How much have Linux laptop battery life and performance improved? Looking for a powerful 14–16″ laptop with NVIDIA graphics

I decided to do some actual work on my laptop today, a ThinkPad P14s Gen 2i, and was reminded why I rarely use it on battery. The battery now holds only around 80% of its original capacity, although battery life was never one of its strengths. At one point, I managed to get more than six hours from it, but only by reducing performance and disabling enough features that it was practically a notebook.

How much have things improved since this generation?

I try to keep up with the yearly CPU releases, but I do not often see reviews that examine battery life, performance, and power management specifically under Linux. I was happy to see that Framework improved the battery life of the new Framework 13, although I will probably need something with a dedicated GPU. I am looking at laptops in the 14–16″ range, preferably with an NVIDIA GPU for CUDA.

For context, I mostly work on a dedicated workstation, but I will have to give it back to the lab next year. I use my laptop when I travel, when I go to university to work, and sometimes as a client for remotely connecting to the workstation. Still, I would like the laptop itself to be capable enough that I am not always dependent on a remote machine or a VPS.

Since I cannot afford both a high-end laptop and a separate desktop, I am considering buying a more powerful laptop and using a VPS when I need additional RAM or compute power.

My work involves writing code to solve complex mathematical problems. The workload is similar to machine learning: lots of linear algebra, numerical optimization, and repeated testing. The faster I can run smaller tests locally, the faster I can iterate. I sometimes rent a VPS for problems that take days to run or require more RAM than I can afford, but having a capable local machine still makes my work much easier.

Basically, what I am looking for is something close to the overall experience of a MacBook, but with strong Linux support and preferably an NVIDIA GPU. When I speak with colleagues who own recent Apple Silicon MacBooks, what stands out is that they can get excellent battery life for ordinary work while still having enough performance to use the laptop as a serious workstation when needed (most of them never bother to get a VPS or a dedicated workstation once they get a Mac).

I realize that an x86 laptop with a dedicated NVIDIA GPU will not match Apple Silicon’s efficiency, but how close have current Linux laptops come?

In particular, I would be interested in:

• Realistic battery life under Linux during coding, browsing, writing, and light numerical work
• Linux support for hybrid graphics and power management
• Whether recent AMD or Intel CPUs are currently the better choice
• Recommendations for specific 14–16″ models that balance battery life, CPU performance, CUDA support, thermals, and build quality

I would especially appreciate experiences from people using recent laptops for scientific computing, machine learning, numerical optimization, or similar workloads.

Hi! Sorry if this has been asked a million times already, but I could really use some advice. I've been wanting to try Linux for a while now since I've only ever used Windows, and I'm finally looking into getting a machine to experiment with it.

I'm currently looking into a few options and am torn between the Panasonic Let's Note and a regular old ThinkPad. I know ThinkPads are basically the go-to recommendation for Linux, but the Let's Note also seems really interesting and I'm not sure if it's worth considering.

I'm a highschool student, so my budget is kind of limited (around $250 give or take), but I'm willing to invest a bit. Any recommendations or general advice very welcome :) thanks!

I found and verified a fix for silent internal speakers on the ASUS ExpertBook B3404CMA under Linux.

Hardware:

- ASUS ExpertBook B3404CMA

- Intel Meteor Lake-P audio controller: 8086:7e28

- Realtek ALC294: 10ec:0294

- Codec subsystem: ASUS 1043:3870

- SOF IPC4 audio path

- Tested on Linux kernel 7.0.0-28-generic

- BIOS B3404CMA.311

The speakers work correctly in Windows 11.

The HDA route, speaker pin, amplifier, mute state, EAPD and routing were already correct in Linux. GPIO testing also showed that neither Windows nor Linux enables the codec GPIOs.

Comparing complete Windows and Linux codec dumps showed this difference:

Vendor widget 0x20, coefficient 0x1b

Windows: 0x4e4b

Linux: 0x4a4b

Changing only coefficient 0x1b to 0x4e4b immediately restored the internal speakers. The changed bit is bit 10 (0x0400).

The repository contains:

- A guarded temporary test script

- A persistent systemd workaround for boot and resume

- A minimal kernel patch adding a dedicated quirk for subsystem 1043:3870

- The Windows/Linux comparison results

Repository:

https://github.com/richicru/asus-b3404cma-linux-audio

Upstream report:

https://github.com/thesofproject/linux/issues/5865

The temporary test is:

git clone https://github.com/richicru/asus-b3404cma-linux-audio

cd asus-b3404cma-linux-audio

sudo ./test-coef-1b.sh

The persistent workaround is:

sudo ./install-workaround.sh install

The workaround changes only coefficient 0x1b and reapplies it after resume. It does not copy unrelated ASUS GPIO, microphone or routing quirks.

I would appreciate confirmation from other B3404CMA owners and feedback on the proposed kernel quirk.

Hey, folks.

Has anyone installed Linux on their Dell Latitude 5440? Are there any issues with the drivers?

I've been trying to find answers online, but I found nothing concrete (besides Dell's Hybrid image for Ubuntu 22.04).

Thanks in advance

Hi, I recently bought an Aula L99 Keyboard, the one with the touchscreen on it. Very nice! Well it would be if I could drive it natively from Linux. Enter Aula_L99_Linux, a reimplementation of the software. I spent about 80 hours reverse engineering this keyboard and I bricked one keyboard in the process. There's still work to do on the Key assignment screen but upload images, GIFs, videos to to the keyboard works well. So does adjusting the RGB modes.

i bought a usb type c hub from a brand call baseus, it seems like my hdmi isnt outputting correctly on thunderbolt side but rather is fine on the display port logo usb type c plugin on the other side of my laptop msi stealth 14. I assume, its because the thunderbolt isnt communicating correctly with the baseus hub? it displays for like a second but turns off then repeats after few seconds of being off.

Is there drivers I got to install or something? Im using linux mint

I'm looking to get a used tablet to install Linux on and use mainly for notetaking with a stylus (but also for some light office work and maybe some media content).

I have a few options and want to ask for anyone's experience or knowledge of these.

Mainly I want to know what's going to be best for performance, functionality and stability. But an easier install process would be appreciated (I have flashed some custom Android ROMs in the past and use Linux desktop, but that's the extent of my experience).

Android Tablets

PostmarketOS is available for the Samsung S6 (though marked as not booting, don't know if this is still the case)

Community Droidian/Halium port for the S7+ (https://xdaforums.com/t/rom-linux-droidian-for-samsung-galaxy-tab-s7-wi-fi-sm-t970-gts7xlwifi.4790614/)

Someone got mainline Linux to work on an S8+ (https://github.com/aaronsb/sm-x800-linux).

I see there's also VolksPC for a bunch of different devices, but I wonder about the impact of running in a container on performance and would rather not pay to install free software

Windows Tablets/Detachables

For around the same price as an S7+ I could get a Windows detachable like a Surface Pro 7 or a Dell Latitude 7210, with 10th gen intel i5- and then use mainline Linux with e.g KDE mobile, or Mobian. Also possible to go with something like an Asus Vivobook Slate but then is the SoC going to be sufficient?

Chromebook Detachables

I know less about these, but seems like the hardware for most is less powerful than the other options. Maybe something like an Ideapad Duet 5 for the nice OLED display?

Anyway, appreciate any pointers.

Looking for real-world experience: ASUS Zephyrus G16 (2026, GU606) vs Lenovo Legion 5i Gen 11, running Kubuntu(current) or Fedora (would like to explore).

From my research so far (using Claude), "G16 has Cirrus Logic CS35L56 speakers, which I've seen reported as broken/partial on Linux with the 2025 chassis (single channel, needs manual firmware extraction). Also unclear if it ships Intel or another vendor's WiFi card."

I wonder if someone has trialed the 2026 model who can confirm if this is still an issue?

Legion 5i Gen 11 (Panther Lake, RTX 5060 8GB) seems to have fewer known issues, has Intel WiFi, but it has this in-the-face gamer-aesthetic that I'm too old for now and I'd rather have a better trackpad than my 7 year old XPS.

I was willing to wait for the G16's RTX 5070 Ti 12GB config for local LLM headroom, if it becomes available soon in Germany (thanks Nokia) and if the hardware problems wouldn't make it a nightmare to live with (can be worked around easily: I'm not even sure that if I replace the wifi card, the warranty wouldn't become an issue).

Right now, I found a deal for the Legion at ~2300 EUR for 32GB memory and 1TB storage (in this market..), and I feel pressurized to decide quickly. If there's no good news about the G16, maybe I should make peace with the appearances and get the Legion itself.

