Dark humor is how I live my life.

On Windows I use TPFanControl But I think the version on sourceforge doesn’t include some installer you need first. But I think the Thinkwiki version isn’t a PITA? IDK I found the version that worked and saved it a long time ago.

The software came out in the pre turbo boost age so the default automatic fan curve is almost useless and will constantly change the RPM. I just set it so it starts in manual mode and manual mode defaults to 7 (full blast) so when I’m running intensive stuff I just open the program, and when I’m done I close it.

Visual studio and visual studio code are two different things.

keyboard, screen, or charging port as the things that break

That’s exactly where structural reinforcement makes a difference. Keyboard less so since usually it’s the switches that break. But ThinkPads have reinforcement not just on the chassis, but the ports too. There’s a plate about 1 inch wide on all the ports of my machine. The less all components flex the less likely things break. From simple insertion cycles to actual physical damage, it all adds up over time.

as the CPU hits 100°C in 0.5 seconds (:

Yup, 100% intentional. Any time there’s any sort of a load (even opening small programs) the CPU will go balls out to load it as fast as possible, then when the loads done should cool down quickly… Unless the load doesn’t stop then it hits PL2 and performance drops off a cliff. Any Intel laptop you buy will do the exact same thing. 30 watts seems to be the sweet spot to me. The factory 20 basically disables the P cores, and above 35 and you’re at the point of diminishing returns. If you set the fan speed manually to 100% it will sustain almost 40, but then it’s screaming and burning hot.

IMO never buy an Intel laptop unless you have no other options. AMD is much better about keeping their clock in their pants unlike Intel. But they still do something similar. I have a one gen older T14s AMD and it’s faster in almost every single way in real world usage.

Dell seems to be really busy trying to be Apple with their XPS line, but they don’t have the Apple Silicon that makes their laptops so good.

Yeah don’t use a magic eraser on anything that isn’t like a hard tile. Magic erasers are basically one step below sand paper. They will destroy the texture of plastic if you put any pressure on them. Soap and a towel go a long way. You could also use windex of any other light window cleaner. DO NOT use anything that contains ammonia.

Don’t use alcohol on the screen either. 70% or less is typically fine, but I’d stick to a very diluted mix. Like 50% or less. Google says store bought screen cleaners use Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Cocamidopropyl Betaine. Idk how to buy those for myself, so I just stick with a teeny tiny touch of dish soap on a lightly damp towel or microfiber. Then follow it up with a dry micro fiber. The store bought stuff works wonders for cleaning the smudges that soap left behind.

Yup, same as my machine. PL1 is 64 watts which no way a smaller laptop with normal cooling can keep up. That’s just how modern CPUs are designed to run.

When it switches to PL2 and it fully settles down it’s limited to just 21 watts which is nowhere near enough for that CPU to stretch it’s legs. With the cooler from a dGPU model it handles the heat a lot better (60-70c steady state) but GOD is it still slow. But that’s mostly because Intel is incompetent. AMD versions fare so much better.

Intel or AMD? Intel purposefully does this. It’s not overheating because it’s hitting 100c, it’s designed to run at 100c in order to turbo boost as much and for as long as possible. Outside of the turbo thick gamer laptops they’ll all be like this unless you put them in a power saving mode.

AMD is less stupid about this, but still does something similar.

Depends on what features you value. Just raw specs? Some HP garbage will cost probably half what a comparable T14 costs.

2-3 years used? That ThinkPad is probably the same price or cheaper thanks to companies retiring leased machines.

The machine doens’t wobble because there’s an Ethernet plugged in. The flappy thing is just to maintain the curve. I dont think it even touches the table when plugged in.

While easy to repair, how does durability compare so you don’t need to repair it in the first place?

While not bad like an HP consumer grade laptop, I have not heard good things about the rigidity of the frameworks. All the modularity takes away space for reinforcement and leaves more points for things to break.

No, they’ve always had some sort of magnesium reinforcement. Full blown roll cage? Yeah that went away around the T440 series. E or L series? They’ve always been cheaper. But there’s always been some magnesium reinforcement on the T series.

T460 https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/jrMAAOSwOwdkVWl8/s-l1200.jpg

T480 https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31Oj9fSCo-L._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

T14 Gen 1 https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/S59cb725ffd0043ccacb3e731f8409715c.jpg

Gen 3 https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Lenovo+ThinkPad+T14+Gen+3+Keyboard+Replacement/157530#s329289

Gen 5 https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/dn8AAOSwqT9mg1T-/s-l400.jpg

Did you go to their parts website? They sell parts for even their shitty(er) laptops.

https://www.hp.com/us-en/parts-store/

And yet still not as serviceable/durable as older ThinkPads.

Uh, have you ever replaced the motherboard on older ThinkPads? You have to tear the entire machine apart and it’s a 30+ minute job. Around the time they removed the water spouts they switched to the bottom opening instead of top opening and replacing the main board went down to a 10 minute job. Even just replacing the thermal paste on some older machines required full disassembly.

They may not have water spouts that let you pour a gallon of water through the keyboard, but they do have plenty of plastic shields that prevent water from going further into the computer. If you knock over your soda your computer will probably be fine.

FH6 is supposed to based on the same engine as the new Motorsport game. FH6s minimum system requirements are even more than Motorsport. And Motorsport runs like butts even on a higher end PC. 5 might be playable, but 6 almost definitely won’t be.

Just to be sure, all power cables are plugged into the GPU right?

Some work without all of them, some work with none of them. But most GPUs need all pcie power cables to be plugged in. Some GPUs have lights to indicate if there’s a power cable missing/not fully plugged in.

Nvidia doing anything but providing a wider memory bus. At least there’s slightly more bandwidth and hopefully this means they won’t raise the price.

I was really hoping for 16 gigs of ram but not expecting it.

Either way a great machine for people who only do basic tasks. It’s just an iPhone 16 shoved into a laptop. Plenty of power as long as you’re not a multi tasker. I’ve never been a tablet guy so I’d pick this up any day over an iPad and keyboard case.

If you’re used to the UI and UX of Mac OS and not Windows then almost any distro will be rough. There’s Elementary OS that at surface level looks like Mac OS, but then you use the actual Linux programs and they’re just Linux programs.

You can still buy Office 2024 outright. I guess they got rid of professional, but who really wants to use Access?

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/buy/compare-all-microsoft-365-products