ThinkPad X1 Carbon (6th Gen) Owners Lounge

I already had a 970 Evo so I didn't need to go there. I thought MX-4 was generally well regarded but it has been awhile since I've done research on thermal paste. I've never had any issue with it that I'm aware of. Kryonaut is absurdly expensive at moment. $30 for 3ml tube. I see that the thermal conductivity is better w/ Kryonaut. I may just buy a tube and compare.

With this laptop is the better method the "pea" dot in the center or spread the paste out evenly over the die? I spread it out evenly because that's how it was from the factory.

 

For me I used fine rice grain.

Although with Kronaut it's instructed to spread it out on the CPU die.

 

Hi-guys! So, I recently got my X1 Carbon 6th Gen and everything seems okay from my initial inspection. I have been reading and trying to figure out how to get the OS loaded properly. The system had Windows 10 Home but I plan on upgrading the OS to avoid all the bloatware.

Should I use the basic NBR install instructions for Window Enterprise as well? Do I need to remove Window Home first? I’m trying to ensure I have a great start.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

 

What is the best current CPU option for the X1C6?

That is to say is the 8250u, 8350u, 8550u or 8650u more likely to be better binned / better able to perform consistently within the limits of the X1C6 cooling setup and 29W TDP?

Also, it seems like cpus in the X1C6 achieve very similar performance to the t480 / t480s at lower TDPs (15-29W vs 15-44W) - especially when undervolted. Is it possible that the X1 line is getting slightly better binned cpus than other lenovo laptop lines?

 

Anyone else feel like your laptop never truly goes to sleep? I can still hear the fan running whenever I put it into sleep more. This is causing my battery not to last as long. Laptop feels warm wherever I take it out of my bag. Any ideas?

 

Most likely, it's "Modern Standby," (aka, InstantGo, Connected Standby, etc), a Microsoft-lead initiative to ensure your laptop doesn't really sleep, rather, it stays on in a low power state with active programs.

The X1C6 offers a "Linux" standby mode in the IBIOS (opposed to "Windows" mode), which reverts back to the traditional sleep style.

IMO, if you only want 8GB, then get the cheapest one and stick with it. If you want more RAM, then upgrade the CPU to something else and go with that.

 

Just ordered one of these. I'm excited but a bit worried about all the negative things I've been hearing about them.

- Overheating
- Throttling
- Paint Peeling
- Display Quality
- Touchpad Button Quality
- Keyboard Lottery
- Display Lottery
- Bent lid
- Linux support?

 

All of the above are real issues except for the last one - Linux support. Linux is flexible enough to be put on any hardware nowadays. You can except some tweaking of course, but success is guaranteed. Just don't get discouraged if it doesn't work out of the box and don't give up easily.

I've spent a few extra hours putting Qubes on my Thinkpad E485 with Ryzen and Vega = really happy with the result even despite some nasty BIOS issues (missing or incorrect hardware IO parameters), which wouldn't even let me load the installer. But it's sorted out now and I now have another great machine free from microsoft.

 

It sucks about the hardware issues.

I'm not too worried about Linux, but coming from Dell Latitudes, I'm used to flawless linux support out of the box. I hope there are no issues that are too time consuming.

I am also considering looking at the 5th Gen carbon and wondering if those also suffered from the same hardware issues.

 

Just return the laptop if you get a dud, Lenovo support has been very good to me in the past. I see you have a spare LG 14" FHD display for sale. You could always install it into the new X1C if you get a crap screen, but then again, you paid for a quality screen so I can see where you'd also just want Lenovo to replace it. Something to consider nonetheless if everything else about the laptop ends up being perfect. It's simple to swap out the LCD but you would need to order a new bezel, also simple to install.

 

Don't forget the meme

 

The LG doesn't seem like it would fit the Carbon, it was compatible for my E7450.

I can't believe how lightweight and small the carbon is. I love the feel and everything is awesome. I did get the crappy BOE display and I have an open ticket with Lenovo to get it replaced, let's see how it goes.

Hah!

 

Could anyone please recommend "USB-C to DisplayPort" or "USB-C to HDMI" cable to use with one external DELL monitor?
Found 4 options for "USB-C to DisplayPort" on Amazon: Choetech, Plugable, Uni and Cable Matters.
Now looking for options of "USB-C to HDMI".
BTW - which one is better? USB-C to DisplayPort or to HDMI?