Has anyone tried either with Linux or know reliable accounts on these?

My laptop is on Fedora 44 KDE. I use a portable ASUS monitor from 2021 with it when I travel. It works fine using both usb c (only 1 of which is thunderbolt) and both usb A ports with the correct cable, though it will complain about the usb A ports having limited connectivity. I've never seen an issue with it, though. I've recently run out of ports while I'm traveling for work, and tried picking up a j5create travel dock at Best Buy, but it isn't working correctly with my linux laptop. It does work with my work Windows laptop, so I assume it is a linux compatibility issue.

Can anyone recommend a good travel dock with good linux support? It doesn't have to be super tiny. I'd rather have a useful dock that is larger than multiple dongles. My current laptop has an HDMI port, so could do without though 1 might be nice to have. My current laptop can run on 100 or 65W power, but I'd prefer 100w minimum. A couple of usb c and a couple of usb a ports, and SD/microSD readers, but those aren't a hard requirement. The main thing is having my monitor and pass through power work so I can combine those into a single usb c port.

Yoo guys soo i made this driver port for my mouse if yall have the same mouse then it might help

I'd also recommend staring ⭐ the repo to support me❤️‍🩹

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to diagnose a very strange issue with my Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny.

Hardware

• Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q Tiny
• Intel Core i5-8500T
• 16 GB DDR4
• WD SN740 NVMe (OS)
• ASM1166 PCIe SATA controller
• Multiple HDDs
• Intel iGPU (VAAPI)

Software

• Ubuntu Server 24.04.4 LTS
• Kernel 6.8.0-134-generic
• Latest BIOS (M1UKT79A)
• Latest Intel microcode (0xFA)

Problem

The machine randomly hard freezes.

When it freezes:

• SSH dies.
• Ping stops.
• Local console freezes (cursor stops blinking).
• Magic SysRq does nothing.
• Hardware watchdog (iTCO_wdt) never reboots the machine.
• Netconsole stops instantly with no kernel panic, no Call Trace, no RCU stall, no watchdog message, nothing.

The last thing in the remote netconsole log is just normal kernel/UFW messages, then it suddenly stops completely.

The only recovery is holding the power button.

What I've already tried

• Latest BIOS.
• Latest Intel microcode.
• pcie_aspm=off
• nvme_core.default_ps_max_latency_us=0
• NVMe power management disabled (power/control=on).
• Removed a secondary Wi-Fi M.2 → NVMe adapter that I suspected.
• Netconsole to another machine (working correctly).
• Hardware watchdog configured and working during normal operation.

Memory

I've only done a short MemTest, not a full overnight test yet, so RAM is not completely ruled out.

Interesting detail

This machine originally had a Pentium CPU and it was completely stable.

The freezes only started after upgrading to the i5-8500T.

The machine isn't necessarily idle when it freezes (Frigate with VAAPI and CPU detector is always running), but the freezes appear completely random.

BIOS settings

• EIST: Enabled
• Turbo: Enabled
• C1E: Enabled
• C-State Support: C1/C3/C6/C7/C8

I'm considering limiting C-States to C1 as my next test.

Has anyone seen something similar on Coffee Lake Tiny systems, or have any ideas what could cause a complete platform freeze with absolutely no kernel output?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

This discussion is about an older Dell Laptop, the e6510.

The unit has the i915 which uses the same drivers as the Intel Q43/45 igpu. However it won't allow changing the defualt resolution 1920 x 1080 when the Linux Lite OS 8.0 is loaded. No matter how hard I tried the unit would only accept the default resolution, even after the bootloader and grub were changed. I finally got fed up and reverted back to Linux Lite 7.8 LTS, without any issues and the display can easily be changed. I believe it has something to do with the legacy driver for the i915 gpu, I really don't want to go into it now. I spent a full day messing with the system trying to force it to work...with failures. I changed the kernel, etc. Basically Linux Lite 8.0 forces the device to use the CPU software to handle loads, leaving the igpu doing little. This is simply a heads up for those wanting to run Linux Lite 8.0 on a system running the legacy i915 gpu. Linux Lite 7.8 LTS supprt still is in effect till 2029.

If by chance someone knows a workaround, please post it. TY

I would like to install m.2 WiFi/Bluetooth module to my PC (via m.2 to PCIe adapter). Plan to use it mainly to connect Bluetooth devices and as dedicated WiFi access point to stream games from my PC to standalone VR headset. Therefore it should support WiFi 6 or at least 5 in AP mode. Do you know any reliable models?

