Framework

Somewhat disillusioned with the quality (or lack thereof) with some of the ThinkPads we've had recently. I'll freely admit fence-sitting for the last couple of years, and I hat-tip those who bought products from this embryonic company as I wasn't sure if they'd be a flash-in-the-pan or not. They're still here a few years later.

Well, the AMD processor option seemed to be a nice performance / endurance balance and whilst I could've just plumped for a T14, the FW13 seemed like a nice option now.

I've always played "extend the lifespan" with my tech and hence my previously-favoured X270 got upgraded batteries, more storage, WiFi 6, LTE upgrades, more memory and so on. With the Framework, having a platform that actively encourages you to fiddle with it was appealing rather than one that merely allows it (and even then can cause issues at times).

So far, it has exceeded my expectations on every level. I daily drive it in place of a couple of different ThinkPads and I can happily say I don't miss them at all for any reason other than nostalgia. The X270 has just had its external battery pulled and the internal one set to disconnect and shoved on a shelf. I honestly never thought that would happen, but here we are.

Framework don't have the economies of scale that Lenovo do, hence they're more expensive than a similar-spec Lenovo. Is it worth it? For my use case, and assuming they stick around for the foreseeable? Sure :-)

First doubt is... will the company still be around in 2-3 years when I'd consider a CPU update and still supporting current models?

no one knows for sure, but worst case you ditch it and buy a new laptop, just like literally any other brand.

Second is whether I want to buy a laptop that's such a basic clamshell design... in 2-3 years will I want a 2-in-1 or a smaller footprint or different screen ratio etc.?

for me personally, tall screen + clamshell is ideal, I've never wanted anything else. but ultimately, same as point 1, if you decide you want something else you can just get a different laptop, same as any other laptop.

so for both 1 and 2, your absolute worst case is the same as every other laptop on the market which doesn't seem like an issue to me

These are all risks we take. If you can't afford to take them, don't. If you don't personally see it as worth it, don't. It's a very personal decision and is very much based on your feelings and wallet.

I'm a computer geek and have always repaired my own laptops and drag out their lifespan as far as possible. I've replaced just about everything on regular laptops and know how much it sucks to find parts and do the repairs.

Within a couple months I had to replace my main board under warranty and was able to replace it in under 10 minutes. That felt so damned good! :) Very happy with my purchase.

I got a yoga series and that was because I told myself I wanted to draw on it. I loved that it came with a rechargeable pen and a touch screen. I have had it for years now and I can’t remember the last time I actually drew on it. Turns out I never use the touch screen and I never use the pen. So I’m only looking at “traditional” form factors now and I love the concept of the framework. Will they stick around? Well they sure aren’t if nobody buys what they are selling so I’m doing my part and voting for repairability with my money.

i liked the idea of it. i was used a macbook air for years. i still like apple OS and prefer it over windows. but their new laptops are just missing too many features for the sake of making it thiner and thiner. its missing standard usb ports and they only do usb c now. its also missing the mag safe charger and the SD card slot.

i don’t need a light or thin laptop. i just need something i can pick up and move from the couch to the bed. i also like being able to choose what i have available on my laptop. i don’t think standard usb is going away for a couple more years, yet apple has removed them completely and replaced them with usb c which in my opinion was a mistake.

I bought one because I've watched Apple slowly chip away at my ability to upgrade and repair my Macbooks. First it was the RAM, next the SSD, and now I can't replace my keyboard because it is riveted to the case. My only solution for the keyboard is to replace the entire topcase, or painstakingly replace the keyboard itself with another keyboard that is susceptible to the same defect(butterfly keys).

I'm sick of that crap and I'll be using Framework going forward.

I have a Lenovo t14 AMD G3 from work and bought a FW 13 AMD. Lenovo has a white list on the second pcie slot. It's fan is annoying. The keyboard layout of the t14 is not good for me. The screen of the FW is better. It boots weird and slow compared to the FW. And if I upgrade the FW I can reuse the Mainboard for something else. It isn't cheap, but has a soul.

Do it

Honestly I like framework because it doesn’t have any manufacturer bloat. I hate and despise all that, and while some will say just reinstall windows (or install Linux) I like windows for fun (Linux for work!) and most laptops need weird windows drivers with a load of crap included you cannot avoid

Framework has no such issues. It’s like getting an Android pixel phone from Google, rather than a Samsung. I just like stock.

Speaking of which, is why the Microsoft surface line would be my second choice and biggest competitor to framework for me.

Out the two I weighed pros and cons. Both are stock windows, nicely made. Surface line is tight and integrated and framework is open and upgradable, which was the path I preferred slightly in the end.

A great thing about desktop PCs is you can config exactly how you like and avoid manufacturers crapware - and frameworks are that philosophy for laptops, which I think is great.

If you prefer touchscreens or smaller shells I’d say Microsoft surface is the line to get, otherwise, get a framework. For me - no other laptops are considered for me personally.

Maybe I’m weird!

I bought it because I am an advocate of right to repair. There are some other reasons, but that's the main reason I bought it. Because no other modern thin & light is built around repairability to the degree framework is.

