I am currently a senior in high school looking to study CS or Computer Engineering in college. I was wondering what laptop would be the correct choice a 13” or a 16”. I currently have a 16” dell but I don’t like how heavy and bulky it is along with its poor battery life. But I’m not sure if a close to maxed out Framework 13” would be able to have the power necessary for a cs major especially with the rise of ai in the last couple of years. Along with some battery life concerns I have read from other forms. I would like to go with the 13” one for a better form factor but I’m just not sure of its power. So any advice that could be given on a potential choice would be great. Thank you.
Either machine will be fine, though if the 16" Dell is cumbersome the 16" Framework will be as much if not more. Being as college is still close to a year away, getting a maxed out machine (mainboard wise) is not going to really gain much. See the distinct advantage is two or three years from now, a new faster mainboard can just be swapped in.
If working on a project that requires substantial computing power, almost NO laptop is going to outperform even a modestly powered desktop or even an older workstation.
Both laptops can be powered by a portable battery charger with PD support; so the battery life thing is a non-issue. Neither the 13" or 16" are winning battery longevity contests. Personally, I would much rather have the ability to replace the battery (and every other component for that matter) than be locked into a machine made by a popular company named after a fruit, HP, Dell, or Lenovo. Soldered ram, semi-permanant battery with industrial adhesive, display that costs as much as a decent beater car to replace; no thank you.
If I were in this position and know what I do now; mid-range mainboard, spend a little more on memory (when prices are not ridiculous), any reliable NVME drive, and the nicer display. Literally everything can be upgraded in the future if new components come out.
Both the FW13 and FW16 have similar cpus. The FW16 can disapate more heat, so can run its cpu a bit faster, but the difference is not much.
It was the screen size that drove me to which one to get. I needed a bigger screen so have a FW16.
If your main driver is now wanting a lighter and smaller laptop, go with the FW13.
I understand that the FW13 is generally more popular than the FW16.
FW have a 30 money back, so you can purchase it, and send it back if it does not suit you.
Would you happen to know anything about the battery life of either device. Mainly because I don’t want to be half way through a lecture and the thing is giving out on me. Or the battery giving out on me half way through a semester and having to wait for new parts. Thanks though for the advice so far.