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hardware:lenovo-g780 [2012/10/05 11:40] – blabber how to run Linux, but you already know, don't you? styblahardware:lenovo-g780 [2021/12/28 04:16] (current) – add more details about hardware stybla
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 Ehrm. I really hate to say this, but if you plan to have GNU/Linux on this laptop, then I think you should be better off.  Ehrm. I really hate to say this, but if you plan to have GNU/Linux on this laptop, then I think you should be better off. 
 Ok, that's a not really good start, is it? Sadly, I would rather pay $20-40USD more rather than to have AR8162, as an  Ok, that's a not really good start, is it? Sadly, I would rather pay $20-40USD more rather than to have AR8162, as an 
-Ethernet NIC, and BCM4313 for a WiFi. Because it seems to me like these two things do spoil otherwise great and snappy +Ethernet NIC, and BCM4313 for a WiFi. Because it seems to me like these two components do spoil otherwise great and snappy 
 configuration. configuration.
  
 I mean, Intel i5-3210M Ivy Bridge is quite good, 4GB RAM is enough and expandable, 1TB HDD is more than sufficient, battery  I mean, Intel i5-3210M Ivy Bridge is quite good, 4GB RAM is enough and expandable, 1TB HDD is more than sufficient, battery 
-time - I haven't tested that yet nor probably will, GT630M 2GB will be able to handle some games, so why oh why Lenovo,  +time - I haven't tested battery yet nor probably will, GT630M 2GB will be able to handle some games. So why, oh why, Lenovo  
-why have you spoiled the experience at connectivity front?+have you spoiled the experience at connectivity front?
  
-AR8162 is only 100Mbit/s NIC which is, for normal use and "standard" internet connection, and isn't enough, compared to  +AR8162 is only 100Mbit/s NIC which is good enough for normal use and "standard" internet connection, but it doesn't seem to  
-all Gbit/s NICs out there. It also doesn't have support in Linux kernel at the time of this writing.+be enough future-wise and compared to all Gbit/s NICs out there. It also doesn't have support in Linux kernel at the time of  
 +this writing.
 Broadcom's BCM4313 a/b/g/n is another pain. Despite it seems you have couple options how to make this card working,  Broadcom's BCM4313 a/b/g/n is another pain. Despite it seems you have couple options how to make this card working, 
-actually the only one half-worked for me. Sadly, it was Broadcom's proprietary(?) wl driver. And why half-worked? +actually the only one half-worked for me. Sadly, it was Broadcom's proprietary(?) //wl// driver. And why half-worked? 
-Why the pain? Because it works only in the US reg domain and the only available channels in 2.4GHz are 1-11 which is fine,  +Why the pain? Because it works only in the US reg domain and the only available channels in 2.4GHz are 1-11. This is fine  
-unless you live in EU, you have an access point sitting at channel 13 and you can't change the channel. Then you're out of  +as long as you don't live in EU and as long as you don't have an access point sitting at channel 13. And since you don't have  
-WiFi. Really, I would rather had an Intel WiFi and something else for Ethernet NIC.+Ethernet working you can't change WiFi channel and to get your WiFi connection going. 
 +Really, I would rather had an Intel WiFi and something else for Ethernet NIC.
  
-Yes, the above is kind of rant. I admit it. However, what I really don't understand is DVD drive. I'm sure drive itself is fine,  +Yes, the text above is kind of rant. I admit it. However, what I really don't understand is DVD drive. I'm sure drive itself is fine. 
-however the plastic cover is ruining it. And you have to really push it to get the doors closed. It is almost as they don't fit,  +However the plastic cover is ruining it. You have to really push it (with force) to get the doors closed. It is almost as they don't fit  
-or there is some (extra) locking mechanism. It that case, it is likely it's going to break some day.+or as there is some (extra) locking mechanism. It such case, it's likely it's going to break some day.
  
