I got a Framework laptop

I got an early Christmas gift for myself, kind of: a Framework 13 laptop¹.

It’s been a really long time since I had a laptop. I’ve been using an old 2014 Macbook until recently, and it had aged. The performance was poor, battery didn’t last long, and the hardware support was a bit dicey on Linux.

I got excited after hearing Framework’s relatively smooth initial launch. I was attracted to the idea of a modular and repairable laptop, and AMD’s mobile parts were getting good reviews. Plus, Framework is supportive of open sourcing their firmware and actively listening to the community. Together with my need for a laptop, I thought it was a good time to buy.

You can readily buy the Intel version of this laptop, but I went with the AMD versions, which ships in batches. AMD’s current architecture (Zen 4) is more efficient than Intel’s (Raptor Lake), and the two are on parity for performance. Mine was from batch 10. It took about a month to ship after purchase, which isn’t bad.

Framework offers free shipping and doesn’t make you pay for import fees, which I think is incredibly based.

Cost and specs

You can get a prebuilt option, which has everything ready to use out of the box. But because the laptop is pre-configured, you can’t customize what hardware you get. The prebuilt version is also more expensive.

I ordered the DIY laptop without a SSD and RAM, because I got these for cheaper on my own. The DIY edition doesn’t come with an OS. That’s fine, since my goal was to use Linux anyways. No OS also means no Windows license fee, reducing the cost a little.

The laptop price includes shipping and import fees. All prices include tax.

The specs for the laptop are:

The CPU is a 6-core Zen 4 model. The GPU is not meant for gaming, but I’ve heard it can handle light loads. I went overkill with the RAM because anything lower than dual channel 32 GB gimps performance. I bought the SSD when prices were very low during July. Considering I was fine with my 128 GB Mac, I think 1 TB will be plenty.

Comparisons to other OEMs

Here’s a quick table of laptops that I found online, within a reasonable price difference to the Framework 13. Everything is 13 inches except for the HP 2-in-1, and all laptops use integrated graphics. All prices were from December 16, 2023 and are before tax.

As you can see, the Framework laptop is not cheap. I understand why; the company is much smaller than big OEMs like Dell, and their target market is much more niche.

This isn’t a fair comparison, it’s just for seeing how Framework compares to other OEMs from a high level perspective. Framework may not be cheap, but it’s not terrible either. And the laptop’s selling point is that you can upgrade parts individually, whereas you need to buy a whole new laptop for other OEMs.

Although Framework’s price is not the best, this comparison points out some problems with OEM computers.

• Apple’s base model contains only 8 GB of shared RAM, which is very little
• Most OEMs don’t give much base storage
• Most OEMs tend to mess up on RAM configuration, and it shows DDR5 should ideally use 2 sticks of 16 GB, for dual-channel 32 GB for max performance

Unboxing and assembly

Now for the exciting part.

Framework, like most companies, claims to care for the environment and whatnot. This is purely for PR and should be ignored, but Framework puts in enough effort to be noticeable. There’s hardly any plastic in their packaging, which is efficiently put together.

There is no solder or glue, and everything can be assembled with the included screwdriver. Nice.

Here’s all the content from the box:

• A bezel
• Keyboard and trackpad
• Screwdriver (in the bottom right box)
• Laptop chassis
• Expansion cards

The chassis already has the SoC and motherboard, battery, screen, and misc. (Wifi card, microphone, webcam) installed. All the user needs to do is put the RAM and SSD in, and connect the keyboard and trackpad to the motherboard.

Here are the expansion cards I got. I think it’s an optimal combination for legacy support and more modern connectivity.

• 2 USB C (USB 4)
• 1 USB A
• 1 HDMI (I wish everyone used DisplayPort)

Assembling the laptop was very easy. Instructions are clear and hard to mess up. If you’ve built a desktop before, everything will be familiar. Even someone who hasn’t built LEGO could probably assemble the laptop.

… and done! The system POSTed, the keyboard and trackpad were working, and I could boot into Linux Live USBs.

Should you get a Framework?

The DIY edition? Only if you’re into computers and can handle this stuff. For the average person, the prebuilt option might work.

I can’t give a recommendation, simply because I haven’t used the laptop for long enough. By the time I upload this post, I’ve only had the laptop for a week.

Forums say that the current revision of the laptop are in Just Werks^TM territory, especially when using Windows. Linux is always a bit harder to get right, but I’ve heard good things there too.

What I can say is that the laptop feels well-built. It doesn’t feel cheap, the big 3:2 screen is alright (though motion performance is bad), and the keyboard and trackpad don’t have issues. The laptop is also very light; it weighs slightly over 1 kg and is thin. While 4 connectivity ports might sound low, it’s enough for me. USB 4 is fast enough to support USB hubs if I ever need them.

There aren’t big glaring flaws with the Framework laptop, which is the most important thing to get right.

Stay tuned

This was a (somewhat) quick post about unboxing the laptop. I’ll upload a more technical part 2 article later, where I’ll document how I got these to work:

• Install Gentoo
  • Use LUKS encryption
  • Enable secure boot
• Test out binhosting using my home server

This is a big step up from any computer I’ve configured. I’ve never used encrypted drives for Linux before, and I also never used secure boot either. My unsecured computers don’t leave my house, so security measures weren’t very meaningful. But now that I’ll use this laptop in public, it’s probably a good idea to apply some security hardening.