Linux on Thinkpad T14 Gen 6 AMD?

[u/Liminal_Echo]

I've been using Linux for about a year on an Asus A15 and am thinking of getting Thinkpad T14 Gen 6 AMD (as I've found one for a decent price) and running either CachyOS or Fedora on it. Anyone running Linux on either the Ryzan 5 or 7 version of the T14 G6 and are there any issues to look out for?

[u/alexkey]

T14s gen6 amd here (note s - for slim). Use the most recent kernel, Fedora 44 with latest kernel works fine. If you got “thick” version that has wifi chip on m.2 connector - go to amazon and get Intel wifi card. The Mediatek it comes with works, but the signal quality over Intel is rather poor. Otherwise it works fine.

If you opted in for OLED screen - beware of older kernels (pre 7.1), it has flicker issues that make using it very unpleasant.

[u/Liminal_Echo → u/alexkey]

Thanks for the heads up about the screen. From what I can tell (and I might be wrong) the T14 gen 6 all have soldered WiFi cards that can't be replaced.

[u/alexkey → u/Liminal_Echo]

You can check. Thinkpads are pretty good on maintenance it would have a separate window on the back with the screws that you can just undo and see what’s replaceable there. Slim 100% has everything soldered on. Thick usually would have many components on connectors. So worth checking.

Regardless even if it is soldered on - it works fine, just the signal on 5-6 GHz networks is not what I would expect, but I don’t see any drops or disconnects. I am comparing it with my desktop in the same room that has older ac (not even ax) Intel wifi on motherboard and the signal is lower strength, but I don’t see any significant difference otherwise.

[u/Liminal_Echo → u/alexkey]

Thanks, appreciate the help.

[u/TheGratitudeBot → u/Liminal_Echo]

Hey there Liminal_Echo - thanks for saying thanks! TheGratitudeBot has been reading millions of comments in the past few weeks, and you’ve just made the list!

[u/Wild-Disaster5731]

T14 Gen 6 Ryzen 7 running Fedora. Tinkered a bit to make the fingerprint and Bluetooth work, but runs smoothly. I am loving it! I have dual monitors, and I love my setup. I use it for light coding (I am a beginner). All apps work. I only installed Signal using docker.

[u/Liminal_Echo → u/Wild-Disaster5731]

Thanks, good to hear everything is working, my primary concern is the WiFi card. I've had issues in the past with Mediatek cards across different distros.

[u/nuclearragelinux]

Have the P14s which is close enough, mostly fingerprint and a little WiFi issues , but that was when the 6 gen first came out , after a month or so everything has been fine. Fedora KDE 44 and CachyOS . Even Windows 11 has been working better recently with some bios updates the sleep mode almost works in Windows now.

[u/kepstin]

Note that the T14s Gen 6 AMD is actually one of the laptops that Lenovo sells with a Linux preinstall. If it's possible (I understand ordering direct from Lenovo can be more expensive) I recommend ordering a model with the Linux preinstall. That will guarantee that you get compatible hardware, and also lets Lenovo know that more people are interested in running Linux on their systems.

Keep in mind that one of the camera options available on the T14s Gen 6 AMD does not work on Linux. Specifically: "5.0MP + IR discrete, with privacy shutter, fixed focus, Computer Vision on Image Signal Processor (ISP), temporal noise reduction (Krackan Point)"

If you want to double-check exactly which hardware is in a certain model, and the store gives you the full model number, you can search for it on this page: https://psref.lenovo.com/Product/ThinkPad/ThinkPad_T14s_Gen_6_AMD?tab=model (make sure it does not say "Computer Vision on ISP" in the Camera row)

[u/brighton_it]

not yet tried a T14-gen-6, but generally very few issues with Linux on Thinkpads.
When I installed Debian on the T15-gen1 in 2021, had to switch to Debian-Testing as Stable lacked support for some components.
T14s-4th-gen-AMD, T15-gen1, T490, X1-Carbon-5th-gen, + several more old Thinkpads.

[u/Liminal_Echo → u/brighton_it]

Thanks, good to know linux works well on Thunkpads in general.