-Other than above, I find Lenovo G780 to be satisfying and I think it has great potential as desktop replacement. What else to say?  +Other than that, I find Lenovo G780 to be satisfying and I think it has great potential as a desktop replacement. What else to say?  
-LCD cover seems to be made from hard plastic and doesn't give in. +LCD cover seems to be made from sturdy plastic and doesn't give in. 
 Surroundings of keyboard are made from some kind of metal and have a nice and cooling effect. Keyboard seems to be ok as well,  Surroundings of keyboard are made from some kind of metal and have a nice and cooling effect. Keyboard seems to be ok as well, 
-although I can't get used to layout and would welcome bigger 'Enter' key rather than numeric keypad. +although I can't get used to layout and bigger 'Enter' key would be more than welcome. Yes, I'd gladly sacrifice numeric keypad. 
 Normal size touchpad with two-finger scrolling, no trackpoint, 2xUSB 3.0, 2xUSB 2.0, webcam, HDMI, VGA and that's about it. Normal size touchpad with two-finger scrolling, no trackpoint, 2xUSB 3.0, 2xUSB 2.0, webcam, HDMI, VGA and that's about it.
 Pretty much everything worked out-of-the-box in Ubuntu except networking. Even if I get over the networking, I can't get over DVD drive. Pretty much everything worked out-of-the-box in Ubuntu except networking. Even if I get over the networking, I can't get over DVD drive.
 I mean, **oh my**! I mean, **oh my**!
  
 +Oh, and there is UEFI boot in the BIOS. I was very disappointed to see it and to be honest, I've violated my pledge not to buy any UEFI device. 
 +However, this UEFI thing does nothing so far. Perhaps it will one day, at one point, with newer BIOS? Who knows. I'm just letting you 
 +know.
  
 ===== Running GNU/Linux ===== ===== Running GNU/Linux =====
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 I've started with Slackware. However, since I was constantly failing at WiFi part, I've decided to move to Kubuntu(only to find out it's  I've started with Slackware. However, since I was constantly failing at WiFi part, I've decided to move to Kubuntu(only to find out it's 
 the same). Since almost everything worked, I can't give you too much advice what-where-how. But since it has nVidia GPU, you can either  the same). Since almost everything worked, I can't give you too much advice what-where-how. But since it has nVidia GPU, you can either 
-go with Noveau or nV's proprietary driver. I'm rolling with Noveau since this is not OpenGL is not needed. Don't forget to build your  +go with Nouveau or nV's proprietary driver. I'm rolling with Nouveau since I don't need OpenGL. Don't forget to build your  
-kernel with support for switchable graphics(CONFIG_VGA_SWITCHEROO ?). As for sound card, Alsa or OSS(no, it is not deprecated). Touchpad  +kernel with support for switchable graphics(CONFIG_VGA_SWITCHEROO ?). As for sound card, Alsa or  
-is Synaptics, webcam is Lenovo's EasyCam and will require V4L. USB 3.0 is XHCI.+OSS(no, it is not deprecated). Touchpad is Synaptics(or so I guess), webcam is Lenovo's EasyCam and will require V4L. USB 3.0 is XHCI.
  
 ==== Ethernet ==== ==== Ethernet ====
  
-FIXME+I thinks I've used this [[http://askubuntu.com/questions/157223/12-04-does-not-detect-eth0atheros-ar8162|link]] to fix the issue with ethernet not  
 +being present. I found it rather sad this driver was not yet in kernel after a such long time. But well, it happens. Some information is  
 +[[http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/networking/alx|here]] as well. 
 + 
 +In case of unavailability of the site, I'll copy paste information there: 
 + 
 +<code> 
 +tar -xvf compat-wireless-2012-02-28-p.tar 
 +cd compat-wireless-2012-02-28-p 
 +scripts/driver-select alx 
 +make 
 +make install 
 +modprobe alx 
 +</code> 
  
 ==== WiFi ==== ==== WiFi ====
  
-FIXME+WiFi works out of the box, but only for channels 1-11 and only with proprietary(?) drivers. I had no luck to get channels 12-14 operational  
 +nor I had luck with mainline drivers(not even WiFi scanning). 
 + 
 +Anyway, some information is [[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Broadcom_wireless|at ArchLinux wiki]]. Less said about this hunk of crap, the better. In other words, I suggest not to bother with this and either get hold of a solid USB WiFi adapter(which is challenging on its own and depends on luck, but I was lucky) or replace it with some Intel WiFi adapter at additional cost(which, in my opinion, is worthy, because Intel WiFi cards just work in Linux).
  
