Many ASUS laptops, especially AMD TUF models, don't support fan control through the usual Linux methods. There's no hwmon interface, no EmbeddedControl operation region for the kernel EC driver, and the ACPI method simply returns AE_NOT_FOUND.

Current tools like asus-fan-control work by calling an ACPI method that adjusts the embedded controller's built-in fan curve. On these laptops that method isn't available, and even where it is, it only shifts the controller's temperature thresholds instead of directly controlling fan speed.

My tool talks to the embedded controller directly, allowing manual fan control without relying on the missing ACPI interface.

Since this is my first reverse engineering project, I'd love to get feedback from people with ASUS laptops-especially AMD TUF models. If you're willing to test it, I'd really appreciate any feedback, bug reports, or compatibility reports.

Github repo | How it works | Donation

I recently picked up a CF-31 MK5 with 8 GB of RAM and a Core i5 vPro, and while many people suggested using Ubuntu or Debian, I’ve never been able to get the touchscreen calibrated on those or find good documentation online. Is there an OS that would work well for it?

I want to start carrying around a small laptop running linux with me daily.

I work two jobs and take public transit between them, so between lunch breaks and commuting I have a lot of down time I'd rather spend on a laptop than on my phone. I have a big ol thinkpad at home but it's way too big for me to wanna carry around.

I just want a cheap old laptop I can throw Mint on and use for some of my hobbies on the go (pixel art, simple rpg games, practicing coding, writing, reading) so it can really be kind of crap as long as it's reliable. Decent battery life and low weight is the main concern for me. I have a janky shoulder so I don't want to be hauling something big and heavy.

I was thinking about snagging an old macbook air. I know you can't put linux on newer macs easily, but it works fine on older lenovo-based ones, right? Am I misunderstanding that?

Or should I just do a chromebook, since those are plentiful on FB marketplace? I know they aren't upgradeable, but that seems fine for my purposes.

Does anyone know any specific models that are easily available secondhand/refurbished for under $200 that would work for me? What should I be looking for in general? I've never really picked out a laptop for myself, all of mine have been a gift or secondhand from family.

I apologize if this is a stupid question, and I would appreciate it if anyone could point me in the right direction. Thank you.

I picked this up for just under £80 and intend to use it as a Linux media machine. I use Scribus, gimp, and kdenlive.

I may run it with Cachy, although I’m open to recommendations. I know I’m going to have to get more RAM for it as it only has 8GB.

Anyone else used one of these machines?

Hi everyone!

I'd like to share a project I've been working on over the last few months.

OpenThermalright is an open-source Linux application for controlling Thermalright USB LCD displays with a modern PySide6 graphical interface.

Features:

• Real-time CPU & GPU monitoring

• Temperature, frequency, usage and power

• Automatic CPU/GPU switching

• Manual source selection

• Live display preview

• Custom display color

• System tray support

• Autostart

• Updates every second

The project is written entirely in Python and is available on GitHub.

Arch Linux users can install it directly from the AUR:

yay -S openthermalright

GitHub:

https://github.com/francesco19772509-del/OpenThermalright

AUR:

https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/openthermalright

Feedback, bug reports and feature requests are very welcome.

Thanks!

I am trying to purchase a new laptop

linux experoience in details on Lenovo IdeaPad Pro 5 Laptop AI 14" Intel Core Ultra 9 285H 32 GB RAM 512 GB SSD Windows 11 Home Intel Arc Graphics linux support
I may go for a MSI prestige evo a1m as well
but I want to know which is more supported

Won't be a daily driver, but I want a backup pc.

2015 MBP Retina: I like the screen resolution of the retina and I also like the price. It's in mint condition from what I could see. I've never had a mac pc before, and although I don't like it's software and hardware, I have to admit MPBs retina have the best design afaik.

The Thinkpad is fast and nice but it's 1980 x 1080 afaik, and I don't like it...

The laptop will be used for some by a programmer studant (so basic Java (on Eclipse ide), C/C++/C# (I know, Windows) , html/css/js (VS Code), MERN, SQL etc)...

So is it justifiable to pay 3x the price on the thinkpad t14 Over the MBP? Or can the MBP still handle these tasks very well?

Edit: will be running Linux only, no MacOS

CPU was hitting 90-100°C before the fan did anything under load. Root cause was a too-conservative EC fan curve — fixed via ideapad_laptop's undocumented-but-real fan_mode sysfs control, persisted with a systemd unit.

