Futureproofing x301, software/bios setting-wise

[1tntla]

Hello,

I've purchased the legendary x301 and I am very happy.

SU9600/8gb ram/64gb ssd (aleratec + crucial mx200 250GB msata on its way)

With the above hardware, I am currently experiencing cpu throttling(not 100% sure if this is the right term).
Even when I have just the browser open, the cpu utilization idles at about 20~30% but when I click something, it goes up to 100%. Thus, there are some lags.

I was hoping if someone in the forum can share their experiences with various OS installed on x301 (windows 7, 8, 10, linux, etc) as well as how to optimize the bios setting.

Thanks in advance =]

[axur-delmeria]

"Throttling" is probably the wrong term to use. CPU throttling is basically the processor dialing down its clock speed (throttling down), usually to prevent overheating, or to maintain its power consumption within specified limits.

The first case occurs when the laptop's heatsink is not working properly due to accumulated dust blocking the exhaust, dried-up thermal paste, nonfunctional fan, etc. while the second is only applicable to newer processors (like the Core i5) which have
Turbo Boost.

As for future-proofing the X301, I'm of the opinion that there's not much that can be done after your upgrades-- it's close to the maximum as it is.

The main bottleneck now is the processor. The Core 2 Duo SU9600 is not fast: at 1.6GHz, it's in the same league as the L7500 inside most X61s and X61T units, or the SL9300 inside some X200s. Since it's soldered to the system board, it cannot be upgraded.

What you're seeing is the processor being pushed to its limit with little to spare. If you're regularly hitting 100% CPU usage (and slowing down as a result), try using the Task Manager to see which application is causing it. If it's a web browser like Chrome, try a different one, like Firefox.
Chrome can use more than 1 CPU core, which may be strangling the processor at times.

Windows Update can also cause problems. Whenever it checks for updates, it eats up around 1GB of RAM and one CPU core to 100% by itself-- add Windows 7's own memory footprint (slightly less than 1GB for a 64-bit version), it becomes a nightmare on my mom's X61T which only has 2GB of RAM.

Linux offers a way out, as it can be set up to consume less resources (RAM, CPU %), and real-time virus scanning is not necessary, which is another software that eats RAM and CPU time in Windows machines.

[600X]

My X301 has a SU9400, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB Crucial C300 SSD. I used to run Windows 8 (not 8.1) on it, which worked brilliantly. After switching to Linux on all of my machines, I settled with Ubuntu for the X301, since it is the only OS I am aware of that is suitable for widescreen.

Although Ubuntu is shunned by some veterans for being a resource-hog, it is still much lighter and snappier than Windows and runs very nicely on the X301. Pretty much everything works OOTB. It is fast enough for all of my daily tasks, including FHD YouTube videos. Expect some tiny lag once in a while, especially when loading heavy websites, but ultimately, the experience is relatively smooth. My Windows 8 experience was very similar.

As for upgrading the X301, there are a few options. The CPU can be overlocked. I used to have a X301 that achieved 2,13GHz (a SU9600 will overclock to 2,4GHz) and ran 90% stable at that clock rate. The reason why I reverted however was the impact on battery life. Power consumption is already pretty bad on the X301, so the 15-30 minutes that I lost through overclocking were quite meaningful to me. The ultimate solution is to install a SL9600 or SP9600, so that you get high clocks, but maintain the ability to reach 800MHz and ensure decent battery life.

Furthermore, you can upgrade the X301 display to an AFFS display. I'd consider installing a bay battery as future-proofing as well, since the DVD drive is becoming less important for most people and the extra 2h of battery life really do make a big difference.

If you need an SD card reader or USB 3, there are mPCIe cards for that. Apart from these mods you can also do some regular housekeeping, such as replacing the thermal paste and cleaning out all of the internal components.

[brchan]

Linux is the only route if you want to get as much performance as you can. There is a very noticeable speed difference running between Windows 7 and arch linux. From my experience, Linux mint debian edition gives the best combination of performance, apps, and usability. I have also found that I get much better performance using chrome, especially video playback, than using firefox. Firefox seems to do much better on single core machines than chrome.

[TonyJZX]

Windows 7 classic mode is as about as fast as you can get. I'm not sure if 8.1 or 10 has a stripped down classic mode.

Other than that yeah, Mint Linux is a good choice. IMO if we all moved to that you wouldnt need to upgrade laptops.

IMO a laptop should sit under 5% preferable under 2.5% cpu on idle with no apps and under 10% with basic apps like chrome etc.

If a cpu is burst up to 50% or more on idle or a few apps. I seen stuff like Atom Z3575 type processors do that and Intel says that is acceptable. I dont like it.