Lenovo Ideapad C340-14API

User Support HCL Reports
1

Lenovo Ideapad C340-14API (2019)
Upgraded from stock 8 GB RAM (see Notes section).
I have tested this laptop with Qubes for about two weeks now.

  • AMD Ryzen 5 35000U
  • 20 GB RAM - 18 GB available
  • Vega 8 integrated graphics - 2 GB RAM dedicated to the card
  • Samsung SSD 256 GB
  • 14.00 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel touch screen

Qubes 4.1.2

What works

  • Touchpad
  • All USB ports
  • Ethernet-to-USB-C
  • Wi-Fi
  • Laptop screen at 1080p
  • Touchscreen
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Speakers
  • Suspend
  • Aux with headphones

Issues

  • Wi-Fi seems capped at 30 Mbit/s
  • Occured once: System froze, then force-rebooted, then a motherboard alarm going off. Occured when I was shutting down 5-6 qubes at once. Not sure why this would trigger an alarm, the laptop was not unusually hot. I forced a shutdown with the power button and laptop has worked normally since.

Not tested

  • HDMI
  • Bluetooth
  • Webcam
  • Microphone
  • Fingerprint reader

Notes

RAM
8 GB was not enough to run two AppVMs simultaneously at the default configuration. In practice this laptop has merely 6 GB RAM available because 2 GB is always dedicated to the GPU. Upgrading to 20 GB made a huge difference.

Performance
Significantly better than I expected. Enough to run 3-4 AppVMs at once – although video playback will then lag. Windows 10 Enterprise can be run without issues. I recommend enabling performance mode in the BIOS settings.

Performance on battery is poorer. Haven’t looked further into this. I’m using AC, but running on battery is not an issue if usage is light.

Video playback

  • VLC: playback of 1080p@30fps is smooth
  • Youtube: playback of 1080p@30fps is usually smooth, some lag at video start
  • HBO Max: 1080p playback is smooth in the Firefox version downloaded from mozilla.org with Recommended hardware settings turned on. CPU usage hovers around 10-30%.

AppVM settings for smooth video playback:

  • Fedora 38 template
  • Codecs and VLC from RPM Fusion
  • Kernel-latest (6.1)
  • Crank up memory and vCPUs until playback is smooth

Conclusion

Considering that the processor is not exactly a beast, I was pleasantly surprised at how well Qubes performs on this laptop. But please, if you’re buying a laptop to use for Qubes, don’t choose one with this CPU. I would invest in something much more powerful if I was buying a new computer today.

Attachments

---
layout:
  'hcl'
type:
  'notebook'
hvm:
  'yes'
iommu:
  'yes'
slat:
  'yes'
tpm:
  'unknown'
remap:
  'yes'
brand: |
  LENOVO
model: |
  81N6
bios: |
  AGCN30WW(V1.13)
cpu: |
  AMD Ryzen 5 3500U with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx
cpu-short: |
  FIXME
chipset: |
  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Raven/Raven2 Root Complex [1022:15d0]
chipset-short: |
  FIXME
gpu: |
  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Picasso [1002:15d8] (rev c2) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
gpu-short: |
  Vega 8
network: |
  Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 802.11ac Wireless Network Adapter (rev 31)
memory: |
  18370
scsi: |

usb: |
  2
versions:

- works:
    'yes'
  qubes: |
    R4.1
  xen: |
    4.14.5
  kernel: |
    6.3.9-1

---
2 Likes
2

I have this model as well. Some very minor differences, mine comes with a Wacom Pen. The OS is working well for me too.

One issue I have is that the software isn’t receiving any of the Pen’s features such as tilt, pressure sensitivity, or even the extra buttons.

I have installed both available fedora packages with ‘wacom’ in their names. libwacom.x86_64 and kcm_wacomtablet.x86_64. Neither of them have made a difference. Although kcm_wacometablet was able to identify the pen and even activate/deactivate it at will.

When using the Krita software’s features, I discovered that I could adjust the touchscreen sensitivity. It could receive differences of pressure on the touchscreen. Despite that, the software itself was not adjusting the brush stroke size to match the pressure of the tablet. I had edited the active brush settings accordingly.

Is there anyone that can help me with this issue? If anyone is willing to work with me to improve the sensitivity functionality. It would mean so much to me and potentially help so many artists in general.

1 Like
3

I think you should create a separate topic for that, because knowledgeable people could overlook your request here, in HCL Category.

1 Like