I want to get a framework for web development and am curious which configurations you picked for software development and what your experience has been so far with it.
I pre-ordered an i7 (no vPro) and 16GB of RAM but after reading some forum posts am considering of downgrading to an i5 to save money.
I’m a Java and Web developer and while I haven’t ordered received it yet, I would probably go with the i5 because the difference in benchmarks seems to be pretty low (around 10 to 20% max), and development isn’t always CPU bound. On the other hand more memory than 16GB can definitely be useful dependant on IDE and project size and other stuff you might be running in parallel (like multiple browsers!). I’d probably go with 32 GB.
@Jonathan_Haas I think going with the i5 won’t be a big issue if there’s an active used-market to flip an i5 for an i7 later on if needed.
Good suggestion with the ram upgrade. I’m gonna try to find out if I’m currently having issues with RAM.
I agree. I personally went for the i5 with 64 GB of RAM. I tend to run many memory-intensive applications (VM’s for example) and I know how frustrated I get when the memory fills up. I’m less bothered by the 10-ish % difference in CPU performance.
At the current moment, I just went with the i5. The difference between the i5 and even the most expensive i7 option was less than a 10% performance increase, even under load, so the extra $500+ wasn’t worth it in my opinion.
I went with 32GB, because even nowadays 16GB can start to show it’s limitations when running tons of software at once.
I didn’t really bother with a Gen4 NVMe since atm, the only really noticeable use case for gen4 on the framework would be video editing, which I don’t do.
The main reason to go for the i7 would be better GPU performance: 96 vs 80 “execution units” so an improvement of 20% assuming linearity. This might still matter for development work if you plan to use many screens simultaneously.
In terms of pure CPU power, the difference might not be noticeable due to throttling. In fact, in some of the other manufacturers’ designs (I haven’t seen any comparison for the Framework laptop), the i5 versions were shown to be more performant than the i7, at least when multiple cores were in use. An example here: That awkward moment when a Core i5-1135G7 can outperform the more expensive Core i7-1165G7 - NotebookCheck.net News
I’m all about the i7, personally. 10-20% increased cpu performance translates to shorter compile times, less time spent compiling, and and possibly better battery life as a result. Plus the gpu performance difference is a big deal if you’ll use it (I do).
But it’s always hard to decide, since laptop performance can vary so much between models, and the sites that test the most laptops have the worst methodology. I’ve seen NotebookCheck.net compare cpu performance between dgpu and igpu models, without any consideration for the effect of the dgpu heat on on the total thermal load/cpu thermal throttling. And no one ever seems to test developer workflows.
Also you need 32gb of RAM if you live the container lifestyle, imo, so that’s what I did. My current MBP at work only has 16gb and it is frequently a problem.
I did the i7 with 16GB of RAM, since upgrading the ram is a pretty simple affair. I actually have 32GB in another laptop that would work just fine. I did go with the gen4 NVME and I got a 1TB expansion card.
i7 non vPro version w/32GB of crucial ram purchased on amazon and 2TB samsung nvme.
I went with the i7 for the slightly better speeds since I know I wont be able to upgrade it as easily as the nvme/ram. I won’t actually be doing much compiling on it (I’ll do that on a live test server).
32GB bc, as others said, 16GB isn’t much anymore. Firefox/chrome will happily eat most of that away. So 32GB is my new minimum. I might move up to 64GB if I run enough containers/VMs.
Also got the 1TB expansion card, was intreged by the speed/usbc. But having issues with it while writting unfortunately which I have not yet properly diagnosed.
I do backend development and I picked i7-1165G7 mainly because I play games time to time and i7 has more graphical cores (EUs) than i5 but i5 is not that different and at the end it’s just about the extra $300. Beside this I decided to go with 64 GB RAM just to have margin for VMs and crypto wallets. As storage I picked 1 TB Samsung Evo 970 Plus. It’s awesome drive but it runs on higher temperature. I am not sure I picked right here. 980 is cooler and performance is similar. One thing to consider is power consumption. Difference in power consumption between i5+16 GB RAM+256 GB SSD and my configuration could result in one or two hours or even more on battery. My notebook spends most of its life docked on the table so I don’t care much about battery life and if that changes I can always downgrade in minutes 
My Framework is prepared to be delivered under our Christmas tree. I had only a few hours with it before my wife seized it. Currently I am on HP with exactly the same processor but much worse heat dissipation. I will miss pretty solid and comfortable chassis of my 13" HP Spectre and especially the OLED screen but as a workhorse Framework is better machine regardless the configuration you choose. Every configuration with 16 and more GB RAM is fine for web development. If you don’t play games you won’t be able to see the difference between i5 and i7.
Went with the 64 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD (Samsung 970 Evo Plus), and 1135 G7. Most of the applications I use are not CPU intensive but are very RAM intensive, such as VMs and Docker containers. Also got a great deal on the 64 GB RAM from Best Buy.