Latest news with #FrameworkLaptop16
Tom's Guide
5 days ago
- Business
- Tom's Guide
I just got my hands on the new Framework Laptop 12, and this one feature is a game-changer
I just spent an hour assembling Framework's latest product, and for my money, it's the easiest time I've ever had building one of these DIY laptops. I'm talking, of course, about the Framework Laptop 12, which was unveiled back in February (alongside a modular mini PC) as the company's big new release for 2025. If you're not familiar with Framework, you should be. The company debuted in 2022 with its Framework Laptop 13, which I called the anti-MacBook and the world's most exciting laptop because it's the most repairable and upgradable notebook on the market. Since then, the company has released newer, more capable models of the Framework Laptop 13 and its larger gaming-ready sibling, the Framework Laptop 16. But the new Framework Laptop 12 is not only the smallest and cheapest yet, it's also the first Framework laptop to ship with a touchscreen that can rotate nearly 360 degrees to lay flat against the keyboard, making this the first Framework 2-in-1. I was pretty excited to go hands-on with the Framework Laptop 12 at the reveal event back in February, but I had to wait until this month to try and build one for myself. See, since these laptops are designed to be opened and modified by the owner, you can order them in a "DIY Edition" that comes half-assembled and without key components like an operating system, RAM, or a storage drive. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. The idea is that you can save some money by providing your own components and software, and it's a nice option for experienced tech nerds. But for the rest of us, you can order a fully assembled and ready-to-use Framework laptop directly from the company at a slightly higher price. So while I expect most folks will order a new Framework Laptop 12 fully assembled ($799 to start), you have the option of ordering a DIY model ($549 to start) if you're feeling ambitious. I haven't had a chance to assemble a Framework laptop in a year or two, so when the folks at Framework reached out a while back to offer us a Laptop 12 loaner for review, I said, "Sure, send me the DIY Edition!" Fast forward to earlier this week, when I found myself staring nervously into a box full of Framework Laptop 12 parts and accessories. I was more than a little apprehensive since I'm not terribly handy or technical (I once almost electrocuted a friend who inadvertently tried to use my badly-soldered power cable), but once I got into it, I found the Framework Laptop 12 assembly process to be surprisingly quick and easy—and one particular innovation stood out to me because it seems like a game-changer for the Framework Laptop DIY process. The entire assembly process of the Framework Laptop 12 feels a bit easier than any other Framework machine I've used." I've opened a few models of Framework laptop at this point, and every time, the aspect I find most frustrating is managing the ribbon cable which runs between the innards of the laptop and the Input Cover (the "lid" with the keyboard and touchpad on it). As far as I know, this ribbon cable was key to ensuring your input on the touchpad was transmitted to the laptop, and I was always nervous about fiddling with it because any kink or short in the cable could cause the laptop to work incorrectly until I opened it back up and fixed my error. But while assembling the Framework Laptop 12 DIY Edition this week, I was pleasantly surprised to discover there is no cable tying the Input Cover to the innards that you need to worry about. Instead, the Input Cover on the Framework Laptop 12 simply snaps into place with the help of some magnets built into the chassis. It took me a few tries to get it seated just right, but the process was easy, painless, and worry-free. In fact, the entire assembly process of the Framework Laptop 12 feels a bit easier than any other Framework machine I've used. Sliding the RAM stick and SSD into their appropriate slots felt straightforward, and any time I was confused about what to do, I knew I could just look around the laptop and parts for QR codes I could scan to go directly to installation guides from Framework. Don't get me wrong—I still made mistakes and had to disassemble and reassemble the laptop at least once, because I'm a coward who was afraid to seat the RAM and storage deeply enough the first time around. So don't feel scared or nervous about building your own Framework; you're not alone, and even lunkheads like me can muddle through it with the aid of Framework's extensive library of guides. I'm still testing the Framework Laptop 12, so I'm not ready yet to publish a full review or pass judgment on how this 2-in-1 performs as a laptop. But in just the few days I've spent with it so far, I'm impressed. The Framework Laptop 12 has a nice, comfy keyboard that's easy to type on, and the 12.2-inch (1920 x 1200) touchscreen feels sturdy and responds well to stylus input. The aging 13th Gen Intel chip inside feels a little slow by modern standards, but it's still plenty capable for getting work done and some light gaming. Maybe my favorite aspect of this little laptop, besides its easier-than-ever assembly process, is the fact that it comes in cool colors like Bubblegum, Lavender, and Sage. However, I want to run more tests and spend more time with the new Framework Laptop 12 before I publish our full-scored review. Stay tuned!
