Agreed. Every time I tried windows it was the same set of frustrating behaviors. Linux helps but needs some tinkering. My first step on a new laptop would be to wipe clean and install Linux.
I run Ubuntu on a X1 Extreme Gen 2 for a while now, no problems whatsoever. The discrete nVidia GPU is as power hungry, and running as hot during gaming, as it did under Windows (so nether a big surprise nor a real problem, anyone remember how harsh Battletech was on GPUs initially?). Battery live, depending on use (and excluding gaming) is around 4 hours (didn't have less then 3+).
The heat issue is mitigated somewhat by putting the machine on some kind of stand to have air pass underneath it. That being said, even under Windows the machine went to sleep just fine, also woke up again. If anything, that works better now under Linux.
There is a difference between T440 and T440s. T440s is already power optimized and runs integrated GPU vs T440 which is more normal laptop with discrete graphics.
I used mostly powertop but this is less reliable source of information when you are running discrete graphics card.
As an i7, is it quad core? I had a T440p with i7-4700MQ and it had terrible power consumption compared to prior and later Thinkpads I have experienced.
What I saw in powertop was that it never got into the better "package" power states. The cores could all be spending 90%+ of the time in C7 but the package as a whole was in C2 or worse. I never found a way to fix this.
Mine had the NVIDIA GPU as well as Intel iGPU, and I primarily used it with the iGPU. The NVIDIA was of the sort that was not connected to a physical output, so it supposedly could be powered down when not being used. I had no way to truly verify this, of course.
On my T440p, the Intel and NVIDIA GPUs would show up via 'lspci'. I don't recall whether there were any BIOS options other than internal vs external display during POST/boot.
I hate it too. I’m not just saying that, I ran Linux as my only desktop for 3 years and exclusively AOSP phones for over 4.
Ultimately, however, some of us have stuff to do and can’t spend our entire time tinkering to maintain basic functionality. There are only so many hours in a day.
For that reason my primary work machine can currently only be Linux. I have Windows, but this one is only for stuff that is incompatible with Linux.
I actually have Linux PC and a separate Linux laptop (Thinkpad T440s).
That laptop runs super cool once I debugged all the sources of power usage. Which is quite easy on Linux but neigh impossible on Windows.