I am not sure if this question(s) has been answered before, or know the exact wording used for the topic by other users.
My question is, should I buy the laptop now or wait for an AMD version?
I know the laptop can (potentially) have the ability to upgrade your motherboard/CPU when new upgrades are available. I can buy the intel model now, but will I be able to swap it for an AMD board/chip when is available? I am considering the cooling as well since both Intel and AMD measure their TDP differently.
I am pretty sure after a few years the hardware and form factor doesn’t last forever to support newer chips, so most likely will be needing to buy a whole new laptop to upgrade to the latest platform.
Also, what models or marketing will help the company in the long run? Selling parts alone will be a challenge. Custom skins, unique accessories, or decals for the laptops or having partnerships with video games companies or anime/music/tv series for custom lid covers? just curious. So many questions in mind.
In all honesty, this laptop and the company’s mission is a wet dream come true for me
I do want this company to succeed and all reviewers should rank other laptops in terms of accessibility, repairability, and upgradability. For once just want something to be yours to own and not feeling like it is being rented or leased to use the hardware to access the services. Sure it’s a good model for console games and maybe Apple. But laptops and cars is just … disappointing.
@Draken_X Knowing one laptop can’t be everything to everyone, I would suggest you consider this laptop if you are going to primarily use it for work or school productivity 60-70%. If you want to game 30-40% on it I would see the post about the results of connecting an eGPU to it.
If I were in your shoes, I would ask myself why I specifically wanted an AMD mobile processor. I’d probably list those reasons out and ask others what their thoughts are.
As for a timeline, we likely won’t see much with TB3/USB4 and AMD until late this year or early next. Only some higher end desktop X570 motherboards have TB3 support and AMD only plans on supporting USB4 for its EPYC lineup next year. This puts AMD mobile processors pretty far out.
If an AMD board for framework were to come out, I’m sure it would have a similar (if not identical) form factor to the current Intel boards. This is all purely hypothetical though. The good part is that if it didn’t have a similar form factor, you could easily purchase a compatible case and move anything from the current framework laptop to the new one. Screen, battery, keyboard, storage, ram, everything is a pretty standard connector on the inside. the framework’s external modular components would also probably work, however the framework team would need to confirm that as I’m not sure which devices are reliant on TB3. (If any at all)
There have been no definitive indications that an AMD model will be produced. They keep saying “future x86 platforms” but that could just mean the next Intel generation. If you want the laptop, buy it, but if an AMD platform is a requirement I suggest looking elsewhere and reselling that laptop whenever FW comes out with an AMD model
You’re right on AMD being far behind when it comes to thunderbolt features as it is an intel product. I do not have any thunderbolt related items that I would benefit from, or care to have an external GPU docked to a laptop.
The main reasons why I prefer AMD at the moment are their CPU having a lower TDP in general and longer battery life. Their integrated GPU is often better and ages better as time goes on while intel graphics are just … baseline for a functional video card. I do have a few games I play on the side which tend to struggle. If the laptop came with a dedicated GPU, I would gladly pick intel, though I would also imagine power consumption will be higher.
Overall, having a processor to use multiple applications at once similar to my desktop PC when I am on the go is something I would very much enjoy. At the same time, I am aware of the CPU trading blow between intel and AMD, and at some point, ARM is just something to keep in mind and see available options.
For now, I am set on a Framework laptop, just wondering for better CPU Power/Performance for the price and as far I am aware of AMD is currently delivering on those fronts.
