I do wonder if it’s an AMD issue. I just received and had to return a Framework 13 with the new AMD AI chip because it was suffering massive USB issues. Would not even recognize the SSD attached to it, which is crazy. I have heard that AMD implementation team is not as well refined and detailed as Intel. So likely it just comes down to how little support AMD is providing Framework as compared to Intel. and/or how well baked the AMD implementation is before launch. Might also be that framework doesn’t know how to properly implement AMD chipsets, idk.
Doubt it. Works fine on other non-Framework AMD laptops and desktop boards of many different generations (I have tested on laptops and micro PCs in the ASUS PN lineup alltogether having the Ryzen AI 3xx, 7xxx, 8xxx, 5xxx, 4xxx series and it works on all of them).
I also want to take a moment to emphasize how badly this USB issue being unaddressed for so long is souring my vibe check towards Framework. I read the whole thread and there is almost no support at all from them. This is a stark contrast against how things were after the launch of the first product (Intel Framework13) where they actually debugged USB issues with someone’s crappy cheap USB hub not working and they patched some firmware to fix a bug they had in their firmware/BIOS controller (or something like that, going from memory here). That was amazing to see back then. I was (and still am…. for the time being) a big Framework fan. I hope they can turn this issue around and restore my confidence.
This is me praising them handling another issue very well:
Anyhow, I reached out to them for support directly we’ll see where that goes.
Like Martyn_Rekowski I’m very disapointed by the lack of support from the company. I asked for help 10 months ago. They asked me to take screens, videos and some command lines output but then stopped answering. Its my first framework laptop and I can’t backup my files like I did because of this stupid issue. I hope they will finaly fix it !
Man I wish the pd controller firmware wasn’t a black box. I am 80% sure this issue is part of the overly agressive ocp thing.
Just confirming that this is still a problem in Nov 2025 with a FW 13 Ryzen 7 7840U. I’ve now tried this with the same WD drive in 2 separate enclosures (A & B below). I’ll provide a quick summary, then specs. If anybody ever finds a fix to this, I would be eternally grateful to you!
SUMMARY
Purchased the SSD & Enclosure A Oct 26. After setup, ran a quick sped test (winstat through cmd), yielding up to 776MB/s read & 820MB/s write. It would read through all ports on my laptop (ports are in the specs), as well as the usb A 2.0 & USB c on my docking station. However, it would disconnect/reconnect if trying to copy a large folder (12.7GB) or even just downloading a game from steam onto the drive. This was consistent with all ports (laptop & docking station). Reading seemed fine, I could play games stored on it, however I just had to upload any folders to it in bursts. Then, 2 weeks after purchase (Nov 9), Enclosure A & SSD are no longer recognized at all. Not in file explorer, disk manager, or BIOS. No storage pools were ever setup. Spoke with the guys at the store where I purchased Enclosure A & SSD online (Canada Computers), they said it was likely the drive overheating during large file transfers. I was advised to get a new enclosure with a cooling fan.
I exchanged enclosure A for B same day, kept the SSD. SSD in enclosure B is not recognized on my FW 13 in any stable capacity. Both with the 3.09 & 3.16 BIOS versions. I tried plugging it right into the motherboard type C ports, the first time it recognized for a split second, then disconnected and reconnected with a no media status. Later attempts have been unsuccessful. It was being recognized on other computers (just tried Enclosure B & SSD on an Asus TUF Dash w. 11th gen i7-11370H, also tried earlier with a lenovo P series not sure what model will have to check back) and it will read and write no problem.
I have just now gotten it to function (after updating BIOS to 3.16) through my docking station’s USB A 2.0 port. It’ll read and write (admittedly with a cut in performance, 38 MB/s read & 29 MB/s write), however it seems stable. When connected to the USB C port on my docking station it still disconnects/reconnects when trying to write.
Just for reference, no other drive has given me this issue. All HDDs and USB lash drives that I’ve used with this laptop have remained stable while connected. In addition, the internal boot drive (WD SN850x 1TB) has performed totally fine. No problems there. Just issues with the external drive & enclosure setup.
SPECS
System: FW 13, Ryzen 7 7840U w. 780m integrated graphics, 32GB DDR5-5600, WD SN850x 1TB as boot drive
FW 13 ports: both rear are type C, front left is type C, front right is type A
BIOS: Was 3.09 when I was testing enclosures A & B. Updated to 3.16 while testing enclosure B
SSD: WD SN850x 4tB
Enclosure A: Vantec NexStar SX, USB 3.2 Gen2x1 Type C M.2 NVMe/SATA RGB Enclosure
Enclosure B: Orico M2PVC3-G20
Docking Station: OWC 11 port Thunderbolt 4 dock w. included thunderbolt cable (I was switching from a 2018 MBP, i9 processor, need to pickup a USB 4 docking station)
NOTE
Cheers to everyone who has contributed to this chat. The moment I started reading I recognized this was exactly what was happening. I can finally rest knowing the new SSD is not the culprit here.