WIRED
27-02-2025
- Business
- WIRED
Framework's First Desktop Is an Xbox-Sized Mini Gaming PC
The Framework Desktop is built around a mini ITX board that will fit in any PC case, but it's less upgradeable than most desktops. Framework If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED The original Framework Laptop's sales pitch was that it wanted to bring some of the modularity and repairability of the desktop PC ecosystem to a functional, thin, and light laptop. For nearly half a decade, the company has made good on that promise with multiple motherboard upgrades and other tweaks for the original 13-inch Framework Laptop; with the Framework Laptop 16 and Laptop 12, the company has tried to bring the same ethos to gaming/workstation laptops and budget PCs for students. This story originally appeared on Ars Technica, a trusted source for technology news, tech policy analysis, reviews, and more. Ars is owned by WIRED's parent company, Condé Nast. One of Framework's announcements this week was for the company's first desktop PC. Unsurprisingly dubbed the Framework Desktop, it's aimed less at the general-purpose PC crowd and more at people who want the smallest, most powerful desktop they can build and will pay extra money to get it. Preorders for this system start now, and Framework says it should ship in Q3 of 2025. Here was my first question: What does a company trying to build a more desktop-like laptop have to bring to the desktop ecosystem, where things are already standardized, upgradeable, and repairable? The answer, at least for the Framework Desktop announced today: a gaming PC that takes advantage of many PC standards and offers a unique combination of small size and high performance, but which is otherwise substantially less modular and upgradeable than a mini PC you can already buy or build for yourself. Tiny but Fast This mini ITX board is based on existing PC standards—note the M.2 slot, the regular USB-C front headers, and the four-lane PCIe slot—but also comes with a soldered-down CPU and GPU and soldered-down, non-upgradeable RAM. Framework The Framework Desktop is powered by an AMD Ryzen AI Max processor, a Radeon 8060S integrated GPU, and between 32 GB and 128 GB of soldered-in RAM. Over at Ars, we reviewed a more thermally constrained version of these chips in the Asus ROG Flow Z13 tablet—despite technically being an 'integrated' GPU built into the same silicon as the CPU, the number of compute units (up to 40, based on AMD's RDNA 3.5 architecture) plus the high-speed bank of soldered-in RAM gives it performance similar to a midrange dedicated laptop GPU. In Framework's first-party case, the PC starts at $1,099, which gets you a Ryzen AI Max 385 (that's an 8-core CPU and 32 GPU cores) and 32 GB of RAM. A fully loaded 128 GB with a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 configuration (16 CPU cores, 40 GPU cores) will run you $1,999. There's also an in-between build with the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip and 64 GB of RAM for $1,599. If you just want the mini ITX board to put in a case of your choosing, that starts at $799. None of these are impulse buys, exactly, but they're priced a bit better than a gaming-focused mini PC like the Asus ROG NUC, which starts at nearly $1,300 as of this writing and comes with half as much RAM. It's also priced well compared to what you can get out of a DIY mini ITX PC based on integrated graphics—the Ryzen 7 8700G, an AM5 ITX motherboard, and 32 GB of DDR5 can all be had for around $500 collectively before you add a case, power supply, or SSD, but for considerably slower performance. The volume of the Framework Desktop's first-party case is just 4.5 liters—for reference, the SSUPD Meshroom S is 14.9 liters, a fairly middle-of-the-road volume for an ITX case that can fit a full-size GPU. An Xbox Series X is about 6.9 liters, and the Xbox Series S is 4.4 liters. Apple's Mac Studio is about 3.7 liters. The Framework Desktop isn't breaking records, but it's definitely tiny. Despite the non-upgradeability of the main components, Framework has tried to stick to existing standards where it can by using a flex ATX power supply, ATX headers on the motherboard, regular 120 mm fans that can be changed out, and of course the mini ITX form factor itself. Framework So the pitch for the system is easy: You get a reasonably powerful 1440p-capable gaming and workstation PC inside a case the size of a small game console. 'If the Series S could run Windows, I'd buy it in a second' is a thought that has occurred to me, so I can see the appeal, even though it costs at least three times as much. But it does feel like a strange fit for Framework, given that it's so much less upgradeable than most PCs. The CPU and GPU are one piece of silicon, and they're soldered to the motherboard. The RAM is also soldered down and not upgradeable once you've bought it, setting it apart from nearly every other board Framework sells. 