User talk:Capitanplaneta
I'm so happy to find this web site! I'm currently thinking about buying a new laptop, but I'm worried to find problems to install GNU/Linux. Right now I'm considering a Thinkpad R52, with the Intel graphics card, I guess it will work fine with Linux...
Can you please advice me on this? Do you think I won't find many problems to make Linux (Fedora Core 4 or other distibution) on a Thinkpad R52, with the Intel graphics card and the Pentium M 1.7 GHz processor?
Hi,
There are still some issues with the newest models like the R52. Mostly Power Management related. For graphics, you'll probably need ATIs fglrx drivers.
However, as far as my experience goes there's hardly any notebook brand with as good Linux support as ThinkPads.
Wyrfel 21:12, 9 Aug 2005 (CEST)
Thanks a lot for the quick answer. The issues you mention with the power management... Do you mean it won't turn off when I close it, it won't suspend to disk, etc.? Then I'm not worried, I don't need this.
For the graphics card, you can find the driver and instructions on Intel's site, as I added to the Intel_Graphics_Media_Accelerator_900 page.
Linux-tested.com say they have tested this model with Red Hat and TurboLinux, and that it passes the tests... I'll surely buy it.
Capitanplaneta 21:14, 9 Aug 2005
There is some problem with the SATA interface on Suspend to RAM. See the "Suspend to RAM" section in How to make ACPI work. I guess that Hibernation works anyway and there also seems to be a fix for the problem.
Good Luck and lots of fun then, Wyrfel 21:40, 9 Aug 2005 (CEST)
What about the fan? I'm looking for a quiet laptop, I don't like computers that make much noise because they have the fan always running. I think that Thinkpads are very well constructed so they dissipate heat efficiently and they don't need to have the fans always on. Is that true? How quiet is the R52?
I was considering other laptops like the HP Compaq nc6120, that has the same price as the R52 and it has the same processor and graphics card, but it comes with a DVD recorder and a 60 Gb HDD. It also weighs less and is a bit smaller in size than the R52. It is Linux certified by Novell. It looks like a good buy (because of the DVD recorder mostly), although I prefer IBM products. I discarded the HP because I've read that it is not a quiet laptop, it has the fan always on.
Thanks, Capitanplaneta
Look at Problem with fan noise. The R52 seems to be affected. However, there are partial solutions for Linux that you can find on that page as well. The problem is that the modern ATI graphic chips are producing too much heat. Hence the system needs to use the fan a lot. Also, try subscribing to the Linux-ThinkPad Mailing list or searching their archives first. You'll find a greater audience there and i'm sure this topic has been discussed there as well. 84.191.158.226 14:19, 10 Aug 2005 (CEST)
Thanks! I've subscribed to the mailing list. I hope I don't have this problem on my R52, as I'm choosing the Intel Media Graphics card instead of the ATI. Capitanplaneta.