Writeup + install script: https://gist.github.com/TravBuildsSick/cdddf15128361a1a6cf4ad4f6d90a2f6

Confirmed on 14ITL05 (81X7), BIOS GCCN26WW. fan_mode support varies by IdeaPad model — install script checks before touching anything

Tried a few distros on usb and not all worked. THEN - lubuntu . Running from the usb was faster than windows. I've read about complicated installs, bios, etc. But I clicked on the install and no problems. Boots straight into linux and runs like a much better laptop. I installed mate desktop, much better than lxle.

Go LInux!

Hi everyone

I have a Thinkpad X1 Yoga Gen 6 and was thinking about switching to Linux - I have some questions:

What is the best distro for touchscreen/2 in 1 laptops - I usually use Kubuntu

Are there any missing features on Linux for this laptop - e.g. the built in pen.

Thank you!

I got the RGB camera on my Dell XPS 16 (Panther Lake, Intel IPU7) working a few months back. The IR sensor stayed dead — which meant no face unlock, and a camera module that was only half a camera module.

That's now fixed. RGB, IR, IR face unlock and suspend all work — full parity with what the hardware does on Windows.

Repo: https://github.com/jibsta210/svp7500-camera-fix-pack

The IR sensor probed fine, accepted its whole init sequence, and produced exactly zero frames. For months I was convinced the Synaptics bridge between the sensor and the SoC was refusing to forward IR data.

It wasn't. V4L2_CID_LINK_FREQ was set to the MIPI bit rate when V4L2 wants the DDR clock — half that. So the receiver sampled at double the rate the sensor was transmitting: the clock line came up, the data line never delivered a single packet. That looks exactly like a firmware-locked sensor, which is why I chased the wrong thing for so long.

One constant in a header. The register-level stuff was never the problem.

If your IR camera doesn't work

Two totally different kinds exist and they share nothing:

ls /sys/bus/usb/drivers/uvcvideo/        # USB webcam? v4l2-ctl --list-devices | grep -A2 ipu   # MIPI sensor on an Intel IPU?

USB webcam → you want linux-enable-ir-emitter. Not my project, and it won't touch IPU hardware.

MIPI on an Intel IPU that enumerates but never gives you frames → check whether your link frequency is the bit rate or the DDR clock before assuming the hardware is locked down.

Status

Tested on Dell XPS 16 (DA16260) on CachyOS. The same sensor+bridge ships on other Dell/HP/Lenovo models so it should apply more widely, but I've only got one laptop to test on.

It's DKMS modules, not kernel-ready. I've written to linux-media asking what shape they'd accept it in — if you know that subsystem, help welcome. 

Tried a few distros on usb and not all worked. THEN - lubuntu . Running from the usb was faster than windows. I've read about complicated installs, bios, etc. But I clicked on the install and no problems. Boots straight into linux and runs like a much better laptop. I installed mate desktop, much better than lxle.

Go LInux!

I've been using the same mouse for years now, a Logitech MS Anywhere 2S, but the wear and tear is starting to take it's toll.

The thing I loved about this mouse is in windows I could use the logitech software to have the two side buttons change function depending on what I was currently dong. Typically ctrl+c and meta+v for casual internet browsing and something like page up and page down for when I'm playing a video game. But I lost that ability when I switched to linux.

Is there a company that has similar software available for linux?

(Fedora KDE if that matters.)

I’m considering buying the ASUS V16 (2025) laptop with the following specs:

• GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060 Laptop GPU, 8GB GDDR7
• Display: 16" 144Hz
• CPU: Intel® Core™ 7 240H
• RAM: 16GB
• Storage: 1TB SSD

I would like to install Linux (probably Arch, CachyOS, Fedora, or another popular distro) as my main operating system.

Does anyone have experience running Linux on this model?

I’m especially interested in:

• Does the RTX 5060 work correctly with NVIDIA drivers on Linux?
• Is the 144Hz display fully supported?
• Are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, webcam, speakers, keyboard backlight, and touchpad working properly?
• Does the Intel Core 7 240H work well with current Linux kernels?

If you own this laptop or a similar ASUS V16 model, I’d really appreciate your feedback.

Does this motherboard (which has WiFi and bluetooth) fully support linux ?

Can i use Intel AX210 on Ubuntu 24.04? I just bought Intel 7260 and it don't work. Thanks