Further, this laptop has been excellent, up until this point. Purchased it last year (Oct 24), and I’ve had nothing but good things to say about it. This whole fiasco with the external SSD just not connecting is not a real selling point for me though. May have to consider switching back to intel when I upgrade my board.
It seems like this issue has been addressed or significantly mitigated on new 340/350/370 based AMD boards, per testing conducted by another owner that was very kind to help. Which is great but I don’t know what’s the matter with Framework’s radio silence.
The handling of problematic charging FET on 11th Gen boards was great, the 2 iterations of RTC fix was also great, but why the radio silence on this? Especially considering Framework has since released new AMD boards with this issue apparently addressed, so it would not be an unreasonable assumption for me to make that Framework investigated and identified the cause.
All of this is nothing but a ‘Connecting with iPhones over Type-C may be unstable’ footnote in new BIOS releases.
This was already rubbing me the wrong way, but I bought Core Ultra board anyway. However, due to recent development in Framework’s sponsor activity, and Framework’s response (or the lack thereof), I’m not inclined to continue supporting Framework.
I’m already using all my Framework laptops with the logo taped over. I’ll use warranty when applicable, spare parts I already own, and used parts if obtainable to keep them going as feasible, but after that I’m afraid that will be it. Unless material changes regarding the sponsorship situation occurs, I am not purchasing any new laptop or parts from Framework.
That makes me wonder if the fix is not possible without a full board recall. I’m on a 16 and they still have not fixed the firmware throttling problem that has been an issue since the thing was released, so my opinion of their firmware dev is currently rock bottom.
Not sure what you mean by sponsor, but because they have voiced good support for Omarchy, and Linux in general, I will be purchasing 3 12s in the near future for all my kids once they have resolved their cracking issue on those.
I have done quite a lot of detailed analysis of the FW USB ports here:
There are all sorts of different causes to the problems you are seeing. Some certainly non-obvious causes.
If it helps, (from what I have found) in order to minimize problems:
- Try a better USB4 40Gbps cable. The FW appears to be more susceptible to noise than other laptops on its usb ports. Specifically the CC power negotiation parts. So using a better cable does help. For example, I don’t use the cable that came with my NVME enclosure, I use a USB4 40Gbps one.
Note: Maybe use USB-A cables, because these don’t use CC messages, so are more reliable. - Plug into the rear side (next to the display) USB ports on the FW13 7000 series, or the FW16 7000 series.
They appear to behave better. - Don’t plug anything else into the other usb ports while using the NVME enclosure. Leaves more power for the NVME enclosure.
- Try to keep the power draw from the NVME enclosure to 7.5 W or below. You can use nvme cli commands to do this.
- Keep the enclosure cool. Overheating it does not help reliability.
It never crossed my mind that people reporting about non-working external drives haven’t tried better cables. But that could very well be the majority of issues if true.
I have tried at least 5 different nvme enclosures on my fw16 and all have worked. But I also habitually swap to a different USB cable if the drive did not work.
I’m my experience, these drives, specially the cheaper ones, come with the cheapest cable imaginable. I bought 6 identical external nvme drives once for a raspberry pi cluster project and had to use different, better cables with all of them for them to even work on the pis.
I have the Framework Laptop 13 DIY Edition (AMD Ryzen™ 7040 Series 7840U), and have the same issue with my docks - every other laptop/desktop I have works fine, just not the Framework 13. I got mine in October 2024.
I’ve tried different power cords, different cords (as noted the included cables are usually crap), different docks (3)
Tried: [LINK REMOVED] and [LINK REMOVED] (not referral links)
[LINK REMOVED]
[Intel Certified] Cable Matters 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 Cable - 0.8m, Support 8K Video and 240W Charging, Compatible with USB4, Thunderbolt 3 Cable, and USB C
- [Intel Certified] Cable Matters 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 Cable - 1m, Support 8K Video and 240W Charging, Compatible with USB4, Thunderbolt 3 Cable, and USB C
- ORICO 2 In 1 40Gbps USB C Cable PD100W Fast Charger Cord 8K @60Hz HD USB 3.0 to USB C Cable for Macbook Thunderbolt 4 PS4”, incase it was USBA.
[LINK REMOVED]
And a bunch of other ones - works fine on my Macbook Pro 2023 m2 (which can also be picky).
Tried these docks:
[LINK REMOVED]
- ORICO USB4 M.2 SSD Case 40Gbps M2 NVMe Case Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 4 USB3.2 USB 3.1 3.0 Type-C Multiple Protocols
Even a slower dock: [LINK REMOVED] ORICO M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure, USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) to NVMe PCI-E M.2 SSD Case Support UASP for NVMe SSD Size 2230/2242/2260/2280(up to 4TB)-M2PV.
(I can’t find the other 40gbps dock I have, but it seems to be good).
I’ve found with 40gbps+ cables, the shorter the better, these are the ones I dug up from my emails.
Might be cool to have a “rating list” similar to [LINK REMOVED] for Motherboards, or at the very least “confirmed working cables”.
Can’t post more than 2 links, they are here: gist:2e5f2361aa90d138227fc7dfa764710a · GitHub