it just works as it's just MST hub. It has own USB hub, ethernet and audio but again, it works with recent kernel. Sometimes I have to replug external keyboard, not sure what's wrong. I'll try to do the diff of lspci/lsusb.

So in the end, I like Carbon. The only issue is that semi-HiDPI display combined with non-HiDPI external displays (and with OneLink Pro dock you can have two Full HD outputs or just one HiDPI). GNOME is almost unusable due to x2 scaling factor. Plasma 5 with some DPI, sizec tweaking works quite well. Hardest issue was to find correct values - it's not too small on HiDPI display and not too big on external LCDs. For Firefox, AutoHDPI extension works (but for some reason it gets confused on Phoronix ).

So would you recommend the 1080p display over the 2560x1440? If you think the 2560x1440 display is a bad idea, I'm considering getting the T450s with the 1080p, since I connect to VGA projectors every once in a while.

[mhayden]

Do the touchpad and sound work out of the box in Fedora 21 on the X1 Carbon 3rd gen? The only reason I ask is that it seems like the same Broadwell SoC is used for the X1 and the Dell XPS 13 9343. Getting that SoC playing well on the Dell has been an exercise in futility. A BIOS update seems to the the only path out.

I'd love to know if the X1 suffers from the same touchpad/sound issues. Thanks.

[Michael]

Do the touchpad and sound work out of the box in Fedora 21 on the X1 Carbon 3rd gen? The only reason I ask is that it seems like the same Broadwell SoC is used for the X1 and the Dell XPS 13 9343. Getting that SoC playing well on the Dell has been an exercise in futility. A BIOS update seems to the the only path out.

I'd love to know if the X1 suffers from the same touchpad/sound issues. Thanks.

Sans the touchpad buttons as mentioned in the article, it's working great and have no issues with sound or touchpad... Remain very happy with the X1 Carbon 3rd gen!

[mhayden]

Sans the touchpad buttons as mentioned in the article, it's working great and have no issues with sound or touchpad... Remain very happy with the X1 Carbon 3rd gen!

Hmm, I'm confused. Are you saying that the touchpad/clickpad has issues clicking? Or, is there an issue with the physical buttons just above the touchpad (but below the keyboard nipple)?

[Michael]

there an issue with the physical buttons just above the touchpad (but below the keyboard nipple)?

Just that.

[olebowle]

Hi Michael,

could you please test if one can set charging thresholds with tpacpi-bat (or possibly Tp smapi, although I doubt it) and if they are actually honored?

Thanks in advance!

[hispeedzintarwebz]

Great article.

Have you had spotty wifi with the intel board? Mine drops connections all the time. I have the same X1C3 (i7, etc.) and I'm having that problem in fedora 21. I'm going to try disabling wireless n to see if that helps, but I really don't want to lose the speeds I've been getting when it is connected.

Also, have you gotten the brightness keys to work?

This is my first foray into fedora, so I am unsure how backports work, but I'm thinking something like that is the way to accomplish this...but I have a so far limited understanding of fedora, so not sure the way to go. I'm on 3.18 right now, my understanding is it's the latest stable kernel fedora has. Not sure how or even if I want to go newer than that.

[speculatrix]

Have you had spotty wifi with the intel board? Mine drops connections all the time

what wifi adaptor? If it's an Intel ac7260 then they're notorious for having problems.

I ripped the 7260 card out of mine which dropped out all the time, and replaced it with an older 6235 card, lost the 11ac function but kept a/b/g/n and bluetooth, and it's totally stable.

Being a Lenovo you'll have to check if WiFi cards are whitelisted in the BIOS otherwise the machine won't pass POST or won't turn the card on, and if so only buy a branded Lenovo card.

[zangxuma]

Legacy-BIOS

This procedure is far less involved than UEFI and works perfectly. pin sac du phong
In order to turn off UEFI booting you will need to boot into your BIOS and change the boot mode to Legacy. Afterward, follow the Beginners' guide for standard installation instructions.