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0 pointspojntfx19d ago0 comments

Don't see why it wouldn't - as long as pstate etc. works it should be the same. I'd argue it's probably better given that modern desktops use far less resources in the background compared to Windows

I bet they don't publish Linux numbers because it depends on which desktop you use etc.

0 comments

michaelt19d ago

A lot of office workers these days spend a lot of time in video calls.

So to get the best battery life you need, for example, your browser to use GPU-accelerated video encoding and decoding.

Linux is something of a second-class citizen for both GPU vendors and browser vendors. So for example if you're using Firefox and an nvidia GPU on Linux? No video encode/decode acceleration for you. The browser will silently switch to CPU decoding.

This translates into worse battery life.

pwnna19d ago

HW video decoding is now available and by default on in Chrome on at least Ubuntu with my Intel iGPU. I was also surprised when they turned it on under the radar. I saw this the other day debugging a problem and saw others see it too: https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubuntu/comments/1ojydv9/comment/nm8...

giancarlostoro19d ago

Call me crazy, but most people working typically leave their laptops wired in to either a charger or a hub so they can have more monitors. I know some people will go through the effort of charging and pulling the cord, and charging later, but most people don't want to micromanage something they can forget about while working. If you're living on battery life for a work call, it would not matter if you're on Windows, changes are high your batterly life will self-terminate quicker than you realize.

michaelt19d ago

Among Linux users, long battery life is for in-office workers (who leave their desk to attend meetings) in hybrid companies (where no meetings are laptop-free) in roles that sometimes involve back-to-back meetings.

mmcnl19d ago

CPU decoding/encoding for video means warm chassis + spinning fans. Fan noise is very annoying with video calls.

jampekka19d ago

> I bet they don't publish Linux numbers because it depends on which desktop you use etc.

They ship with Ubuntu on it, which would be quite natural choice for such benchmark. Also they do do the standby test on Ubuntu for some reason.

Can't help but suspect there's a reason why Linux numbers are not given. :(

cogman1019d ago

There have been fairly recent changes to the linux kernel to better support panther lake in terms of power performance. I'd suspect a major reason for holding back is because ubuntu 26.04 has not been released yet and it is using kernel 7.0 which includes these power improvements. 24.04 does not.

By the time these laptops start shipping, 26.04 should be released and testing should be easy. I suspect no major differences from it vs windows.

7.1 includes even more performance improvements for panther lake. [1]

[1] https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-7.1-Enabled-Intel-FRED

pinum19d ago

If I was releasing a laptop with Linux support as a key selling point, and the battery life was bad on Ubuntu 24.04 but good on the pre-release 26.04, then I'd advertise the good figures and write "tested on Ubuntu 26.04 beta, requires Linux 7.0 or later" in the footnotes.

I definitely /wouldn't/ rely on just Windows figures for a machine that's otherwise advertised as "Linux first". If the battery life was the same on both, I'd prominently mention that.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

michaelt19d ago

A lot of office workers these days spend a lot of time in video calls.

So to get the best battery life you need, for example, your browser to use GPU-accelerated video encoding and decoding.

This translates into worse battery life.

pwnna19d ago

giancarlostoro19d ago

michaelt19d ago

mmcnl19d ago

CPU decoding/encoding for video means warm chassis + spinning fans. Fan noise is very annoying with video calls.

jampekka19d ago

> I bet they don't publish Linux numbers because it depends on which desktop you use etc.

They ship with Ubuntu on it, which would be quite natural choice for such benchmark. Also they do do the standby test on Ubuntu for some reason.

Can't help but suspect there's a reason why Linux numbers are not given. :(

cogman1019d ago

By the time these laptops start shipping, 26.04 should be released and testing should be easy. I suspect no major differences from it vs windows.

7.1 includes even more performance improvements for panther lake. [1]

[1] https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-7.1-Enabled-Intel-FRED

pinum19d ago

I definitely /wouldn't/ rely on just Windows figures for a machine that's otherwise advertised as "Linux first". If the battery life was the same on both, I'd prominently mention that.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse