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#1 2011-08-20 22:32:18

ianhoolihan
Member
Registered: 2011-08-20
Posts: 85

[SOLVED] Arch Linux on (32-bit?) ThinkPads?

Hi all,

I'm a newbie, looking at getting a ThinkPad netbook, which I hope to run Arch on. What am I looking for?

# battery life greater than 4 hours
# price less than $300 USD
# trackpoint
# carrying out tasks associated with being a student - browsing email/internet/pdfs, compiling LaTeX documents, maybe running Mathematica or Maple.
# not concerned about storage, watching videos or playing games.
# tablet may be nice, but not a major concern.

I initially considered an X30/X31/X40/X41, but these seem to have 32-bit processors. So I thought Arch would not work. But then I see various Arch Wikis on installing on an X31/X41 etc. Could someone please explain why Arch can be installed on these 32-bit machines, and any considerations I should take into account in doing so?

As an aside, I then went looking at the X60/X61 options, however these seem to have very bad over-heating problems, so I then considered X200 models. However these are very pricey, and seem like overkill if Arch will run on an X41 for example. Any other recommendations would be much appreciated!

Many regards,

Ianhoolihan

Last edited by ianhoolihan (2011-08-21 10:27:45)

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#2 2011-08-20 22:44:40

bluepumpkin
Member
Registered: 2009-08-28
Posts: 58

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Linux on (32-bit?) ThinkPads?

There is both an i686 build and an x86_64 build of ArchLinux. The x86_64 build will only run on 64-bit processors, but the i686 build will run on just about any x86 (32-bit) processor made from 1997 to present day.

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#3 2011-08-20 22:45:05

karol
Archivist
Registered: 2009-05-06
Posts: 25,440

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Linux on (32-bit?) ThinkPads?

Arch works just fine on 32-bit if it's a 686 processor. Installing Arch on an nvidia Tegra tablet may not work (try http://archlinuxarm.org/ instead), but anything standard like an Intel or AMD processor is OK.
Arch will run on even a decade old Pentium III so you don't need a powerful processor, it only depends what apps you want to install.

I have no idea about power management / heat issues.

Last edited by karol (2011-08-20 22:48:03)

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#4 2011-08-20 23:35:54

ianhoolihan
Member
Registered: 2011-08-20
Posts: 85

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Linux on (32-bit?) ThinkPads?

Thank you for the quick reply karol!

Sorry, I can't determine if it is 686. They are all Pentium M, and here is a link to an example

http://ark.intel.com/products/27604/Int … MHz-FSB%29

Otherwise I simply can't find anywhere on the net whether or not it is i686 or i386. Do you know if it is? I don't have the computer yet, so can't check myself = )

Cheers

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#5 2011-08-20 23:39:57

TheHebes
Member
From: New England
Registered: 2011-07-07
Posts: 138

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Linux on (32-bit?) ThinkPads?

It may be a little pricier, but I find that the x120e works phenomenally and is fairly lightweight. It's also 64-bit.


Laptops:
MSI GS60 Ghost
Asus Zenbook Pro UX501VW
Lenovo Thinkpad X120e

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#6 2011-08-20 23:55:10

karol
Archivist
Registered: 2009-05-06
Posts: 25,440

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Linux on (32-bit?) ThinkPads?

ianhoolihan wrote:

Thank you for the quick reply karol!
http://ark.intel.com/products/27604/Int … MHz-FSB%29

Those processors are i686 and can run Arch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_In … hitectures

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#7 2011-08-21 10:25:27

ianhoolihan
Member
Registered: 2011-08-20
Posts: 85

Re: [SOLVED] Arch Linux on (32-bit?) ThinkPads?

Wow, so talk about running head first into things...I just bought a Thinkpad X40. I know they have the issue of the slow HDD etc, but hopefully it will suffice, or I will move to an SSD.

Anyway, thank you for your extremely prompt and wonderful help! Have a super day,

Ianhoolihan

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