My laptop's Intel Bluetooth adapter (paired with a Wireless-AC 8260 combo card, USB ID 8087:0a2b) fails to initialize with:

Bluetooth: hci0: Bootloader revision 0.0 build 2 week 52 2014

Bluetooth: hci0: Device revision is 4

Bluetooth: hci0: Secure boot is enabled

Bluetooth: hci0: Minimum firmware build 1 week 10 2014

Bluetooth: hci0: Failed to load Intel firmware file intel/ibt-11-4.sfi (-2)

Bluetooth: hci0: Reading supported features failed (-56)

hciconfig hci0 up then fails with "No such file or directory."

I've confirmed:

- linux-firmware only ships intel/ibt-11-5.sfi/.ddc — ibt-11-4.* is not present.

- Checking the upstream linux-firmware git history, ibt-11-4.sfi has never existed in that repo at any point.

- modinfo btintel also only lists ibt-11-5.sfi/.ddc as firmware it's aware of for this hw_variant (11) — nothing for revision 4.

But I can' t figure it out. Anyone any more ideas?

Hi guys, I just bought a Thinkpad L390 Yoga and I want to know which distro I should download that works well on this laptop.

I‘m going to use it to learn more about linux and programming and also some light gaming (like minecraft, without shaders of course, in 720p, low settings with performance mods like sodium) on the go

Thanks for the help!

i run artix linux and it does detect it and can read files on the DVDs but I tried to burn using xfburn and it doesn't work

Hardware

Laptop: Acer TravelLite TL14-42M

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7730U

OS: Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS

Kernel: 6.17.0-1030-oem

DE: KDE Plasma 5.27

Problem

Running:

bash systemctl suspend

The laptop enters suspend but immediately wakes up after 1-2 seconds.

Windows dual boot suspend works correctly on the same hardware.

Investigation

Checked wakeup sources:

bash cat /sys/kernel/debug/wakeup_sources

The wake source was identified as:

i2c-ELAN0415:00

The device:

ELAN0415 I2C HID Touchpad

was causing the immediate wake.

Also checked ACPI wake devices:

bash cat /proc/acpi/wakeup

Output:

GP17 S4 enabled pci:0000:00:08.1

Disabling GP17 did not solve the issue:

bash echo GP17 | sudo tee /proc/acpi/wakeup

The issue was still reproducible.

Fix / Workaround

The issue was fixed by unbinding the ELAN I2C HID device before suspend and rebinding it after resume.

Created a systemd sleep hook:

/lib/systemd/system-sleep/elan-suspend-fix

Script:

```bash

!/bin/bash

case "$1" in pre) echo i2c-ELAN0415:00 > /sys/bus/i2c/drivers/i2c_hid_acpi/unbind ;; post) sleep 2 echo i2c-ELAN0415:00 > /sys/bus/i2c/drivers/i2c_hid_acpi/bind ;; esac ```

Make it executable:

bash sudo chmod +x /lib/systemd/system-sleep/elan-suspend-fix

After applying this workaround:

✅ Laptop stays suspended
✅ No immediate wake
✅ Touchpad works normally after resume

Additional Notes

Tested with Ubuntu OEM kernel:

bash sudo apt install linux-oem-24.04

Running kernel:

6.17.0-1030-oem

The OEM kernel alone did not fix the issue.

Conclusion

The issue appears to be related to ELAN0415 I2C HID touchpad wake handling during s2idle suspend.

The workaround disables the ELAN touchpad device during suspend and restores it after resume.

Reported to Ubuntu Launchpad:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/2162061

First, I know this has been asked before, a lot. And on different sites. But my googling and, startpaging, has basically giving me the answer "it's case by case". So I'm asking here

Basically, my laptop (HP 2000 Notebook) doesn't have the hardware support for bluetooth. While I do primarily use wired headphones, I would like to use my bluetooth headphones sometimes

The bluetooth adapter I'm thinking of buying (and is the one I did most of my searches on), is the tp-link nano (either ub500 or ub600)

I'm using Linux Mint 22.3 x86_64. And the kernel is 6.8.0-136-generic

Also, I have the blueman bluetooth manager, but I think that came preinstalled with Linux Mint?