One other thing I like about framework - when you upgrade to a new board, your old board becomes a standalone mini pc. You can use that for r/homelab or r/selfhosted projects which can be really fun and repurposes your old hardware in a more useful way

My problem with trying to justify this purchase is I can get a similarly specced Lenovo 7940HS right now for half the price of the framework that would ship in Q2 2024. The later the shipment the cheaper the framework ought to be, but no... By the time the framework ships, the Lenovo would likely cost a third or even a quarter instead. So it's like I can buy three or four Lenovos for the price of one framework. I don't see how framework is supposed to not only save e-waste but also save me money over time.

I didn’t even need one, but bought one to support the company because I believe in their methods with regards to repair/upgrades. 11th gen i7 upgraded to 12th gen. Top spec for both.

And now I’m waiting on a loaded FW16. The fw16 is less value per dollar for sure compared to others. But I like being able to customize and/or upgrade when needed.

I bought their board to build a screenless server type system with 11th gen, idle power usage 15watts!!!! for an i7 its insane, so use cases vary. I got framework because all 1185g7 pc's mini etc were from China, and I am not fully ok with that. But framework is so impressive. I am a huge fan now. I know I do not fall in your use case but there is a lot more to it.

I’m Batch 4 for the FW13 AMD and just got the email that my batch is being prepared! Can’t wait!

So my reasoning for going with the FW? I’m completely behind the idea of self repair. Just want a laptop that I can easily replace components and upgrade without tossing the whole thing away. ALSO, when I upgrade the main board some years down the line, I can put the old board to use. Make an HTPC or a dedicated emulation PC. Or maybe sell it? I don’t know, but it won’t go to waste.

My old laptop actually still suits me well but the battery is dying. It’s about 4 years old and can’t hold a charge. I’m genuinely afraid that continuing to charge it is putting myself in danger of a fire hazard. If swapping out the battery was quick and easy, I would get a new one and continue using it. Now is the time to stop that cycle of a ditching an entire laptop to replace one component.

All my previous laptops aged out processor-wise with the rest of the hardware fine. Hopefully in 8-10 years I can just buy a motherboard and a new battery, and maybe a wifi card.

I bought the framework laptop because i like actually owning the things i buy, and the framework is the only one offering such a wide variety of replacement parts and upgrades.

Also the potential for upgrades are only limited by the chassis itself. Maybe they'll release a touchscreen and 360° hinges, which would be doable in the future.

Also, I hate manufacturers forcing me into using windows by using components not compatible with Linux, framework works out of the box with fedora, my distro of choice.

But in the end, you'll have to decide yourself. For that price, you can get machines with better specs - at the price of soldered ports, ram, and maybe even the ssd in some cases.

new ARM processors will start a new trend(equivalent to Apple M2 cip performance per wat)from next year....maybe it is wise to hold your horses for a while

if you have a laptop that's perfectly usable, don't buy it.
if you don't, buy it, because it'll likely be the last laptop you ever own.

I don´t have personal computer since my 10 years old tower died few months ago, I use my corporate laptop for doing personal things on it, so this is not ideal.

so it´'s due to buy a computer for me.

My dell laptop ran so hot after a year I couldn't put it on my lap, the lonovo I replaced it with fell apart in two years. £1500 wasted. A modular laptop where I can replace one part if it breaks rather than buying a whole new laptop? Yes please. I'm very happy with my framework.

1. I'm in the market for a new laptop to replace my ageing Razer Blade Stealth

2. I deeply believe in their philosophy around repairability and upgradeability, which is why I didn't buy a Mac

3. I'm in a position where I can afford to pay a small premium for a product that is backed by a company with solid principles.

Screen ratio is amazing for work!

Price is competitive if you need a lot of RAM and can live with an i5 or R5.

The other reasons of why I got one probably don’t matter for your use case :)

I would never buy "a second laptop", that'd be unnecessary and wasteful. I have the one laptop I use for everything and take everywhere, plus the previous laptop as a backup. Right now this is an XPS 15 9560. Even though is in perfect nick the CPU (i7-7700HQ) just isn't strong enough to do the work I'm doing these days, therefore I've preordered a F16 and once I have it my XPS will be "the old laptop", my backup. The "old old" laptop gets donated to whoever needs one.

Eh, I don’t really need to see the financials or “burn rate” of a company manufacturing laptops to make a purchasing decision. Frankly, $1000-$1500 laptops are a commodity item these days.

They re-sell for a lot of money, $650 to $1,200. Even the parts sell for a lot on eBay.

https://ebay.com/sch/177/i.html?_nkw=framework+laptop&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1

I wanted a cheap gaming laptop that I can upgrade and play older games on

I wanted to buy a Thinkpad Z13 Gen 2 which was scheduled to be released in June, but no signs of it since then. I always had ThinkPads + Warranty Extension, so this is also my first non ThinkPad Laptop.

Main points for me:

• AMD Platform / Lack of alternatives
• Linux support
• Potential upgrade Path to Ryzen Pro, ECC Memory, Core Boot

For me Framework is neither about sustainability nor repairability, but rather a way to upgrade faster and more frequently. This also justifies the higher base price.