Framework gives its 13-inch Laptop another boost with Ryzen AI 300 CPU update
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The translucent bezel and port modules are great, but if they sold a translucent plastic chassis in the same color options I don’t know if I’d be able to hold back. It’s been so long since laptops were allowed to be fun.
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Meanwhile, apparent slashdot effect on their website - Cloudflare has me queued to open it.
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I'm curious as to why Copilot+ is being touted as a feature here though. I suppose having the capacity to use it is a good thing; I just hope that doesn't mean Windows will automatically be enabling it whether the user wants it or not....
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I dig everything I see about Framework - I wish them success and hope they are able to offer international distribution and warranty support at some stage!
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For what it's worth, I'm a very happy FW13 customer. Even setting aside all of the repairable benefits, it's just a really nice laptop. It looks and feels like a lot like a Macbook Pro---just without the battery life, which isn't really FW's fault (although the new AMD silicon will help).
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Sigh. I'm all ready to plunk down my money and leave Tim Cook's semi-walled garden of shoddy software, but nowhere do I see any indication that battery life and noise on the new Framework 13 are majorly improved over the old one.
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I’m a bit concerned about these too, but put in a pre-order anyway. With any luck review units will be going out before shipping to customers, so if it turns out that battery and fan noise haven’t improved sufficiently I’ll just cancel.
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I think it's about appealing to as many niches as their modularity can allow. and I suspect that the customer base of Framework products will be the type of end user that will be fully aware of Copilot+ whether Windows automatically enables it or not.
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Two answers in my mind: buzzwords for business types, and kissing the Microsoft ring. I can anecdotally say I've seen several people request laptops which "Come with AI! I don't want it unless it has the AI!". Even worse is knowing they were in charge of procurement for 200+ person businesses. For Framework to say it "has the AI", they "need" the go-ahead from Microsoft to say it's a Copilot+ PC, which requires that stupid Copilot button on the keyboard.
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With a 61Whr battery, I'm gonna expect (from other reviews of the Ryzen AI chips) somewhere between 6 to 10 hours of battery life.
Noise wise, my Framework 13 with an i5 13th gen CPU isn't that loud. Mostly it stays low fan speeds, but I don't do heavy usage of my laptop.
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I was hoping for a FW16 upgrade, but I guess that will need to wait until AMD announce new discrete GPUs.
The upgraded FW13 does look good, although I think I would now be more likely to pick up a FW12 for the wife.
The upgraded FW13 does look good, although I think I would now be more likely to pick up a FW12 for the wife.
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Yeah seconded. I have the prior generation Ryzen, and it's very quiet. The fans rarely spin up to be meaningfully loud. Every so often if I've got a lot going on, they'll spin up very briefly; it's almost like the laptop huffs at me for asking it to do a lot.
They also use the same asymmetric fan design that Apple has, so it's more of a whoosh than a whine, which sounds like a silly distinction but really does make it nicer.
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Hey, at least you can drop in a new mainboard once you're ready to upgrade. Glad you like your FW13 - I've been sitting on the sidelines for far too long. Just placed a preorder.
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If it makes you feel better, "ships in April" probably means "the first wave starts shipping on 4/30." Not a knock on Framework; every hardware company's shipping estimates tend to be a bit optimistic.
I pre-ordered my current 13 on 7/24, and it shipped on 9/4, so if you needed something now-ish, waiting isn't really an option.
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It's not, per-se. As they said in the stream, you can have a Co-Pilot key if that's your bag, if not, you can have whatever key you want with whatever OS you want.
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Edit: Comment below was meant for the desktop post. No option to delete.
One could use the mini itx Minisforum bd790i board that has a soldered Ryzen 7945HX (16 cores/32 threads), upgradable ddr5 ram slots, 2 nvme slots, full pcie 5.0 x16 slot for a dedicated gpu for gaming/ai and still have a quite compact system depending on the case you choose.
Not the quite the same as the newer AI Max but you can just use a dedicated gpu for AI.
Not as compact as frameworks but i think it has more upgradability and value for money.
One could use the mini itx Minisforum bd790i board that has a soldered Ryzen 7945HX (16 cores/32 threads), upgradable ddr5 ram slots, 2 nvme slots, full pcie 5.0 x16 slot for a dedicated gpu for gaming/ai and still have a quite compact system depending on the case you choose.
Not the quite the same as the newer AI Max but you can just use a dedicated gpu for AI.
Not as compact as frameworks but i think it has more upgradability and value for money.
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About the keyboard upgrade, what really caught my eye was their new keyswitch.
A mechanical keyswitch that allows to create completely new keyboard layouts. They have a PoC of a FW16 with an ortholinear keyboard. That puts the laptop into a modularity category all by itself.