 ===== Hardware ===== ===== Hardware =====
 +
 +  * CPU - Intel Core i5 3210M Ivy Bridge
 +  * RAM - RAM 4GB(Up to 8GB of DDR3 1600/1333Mhz memory in 2 SODIMM slots, 2x4GB)
 +  * LCD - 17.3" 1600x900 glossy
 +  * GPU - NVIDIA GeForce GT630M 2GB + Intel HD Graphics 4000
 +  * HDD - 1TB 5400 rpm(ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB 2.5" SATAII, but SATAIII is supported)
 +  * DVD-RW
 +  * WiFi(BMC4313)
 +  * FastEthernet(AR8162)
 +  * Bluetooth
 +  * Webcam 1Mpx EasyCamera
 +  * USB 3.0(2 ports) + USB 2.0(2 ports)
 +  * HDMI
 +  * 6 cell battery
 +  * pre-installed FreeDOS
 +  * [[https://www.lenovo.com/lt/lt/laptops/lenovo/g-series/g780/|official tech specs]]
 +  * [[https://blogklink-pc.tech/en/how-to-disassemble-a-lenovo-g780-21b2-laptop-3/|how to disassemble]]
  
 <code> <code>
 # lspci # lspci
-00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Ivy Bridge DRAM Controller (rev 09) +00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor DRAM Controller (rev 09) 
-00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Ivy Bridge PCI Express Root Port (rev 09) +00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v2/3rd Gen Core processor PCI Express Root Port (rev 09) 
-00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Ivy Bridge Graphics Controller (rev 09) +00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller (rev 09) 
-00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Panther Point USB xHCI Host Controller (rev 04) +00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family USB xHCI Host Controller (rev 04) 
-00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation Panther Point MEI Controller #1 (rev 04) +00:16.0 Communication controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family MEI Controller #1 (rev 04) 
-00:1a.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Panther Point USB Enhanced Host Controller #2 (rev 04) +00:1a.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller #2 (rev 04) 
-00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation Panther Point High Definition Audio Controller (rev 04) +00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family High Definition Audio Controller (rev 04) 
-00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Panther Point PCI Express Root Port 1 (rev c4) +00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 1 (rev c4) 
-00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Panther Point PCI Express Root Port 2 (rev c4) +00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 2 (rev c4) 
-00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Panther Point USB Enhanced Host Controller #1 (rev 04) +00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller #1 (rev 04) 
-00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation Panther Point LPC Controller (rev 04) +00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation HM76 Express Chipset LPC Controller (rev 04) 
-00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation Panther Point 6 port SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 04) +00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 7 Series Chipset Family 6-port SATA Controller [AHCI mode] (rev 04) 
-00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation Panther Point SMBus Controller (rev 04) +00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 7 Series/C210 Series Chipset Family SMBus Controller (rev 04) 
-01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation Device 0de9 (rev a1)+01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GF108 [GeForce GT 630M] (rev a1)
 02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR8162 Fast Ethernet (rev 08) 02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Atheros Communications Inc. AR8162 Fast Ethernet (rev 08)
 03:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4313 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN Controller (rev 01) 03:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4313 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN Controller (rev 01)
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 </code> </code>
  
-Output of # dmidecode ; is rather lenghty, but it's {{:hardware:lenovo-g780-dmidecode.txt|attached here}}.+Output of # dmidecode ; is rather lengthy, but it's {{:hardware:lenovo-g780-dmidecode.txt|attached here}}.
hardware/lenovo-g780.1349455245.txt.gz · Last modified: by stybla