I recently switched to Arch Linux using the ml4w script after finding Windows sluggish on my laptop, which is an i5 10210U without integrated graphics. Initially, everything was fine; the fans worked and the performance was solid. However, I encountered some issues, so I switched to Ubuntu for a while. During that time, I noticed the laptop didn't heat up like before, and the fans became less active. Concerned, I hopped back to Arch, but now I'm on a vanilla installation and I'm still facing the same problems. The laptop barely gets warm even under heavy load, suggesting it might not be using its full power capacity. I can't even watch videos at double speed anymore. I'm wondering if I should try a different Linux distro. If so, which ones have better firmware support? I'm really hoping to keep using this laptop despite having a new one.
2 Answers
Distro hopping usually isn't the best fix for hardware issues. You should start by checking your CPU temperatures and frequencies with some Linux tools. Understanding whether you're experiencing thermal throttling (high temps, low clock speeds) or if your CPU isn't performing correctly (low temps, low clock speeds) is key. If your fans aren't operating at all, it could just mean a hardware problem. You need to investigate if it’s a hardware defect or an issue with your Arch installation.
I checked the CPU frequency, and it comes up to around 400-401 MHz using the cpuinfo command, but my processor is supposed to be running at 1.60 GHz. Could this be the root of the issue with my laptop's performance?
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