I think it's not only about arm vs x86. I have a work provided Thinkpad and work provided Macbook Pro (with Skylake CPU) and I prefer to work on the Macbook for the same reason. It's completely silent 99% of the time, whereas Thinkpad has fans blazing 99% of the time and getting very hot. When I look in task manager, it's the usual suspects - corporate bloatware disguised as data protection and antivirus software, taking 40-50% CPU time when idling. Add Chrome and few apps and you got 90-100% CPU usage most of the time.
The difference between laptop with mandatory corporate cruft and same hw without it is quite something. My personal laptop is weaker spec wise that work issued, but is so much snappier.
> hen I look in task manager, it's the usual suspects - corporate bloatware disguised as data protection and antivirus software
Similar experience here. If I only had experience with ThinkPads from work I certainly would hate them. Slow, loud and shitty screen.
My T14 Gen1 I run at home at balanced power mode runs quiet and fast. NVMe I could switch, ram upgraded to 32GB, fingerprint reader and windows hallow, all for ~1100 EUR
Apple also sets up very different fan curves from most of the PC industry. They won't turn on the fan until it hits 95 C. This keeps it quiet but it affects performance and maybe longevity.
Also worth noting that most vendors have a way to adjust the fan curves. Sometimes right in the bios, often times through an external utility.
I recall at one point there was someone doing some work getting the Legion Fan Control app working for non-Legion Lenovos, but I cannot for the life of me find the link now.
My personal T480 is silent most of the time. Though I now have an M1 Mac from work, and my next personal laptop will likely be an M1 as well based on my experience with it so far. Not just the chip: Apple finally created the perfect form factor IMHO, with just the right screen aspect ratio, port options (Magsafe plus USB-C charging!), and keyboard.