I was hoping for a Strix Point upgrade, stretch hoping for LPCAMM2 memory. will probably be getting that Strix Point 13 now. Got my ErgodoxEZ for ortholinear keyboard.
A mechanical keyswitch that allows to create completely new keyboard layouts. They have a PoC of a FW16 with an ortholinear keyboard. That puts the laptop into a modularity category all by itself.
I was hoping for a Strix Point upgrade, stretch hoping for LPCAMM2 memory. will probably be getting that Strix Point 13 now. Got my ErgodoxEZ for ortholinear keyboard.
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From reviews I've seen, FW13 runs the 704x series kinda hot. Its within ctdp, it just means it performs well and doesn't have the greatest battery life.
When the Strix Point laptops were being tested last year, they ran a little faster than the Framework 13, but at much lower ctdp, resulting in longer battery life (even with a power hungry OLED panel). So I'm curious if Framework will crank up the Ryzen 9 to its upper end of ctdp (the chassis can cool it), or dial it down a bit to get better battery life. I would figure they could do both with Windows quiet/normal/performance modes, but I hear that software may not always work.... as intended.
When the Strix Point laptops were being tested last year, they ran a little faster than the Framework 13, but at much lower ctdp, resulting in longer battery life (even with a power hungry OLED panel). So I'm curious if Framework will crank up the Ryzen 9 to its upper end of ctdp (the chassis can cool it), or dial it down a bit to get better battery life. I would figure they could do both with Windows quiet/normal/performance modes, but I hear that software may not always work.... as intended.
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While it would certainly look cool, the EMI requirements would probably require painting (or sputtering metal on) the inside bottom of the chassis, so you'd have to settle on only some of the laptop body being actually translucent. Still, half translucent body is still better than nothing, and even with concessions for EMI, it would probably look pretty darn fun. I wouldn't expect it to live up to their durability standards, though.
While we're dreaming of cool stuff, making a laptop body out of the same kind of thin and durable glass that goes into cell phone bodies would be cool; assuming it's able to be machined, drilled, fitted with screws and vents, etc. like a laptop requires.
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On the memory, I wonder if the AI 300 supports CSODIMM which would somewhat improve the memory speed situation slightly as well as being more future facing
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The keyboard may have 1.5mm travel but it is mushy. It is like typing on a $15 membrane keyboard.
Framework also introduced the Framework 12, an entry level laptop with a 360 degree hinge and a touchscreen and I have to ask: why does an entry level laptop need that but a professional one does not? For the life of me, I can't work out their strategy.
Framework also introduced the Framework 12, an entry level laptop with a 360 degree hinge and a touchscreen and I have to ask: why does an entry level laptop need that but a professional one does not? For the life of me, I can't work out their strategy.
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If I am a decision maker at a company, or in my own company, or even helping my family, Framework will be the place where the money gets spent. Unless you need something very specialized, these laptops are a great option for anyone looking to have them last, and not paying a company to continually replace a battery, or motherboard in your dell.
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Seeing something Gameboy Amethyst-purple sucker punched a weird part of my brain.
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I’d love to see the 16’s modular keyboard concept find its way to the 13. HHKB layout in a laptop? Yes please.
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Is this limit just “the end” for removable memory module right now? It seems like a bandwidth ceiling that needs to give way sooner or later.
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If Framework's website running on an old Pentium Pro server? I just clicked a link and it put me into a 20 minute queue just to view the site.
That isn't a good look.
That isn't a good look.
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No.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAMM_(memory_module)
Not to mention there is ridiculously fast DDR5 in full-size DIMMs. And remember that LPDDR isn't the same as DDR, even if it sounds the same. Usually the soldered down shit is LPDDR, and LPDDR5X is a newer standard than DDR5, it's slightly faster, and optimized for different use than DDR5.
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If they had updated the 16 inch model? I have a friend who has one and he loves it. I was looking at this or System76 pangolin or a MacBook Pro. I just want the screen real estate and a decent keyboard.
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Soldered RAM is only problematic when its amount makes it the least future-proof part of the system; however that isn't really the case with the fast 32GB available on HX370.
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Hmm… Apple buckled to USA, this may be my next machine and I’ll just live with Linux.
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Everyone is trying to go in, and they probably have fixed costs for their hosting.
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You’d better be planning to live with Linux then. If you think macOS is ‘shoddy’, boy are you going to be in for a shock when you switch to Win 11.
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TRUTH. I got so sick of dealing with Win 11 on my Framework I bought another MacBook and shelved the Framework 13 for now. (Probably gonna buy a new Ryzen MB & the new screen soon tho)
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Or they are trying an old nightclub trick - have a line form so people want to go in.
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There are many who have no need or desire for a touchscreen at all. On my FW, the fact that the display is screwed in and the thinness means that to support a touchscreen, we might have to have a thicker display module.
Not a worthy trade off.
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