I also need this cable to work with Dell XPS 13 (another laptop in the family).
Which seems is not a problem for "USB-C to DisplayPort" from Plugable and Cable Matters (according to reviews).

Thanks!

 

Having a lots of trouble with graphics drivers for my t480s and saw that X1 C6 is on the same Intel driver release - 24.20.100.6223

Is anyone with the X1 C6 having display freezing / stuttering issues that require CTRL+WIN+SHIFT+B or a sleep / wake cycle to fix?

 

How did this work out?

 

Favorably overall.

The service was pretty open to provide the substitute part.

Thanks @Mobius 1 for the help.

 

If these are the only issues with X1 carbon, then it looks like a pretty good buy

 

As an owner I agree with you. The sleep problem is gone thanks to the "Linux Mode" added to the BIOS. Ditto about energy settings.

The most "annoying" unsolved problem is the CPU throttling. However, there is a workaround in place for Linux users ( https://github.com/erpalma/throttled/blob/master/README.md). The I7-8650u is now trading punches with an 7700hq. Very impressive for a 15W CPU.

Overall, while it has not been exactly smooth sailing for early adopters, I'm very happy with the X1C.

 

is this mode available for windows users?

 

Yes. It is an option in the BIOS to enable S3 state. Lenovo calls it "Linux Mode" to discourage Windows users from giving up on modern standby. Just make sure to update your BIOS / drivers, etc with the Vantage Tool.

https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkP...Gen-Battery-drain-in-sleep/m-p/4198428#M90070

To be fair it seems that things are getting better with Modern Standby. However, even if I was using Windows consistently, I would prefer limiting battery drain to ~1% per night over a ~2 seconds boost to wake-up.

Maybe I'm getting old, but I don't see the point of Modern Sleep. I don't need my Laptop to download emails / IM messages and Windows Updates while it is on standby. Neither do I want it to be connected and potentially vulnerable while I'm off. Maybe I'm wasting precious seconds of my life, however the trade-off just isn't worth it.

 

I've waddled a bit with Modern Standby vs S3, since I do like that Modern Standby is very Mac-like. The moment I open the display, the login screen is already present. I understand those with Windows Hello sign on immediately. I've used Modern Standby since I bought it in October, with only a few interruptions, until January.

However, compared to my old Dell E5450, S3 is somewhat poorly implemented on this computer. Sometimes, opening the lid will resume the laptop within a couple of seconds (never instantly). Sometimes, I wonder if anybody is home. Sometimes, I have to use the power button (which I cannot tap, I have to strangely depress it for about a second). The KB will sometimes wake the computer, other times, it will not.

However, I can get a reliable ~5.5 hours (across 24 hours; assuming no workload beyond web surfing and word processing) with how S3 power is managed. This will almost last me through the day, though not reliably enough to leave my charger in the car (or at home). With Modern Standby, I'd either get ~5 hours of use time (across 24 hours), or 1/3 of my battery will drain out of the blue, and I'd be lucky to have a couple of hours, if even that.

I knew something was wrong when I spent more time running sleep reports and energy reports (I even created a bat file with the right privileges to automatically create the reports) then anyone should ever have to for a laptop.

In the end, I have found Lenovo's power management to be subpar (this isn't even getting into TB3 PMIC power issues that straight out drain the battery [while at idle!] while a power brick is connected). I like the KB travel, but Lenovo is gimping that on the next X1C. I've tried out other Thinkpads (L380 Yoga, T480s), own another (E485), and I have found their KBs to not be on par with the X1C6. As such, I have no real reason to stick with Lenovo for my next laptop. As nice as the trackpoint is - I've never even used the touchpad - it's really something I could take or leave on other laptops.

 

@jeremyshaw, Dell's 9380 is looking good (although battery life is not one of it's strong points). Maybe Dell will reveal an awesome "9580" with better battery life at some stage?

As for Lenovo's implementation of ACPI I kinda agree with you... Linux can be very sensitive to it as well, and I had 80% drain overnight with the laptop coming out of S0i3 on its own back in the day.
S3 has been mostly fine for me though. I do occasionally have to press the power button like you've mentioned, but that's about it.