'To enable the massive 256GB/s memory bandwidth that Ryzen AI Max delivers, the LPDDR5x is soldered,' writes Framework CEO Nirav Patel in a post about this week's announcements. 'We spent months working with AMD to explore ways around this but ultimately determined that it wasn't technically feasible to land modular memory at high throughput with the 256-bit memory bus. Because the memory is non-upgradeable, we're being deliberate in making memory pricing more reasonable than you might find with other brands.' Patel notes that Framework 'leveraged all of the key PC standards everywhere we could.' That starts with a mini ITX board that uses standard ATX headers so it can fit into any PC case. The system's 400-W power supply is based on the established Flex ATX standard, and its 120-mm fans (made in cooperation with Cooler Master and Noctua) can be swapped out for any other fan of the same size. A front panel with customizable, 3D-printable square swatches adds a touch of personality and customization. Framework The system also retains some modularity, with swappable black or translucent side panels, an optional carrying handle, 21 customizable tiles on the front (which can be either bought or 3D-printed), and two slots on the front for the same expansion cards used for Framework Laptops. The system also includes a PCI Express slot with four lanes of bandwidth and two M.2 2280 slots for SSDs. Rear I/O includes two USB4 ports, two DisplayPorts, an HDMI port, and a 5-gigabit Ethernet port. Framework says the Desktop will work with not just Windows 11 and the typical Ubuntu and Fedora Linux distributions but also with more gaming-focused Linux distributions like Playtron OS and the SteamOS-based Bazzite. (We don't know whether the Framework Desktop will be supported by actual SteamOS when Valve starts distributing it on third-party PCs, but the desktop seems like a near-ideal way to resurrect the dead Steam Machine idea). So while the non-upgradeable nature of key system components make this machine seem distinctively un-Framework-like, it is Framework-like in that it attempts to identify and address an underserved market niche with something as standards-based as possible. To those looking to put together a more fully modular system with a user-replaceable CPU, GPU, and memory, I'm sure the Framework team would be the first to point you toward the wider PC ecosystem. This story originally appeared on Ars Technica.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Framework keeps fans guessing on February launch event product details
The modular computing company, Framework has confirmed it will announce new products at the end of the month. The brand, known for its easy-to-configure and upgrade designs, will host an event introducing its second-generation hardware on February 25 at 10:30 a.m. (1:30 p.m. EST). Framework has put up a splash page teasing the event in a coded emoji fashion, suggesting its new products will be colorful, flexible, powerful, and something for gamers. Giving one of the emojis is a beachball made of primary colors, the Verge suggested that the brand could be hinting at a 2-in-1 style Chromebook with a 360-degree hinge. This design allows devices to be used in different stances, other than the standard clamshell laptop form. Framework also detailed that pre-orders for at least one of its new products will be available on launch day. The brand urges that consumers create an account if they are interested in getting early access. The event will be Framework's first major launch in two years. The brand last unveiled devices in March 2023, which include the Framework Laptop 16, and two Framework Laptop 13 models. Since then the brand has kept its products up to date following the latest components on the market. Notably, the brand launched a Framework Laptop Chromebook edition device in 2022 that was considered innovative at the time. Framework is also opening invites to its upcoming event to enthusiasts, especially those who frequent the brand's online forum. 'In addition to bringing in press and partners, we're opening a pool of invites to the Framework Community to attend the event in person, meet the team, and get hands-on with our newest products,' Framework said in a statement. Those interested in attending can apply here to attend the event. The brand noted that applying does not guarantee an invitation. For those who can't make it in person, Framework will be streaming the event on YouTube.
