Got my Batch 1 DIY edition last week and finally had time to set it up. I have the DIY i7-1165G7, 2x32 GB memory, FireCuda 520 2TB, and AX210 non-vPro on Windows 10 Pro.
What I love:
I LOVE that it is modular and built to be repaired. My past two laptops were 2 in 1s (Surface Pro 3 followed by an Eve V) and the SP3 developed a screen discoloration issue after an MS firmware update caused it to run full throttle while inside my laptop bag. The cost to fix that three months out of warranty, $450, no thanks. My Eve V has been plagued with a wireless card issue since day 1 and I ended up getting a USB dongle to have consistent connection which laughably cost more than the AX210. I love the idea that if/when this machine starts having issues I can just buy a replacement component.
I love that both the microphone and the webcam have physical switches to disable them. It looks like the webcam is electrically disconnected as it disappears from device manager, however, the microphone does not, so not sure how that is being done.
Concerns I have:
Only real concern is with the hinge for the monitor. Pulling on one side or the other encounters more resistance than I’d like and you can see the panel bend just a little. I’m sure I can learn to pull it down from the middle, but would prefer a slightly less resistant hinge.
Other stuff:
Keyboard/Touchpad: Since I’ve been using 2 in 1s for the past 7 years my standards for things like keyboard travel and touchpads is going to be quite a bit lower than everyone else. To me, the keyboard feels really good. I feel like I could type on this all day. The touchpad is responsive and accurate.
Screen: I have it set at 1.25 scaling and I’m really enjoying the 3:2 aspect ratio. I do wish it was a 4K panel though. Coming from the Eve V with a 12.3" 2880 x 1920 panel and knowing that the upcoming Eve V is a 13.5" UHD+ 3840x2400 panel I wish there were additional options. I definitely notice the considerably lower PPI. I mention this only because I had originally pre-ordered the upcoming Eve V, but cancelled it when I heard about the Framework. I figured reparability was more important and that I could always swap the screen later with a higher resolution panel (and hopefully I’m right about that).
Disassembly/Assembly: Both were ridiculously easy. Everything is well labeled and the guides online (only needed them for the wifi card) are very well written.
Battery: The jury is still out on the battery. My battery monitor app says I should get around 8 hours surfing the web and running Office apps. I am however also experiencing the sleep issue that others have seen with the Realtek driver. I’ve also noticed that waking from sleep is sometimes slow and other times it’s instant. Might dig into that later.
Fan: Normally it’s silent. Only time I’ve heard it is when I put it on the couch for a few minutes and it didn’t have proper airflow.