To be completely honest. I've seen way more Laptops getting Modern Standby wrong than right (and that includes Microsoft's own Surface line).
Even regular sleep can be messy. I've bought a very expensive "state of the art" Clevo P650HS-G that turned out to be completely useless as a daily driver. It would often wake up to a BSOD (or not wake up at all). Now it's just a very expensive Media Server and Game Stream box sitting under my TV. The only way for it to work properly is if I do not allow it to sleep (ever ).

 

^^ I think I'll wait for 10nm (XPS 9390?), as was my original plan when I got the Vaio S13 (22nm Ivy Bridge) years ago... Then it broke and I bought the Dell E5450 with 14nm Broadwell. Then that broke and I got the 14nm X1C6, lol. My best guess on the "New XPS product line with Ice Lake 10nm" Dell showed onstage was a XPS 13 2in1 (replacing with passive Y series chips with U series parts).

Though it seems Lenovo is still working on some of the power issues. I don't know if the fan rotation issue is related to Modern Standby not turning off the fan (for about 5-20 seconds in my experience), or if Lenovo is discussing a completely different issue.

Code:

CHANGES IN THIS RELEASE
  Version 1.36

[Important updates]
- Update includes a security fix.

[New functions or enhancements]
- Updated the Diagnostics module to version 04.05.000.

[Problem fixes]
- Fixed an issue where FAN rotation may not be stopped when LID Closed.
- Fixed an issue where incorrect wattage is displayed when attach an AC adaptor.

https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/...BON-6TH-GEN-TYPE-20KH-20KG/downloads/DS502281

 

I've recently bought the X1C6 from Costco (i7, 16GB, 512GB), coming over from a 2011 13" Macbook Air that's still running quite well. I've been following along the thread for a while before I purchased to see what issues I might have.

The battery life has lasted throughout a couple days (I am still running the Macbook Air for some of my more CPU intensive tasks as I transition over), but the X1 has handled Excel, Word, browsing, and some YouTube easily. The modern standby has been great so far, and I've not run into any issues of losing any open work. I haven't made any power adjustments from how the unit came configured.

I do get a whine when the fan comes on, but it hasn't come on often (yet to fully transition stat software from the Air). My unit came with the Nidec Furukawa fan. The whine will have to get sorted.

The SSD is a WD, Part No. 00UP683.

Keyboard has been great. The 2011 Macbook Air has a decent keyboard as well though, so I'm not coming over from their newer (less travel) keyboard iterations.

The left-click trackpoint button has me confused at times as it doesn't always register. It's the bottom left half of the button which I press with my thumb while navigating with the trackpoint. I've seen this problem discussed elsewhere with ThinkPads, but I don't know if there is a solution.

I'm pleased with the screen. I'm also comparing to the lower resolution screen on the 2011 Macbook Air. The Air does seem to have a slightly brighter screen at the max setting, but I don't use them that bright. Coming to the higher resolution though makes everything look crisp. Definitely makes a difference.

The overall build quality is impressive. Comparatively, it's solid with a larger screen in a smaller package than the 2011 Macbook Air.

 

Welcome to the team . I'm glad that you are enjoying your new rig.
If the fan does botter you can always call Lenovo for a replacement (someone posted the part number and hints to get the right thing from support somewhere in this post).
You haven't mentioned what kind of monitor you got as well. I assume that it was the 300 nits one. The 500 nits version is really, really bright. I use it at less than 30% of the total brightness... Unfortunately, out of the box colours are very satured as well. Nothing that a custom colour profile can't help.

 

I think the last BIOS update or Power Management driver (or something; Vantage recently got upgraded as well) resolved the longstanding issue where the USB-C controller (PMIC specifically) would occasionally go haywire and either:
show the system was charging when nothing was plugged in (even the orange LED inbetween the USB-C ports comes on)
constantly cycled between "charging" and battery mode, regardless if it was actually plugged in or not.


This "condition" would require me to use the Reset hole in the bottom of the laptop. Rebooting, standby cycling, etc did not help. Reset hole only. From what I gather in the forums, I could also use the BIOS option to disconnect the battery, which accomplishes the same thing (though would require the use of a charger to wake it up again - so not an ideal solution).

As a result, I have actually been using my Lenovo TB3 GTX1050 dock again, since it's no longer triggering the issue.
Formerly, the dock had a near 100% chance of triggering the issue if I didn't power off the laptop before docking and power off before undocking. The power brick managed to trigger the condition at least once, as did a simple USB-C dongle (with USB-C PD passthrough).


