High-end market expansion hopes

Framework Laptop 16
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Hello,

I’ve been eyeing the 16 for some time, hoping for the 5080 or 5090 variant for my work machine. Framework was moving in the right direction - first the RTX 5070 expansion card, then the RTX 5070 variant with 12 GB. Sadly, the 5070 is still two levels behind what I need. I had to go with the ASUS Zephyrus G16 AGAIN (2025, RTX 5080, 64 GB RAM, 2TB SSD, $3,600) for the upgrade, despite hating ASUS and its anti-consumer practices. At the end of the day, specs are king, and there is no better 4-lb laptop with gaming power.

I’m hoping to go Framework for my next update cycle. Honestly, if you ever enter the high-end gaming market, you’ll eat it up, as it is long overdue for disruption by a company offering high upgradability (discarding an entire laptop as an upgrade is pain) and customization (up to removing components, such as an SSD, entirely). I mean, ASUS is selling a 2026 Zephyrus G16 with a 5070ti and a 1 TB GEN 3 SSD for an eye-watering, straight-jacket worthy $4,800, and you can’t customize anything. Razer either offers the 5080 with 32GB RAM and 1 TB SSD for $4,000, or the 5090 with 64 GB RAM and 2 TB SSD for $5,500. Want 5080 with 64 GB RAM? Too bad, so sad.

But hey, at least I can supply my less performance-hungry family with your laptops. My wife loved your 13, and I’ll be upgrading it soon. I’ll get another 13 for my mom in the coming months.

I’m rooting for you, Framework.

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They really need to figure out their bios firmware and power config problems first. High end gamers would not accept years of artificial throttling in a high end laptop as we currently have. Locked to 544MHz, or 35w Max power with dGPU off, or failing to charge from random chargers, etc. Gamers will trash framework over it.

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Noooo, not the Zephyrus!

The other day I picked up my old G14 to check something. The chassis is nice, but for some reason minutes into powering up it started pulling 20W on idle. With the battery having already degraded 20% after six years I wouldn’t count on it to last long not plugged in.

It’s my frustration with this laptop and ASUS in general (whom I still suspect of publishing a last, enshittifying firmware update for this model) that lead me here.

I mean, what good is top of the line hardware if it only lasts 2-3 years it starts falling apart?