As far as I know, there aren’t any other companies making repairable laptops. The closest one is System76 (and probably other Linux laptop sellers like Tux, but they’re not in the US). And as far as I know, both are still live and kicking (and their laptops are not actually marketed as repairable with interchangeable parts generation over generation).
Framework hasn’t been around for too long, but in their short history, they already produced several generations of upgrades for the FW13 (11th gen, 12th gen, 13th gen, and the Ryzen 7040 series). They must be doing well enough to introduce a new product line (FW16).
If they go under right now, there really aren’t any third parties creating parts for their FW13 (not counting FW16 because that’s not even released yet). However, it is open source so there nothing stopping someone from recreating replacement parts in the future. Just that as of now, only individual makers and tinkerers are creating custom…well… stuff… (check out the Creators & Developers section in this forum).
Again, I don’t now of any other company doing this. This is why a lot of people are excited for Framework. It’s not just the laptop, but the entire idea and philosophy, and the possible future of possibilities of 3rd party creations.
If you don’t have the energy to research are you sure the framework 16 is the right laptop for you?
You’re looking to spend ~2000+ on this thing. I don’t mean to be “that guy” but imo these laptops (especially the diy ones) kind of expect you will invest in learning what you’re buying.
Honestly dude, were I you. I’d go to a SI and pick one of their base models. Most of those companies have fully drawn out “I do this what’s right for me” documents on their site. Razer makes good laptops, ASUS Zephyrus G16 is a good laptop.
To be fair, I’ve never seen one of those that wasn’t useless marketing drivel. I’d ask a forum for advice too, if I wasn’t comfortable with computer hardware.
I agree with your broader point though. Framework 16 isn’t what I’d recommend to friends and family until the second or third model, unless they were true believers.
I’m in batch 8. The concept, I understand. I’m one of those “true believers” I was referring to.
But it would be better for, say, my brother to buy a more traditional laptop, get 3-5 years of good use out of it, and then upgrade to a Framework 16 than to buy a Framework 16, run into some not-unexpected first generation growing pains and issues, and learn the lesson that he should have been purchasing MacBooks all along.
If you’re a normal person having computer problems, “buy a new motherboard in a year” is not the solution you’re looking for. It’s still early days for Framework. The dust hasn’t settled.
I’ve got an 11th gen Framework 13, and… it’s honestly a mixed bag. A lot of the fixes present in 12th and 13th gen boards aren’t present in the 11th, some of the power / sleep issues with expansion cards aren’t 100% solved yet in those boards either, as far as I’m aware (could be wrong). Even if I hadn’t put in for a Framework 16 pre-order, I wouldn’t be up for spending another $1k to swap over to an AMD board for another… I dunno, year or two. Most people aren’t so interested in spending $1k on an entire computer.
My advice for someone that can’t part it out themselves. Buy the cheapest config, if your needs grow later you can rebuild the laptop.
The proc /mobo is the only I guess part that might not be so easy, but the difference between the two procs is, well if you need the higher end one you probably already know why.
Otherwise don’t over buy, add as you determine you need it.
edit: James’s point stands above me too. That also points to maybe this isn’t the laptop for you.
No matter what you do, I’d still wait for reviews of the Laptop. They will likely also tell you which configuration makes the most sense and what advantages/drawbacks each of them have.
I’m also still waiting for the reviews, and if they are less then stellar, I’ll probably rethink whether I want to keep my preorder or cancel it. There some inherent drawbacks to their design, such as the expansion cards taking up a lot of space. You will simply not get the framework as small, lightweight or rigid as comparable devices. But those are the drawbacks you pay for repairability.
Anyway, I’d just say, see what the consensus will be after the reviews, then decide!
from preliminary examinations of the couple people that played with the demo version, it seems far stiffer than my hp 16 inch is, or any of my previous large screen laptops, you could supposedly hold it by one corner with no sag, I have never had a laptop where holding one of the front corners doesnt activate the mouse area, and give sag. small or lightweight, sure, but even weight its pretty respectable without the gpu
That is good to know! Dave2D also said, that it felt much higher quality than he expected. But I’m still recommending to wait for actual reviews before buying the laptop. Framework wants this to be the laptop you use for the next 10 years, but for that you need to be able to decide if you actually want to use it for the next 10 years.