This condition has not resurfaced recently.

 

It is possible that the BIOS update did something else. On Linux, everytime that I used to unplug the laptop from power the Camera would freeze and then show up as a separate device (very annoying). Assisted Thunderbolt didn't help it. Since around the last update I can't reproduce the issue anymore. Although, there were also kernel upgrades around that time so I don't know for sure what fixed it.

I guess that a ThinkPad, like good wine, does get better with age.

 

Well it looks like the quality control is still garbage. Received a custom X1C with everything including LTE and I've got several bad keys on the keyboard including caps lock plus multiple dead pixels. This is coming off the heels of a totally DOA X1E purchased in March.

How are these thinkpads not being laughed out of the market? Hands down the worst experience with an OEM I've ever had...

 

Call Lenovo, let them know that that's the second time that they have screwed things up and request a RMA.
Hopefully you will get your money back or a Laptop with a working keyboard (when they are not defective, X1C I are actually pretty good).

 

We'll see soon enough, #3 arrives May 2nd (1 X1E, 2 X1C) if I can't get a working laptop after 3 tries I think I'll bail and buy from another vendor.

 

I do not see Facial Recognition as an option for signing in on my 6th gen Thinkpad X1 Carbon. I have PIN, fingerprint, and Picture options, but there's no Facial recognition option. Any idea why and how to fix this?

 

@Mobius 1. I am not sure if you are still around. But if you have access Thinkpad EPP coupon codes, I would like to ask for one. I need some food coupons over here, lol. TIA.

 

Has anyone successfully upgraded Windows 10 to version 1903? I have been clicking on "Check for updates" in the Settings app, but the version 1903 update is not available.

 

What is it with the Intel Management Engine 11.7 Software Version 1914.12.0.1255 (Released 5/30/2019)? I have installed it by means of both Lenovo Vantage and Lenovo System Update and it continues to be offered as an "Available Recommended Update" as if it had not been previously installed.

 

Is the X1c totally quiet like the XPS 13 for exemple when we browsing the internet for hours at the library?

 

Same here, so you're not alone. System's fully up-to-date otherwise, including Lenovo's stuff. There must be a Microsoft block with 1903 on something that's incompatible in our systems - and if not an X1C6-specific block, then there's still some blocks on Intel video drivers (brightness issues), Dolby Atmos (license issues), and custom display settings (ie. possibly Lenovo's Eye Care which a lot of people have reported is broken) that may be triggering it.

I do wish Microsoft would let us check somewhere what block is being enforced.

 

I appreciate your reply. Speaking of keeping our X1s up-to-date, I installed the Intel Management Engine 11.7 Software Version 1914.12.0.1255 update by means of both Lenovo Vantage and Lenovo System Update. However, it continues to be offered as an "Available Recommended Update" as if it had not been previously installed. Have you encountered this problem?

 

MSFT pushed 1903 to mine sometime last week. It's now rejecting my TB3 drivers and the USB-C charging port is now acting flaky again. Not as bad as it used to be, but still annoying.

 

Yes, it's doing the same thing to me. And, oddly enough, installation history shows an Intel Management Engine 11. 8 firmware update as having occurred earlier? So no idea why it's trying to install 11.7 software.

 

Do you like the carbon surface of your X1C? You wouldn’t have preferred a metal surface? Or for you the carbon surface is better? Everyday the fingerprints aren’t a problem on your X1C (in comparison with other laptops that you had)?

 

I fixed the problem of Lenovo Vantage offering Intel Management Engine 11.7 Software Version 1914.12.0.1255 as an "Available Recommended Update" as if it had not been previously installed. After installing "n23ra11w.exe" (downloaded from https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/ds502353) Lenovo Vantage now reports "No updates are available. Your system is up to date."

 

Windows Update is finally offering me 1903 on my X1c6 tonight. Not sure that anything else has actually changed, though.

 

I successfully upgraded to Windows 10 version 1903. The only issue, so far, is that the correct router icon has been replaced with a blank sheet of paper icon. Does anyone know how to fix this?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I applied the registry fix described here: https://community.linksys.com/t5/Wi...-icon-in-Windows-8-Network-folder/td-p/591946. It works.

 

After upgrading to Windows version 1903, I encountered another issue. Mapped network drives on my NAS are now showing a red X despite being accessible. I am researching for solutions.