I have so many computers at the house, that it is hard for me to answer. I love my desktop for all the reasons that desktops are popular. Powerful CPU, lots of RAM, amazingly powerful GPUs. The software I develop doesn’t need any of that power, but I like to game, and I love computers. (IE: I’m a computer nerd)
However, I feel like the 16 could truly replace a desktop for people. Yes, it is more expensive than a desktop, but this is the cost of miniaturization, repairability, etc. A desktop that is stationary most of the time, powers big or many monitors, nice desktop keyboard and mouse, speakers, etc. But if you need to go and want that power with you, it absolutely can.
So I’m hopeful that my 16 can make it possible for me to let go of my desktop, and the massive amounts of power it needs. I don’t really have a problem with that, but if I can do what I need to, at a fraction of the power, why not? Less heat, less wear and tear on the hardware itself… seems like a win win.
I pre-ordered the FW 16 in Bach 14 to replace my old pc, to work, gaming and getting back to stop-motion. I had to make a balance between the price and good perfomance, so I plan to take more cards in the future !
CPU: Ryzen™ 7 7840HS
Mémoire: DDR5-5600 - 16GB (2 x 8GB)
Stockage: WD_BLACK™ SN770 NVMe™- M.2 2280 - 500GB
Stockage: 2TB - Western Digital SN740 NVMe™ - M.2 2230
My desktop is pretty beefy with a Ryzen 9 5950x, RTX 3090, 128GB of ram and 20TB of storage… but I intend to see how well the FW 16 can replace it. One thing that my Steam Deck has really helped sink in, is that spec’s aren’t everything. The experience as a whole should also be considered… and I despise being tethered to a desk.
It’s going to be my daily driver for personal use. Replacing a ThinkPad P50, and hopefully the 16" MacBook Pro (Intel) if I can wean myself off it.
Normal light usage, some virtualisation and cloud development. Some moderate gaming.
Config :
Ryzen™ 7 7840HS
32GB (2 x 16GB)
SK Hynix P41 Platinum 2TB
Graphics Module (AMD Radeon™ RX 7700S)
Expansion Bay Shell
2x Spacer: Black, Black Bezel
Keyboard: British English
Expansion Cards
2 x USB-A
3 x USB-C
HDMI (3rd Gen)
Ethernet
I’m mostly USB-C/Thunderbolt as both existing laptops support it. Hopefully I won’t need the eGPU anymore. Couple of USB-A for headset, keyboard dongles, flash drives etc. HDMI for the odd occasion when I need it, desk monitor will be connected via a USB-C to DP cable. Ethernet because living in a building with 20+ visible WiFi networks doesn’t do much for a low latency connection.
Heavy tasks on the go. Video editing, programming, work requiring a lot of screen space (this will be my largest number of pixels yet), all either on the road or just staying mobile around the house as my infant learns to use his body…for evil.
I’ll still favor the big keyboard and screen size of my actual desktop(s) for big projects and gaming, and if I’m just browsing the web I’ll still likely pick up one of my little old laptops. I don’t intend this to replace anything, but rather fill a new role of doing what I consider desktop-type work when I can’t sit at my desk.
And of course, let’s be honest, I’m also using my Framework as a statement of my moral stance that all laptops should be built more like this, and Tim Apple should be in jail.
I’m Batch 12, and pondering the likelihood of 128GB RAM (2x64) or maybe even 256GB (2x128) being available by then.
I’m looking at a 4TB drive, but haven’t decided which one yet. Also looking at a 2TB in the second slot, possibly put Win10 on that with Linux on the 4TB. The possibility of larger drives being available by then might also be a possibility.
I held off (with much will power spent) buying on Black Friday, the memory mainly for the possibility of larger SIMMs being available, and hopefully both memory and drives will be cheaper close to end of Q1.
I totally agree and I’m excited for the FW16 to be that replacement for me! I unfortunately don’t have disposal income like I did before wife and kids so upgrading a desktop over time and replacing a laptop every few years isn’t feasible. Having a mobile computer is a requirement so I won’t be upgrading my desktop anymore. I like that I’ll still have the upgrade-ability with the FW16 rather than having to replace the laptop every few years.
The experience is definitely important. One thing I’ve liked about my laptop over my desktop is that everything seems to just work together. Hopefully we’ll still have that with the FW16 while still having the option to customize and upgrade it.
for real. realizing i can happily play games at 720p at modest framerates and still have a great time was a wake-up call for how i approach gaming for me and a few other folks i know.
that would be amazing, but i’ll happily settle for compatible (inc. jedec config achieving advertised speeds w/o xmp) 2x48 kits being easily obtained through not-sketchy vendors.
I half totally agree with you, et al. The Steam Deck showed me that there are some games I’ll find fun on any screen and any frame rate, but there are some that if I can’t play them on my desktop, I’d rather not play them at all. For that reason, I have little to no intention of gaming on my FW16 because if I’m willing to compromise on screen size, I’d rather just use my much more convenient Steam Deck.
i 100% respect that, but ironically i’m concerned the FW16 screen will be too big for me. it DEFINITELY is too high resolution for my old lady eyes XD. i do wish it was 1920x1200 instead so i don’t have to deal with scaling issues (i guess i can run it at 1280x800? not ideal, but viable. ish.). i wonder if we’ll be able to substitute the screen aftermarket?
For gaming? Yeah, that too for sure. If I’m doing the math right, I estimate the pixel pitch at full resolution to be 189ppi which is only slightly better than a Steam Deck (210ppi), and more than double what my desktop monitor offers (92ppi). So even with that big screen, yeah my nose would still be right up in it trying to find my opponents!
Great work resolution though. I think I’m gonna really enjoy it for that.
C#, as that’s what I learned at my job.
I do want to learn Rust, as I really enjoy compile time safety and therefore extensively use generics in C#. Also, the traits and list APIs seem to be fairly similar to how C# works.
The other question: spaces created by pressing tab.
But I do get the appeal of tabs, as you can change indentation level just for yourself.
I’m very used to 4 spaces, but 2 might sometimes be better when you’re in deep (but maybe just don’t indent that far?).
I really need to learn C#, since I’m hoping to transition out of a SDET/web dev role into gaming development, with the goal of getting into a smaller studio. But you’re right about deep indentation, since that can create some really nasty problems when debugging.
This is the way. And if you need to save space via 2 space indenting, you’ve nested too far and should reconsider why you’re where you are.
Also a software Engineer/Data Scientist here. I’m working on a novel + small indie game set in the same universe with my free time. I’m not sure I’d transition into the game dev scene for my day job though, the best I can tell it’s generally not a an enjoyable work environment. So I do my own thing on my own time.
That’s why I’m looking for a smaller studio with less pressure. I’ve heard…things from friends in the industry who worked at places like Ubisoft, and they weren’t very good.
Yeah. I started a game engineering course at uni, however I quit a few months later mostly because of that and some other reasons. The other big reason was that I already know programming from my previous apprenticeship, so it’d have taken a while to get to the juicy part, while I’d have to endure all the creative stuff.
(Also, the current laptop I have kinda sucks and I’m still waiting for my B5 to arrive, but that was barely a minor reason.)
I’m going to start computer science this year. If I do ever want to go back to game dev I think I’ll be able to by creating a okay-ish portfolio in my free time and going from there.
Not sure about the future though - I’d love to get into VR dev, but I’ll have to see.
I’d like to write a VR compositor for Linux, that could be an interesting project ^^
Good luck, sir (or ma’am)! If you end up trying to write that VR compositor (compiler?), put it up on GitHub so we can contribute. I’d love to try and tackle that!
Compositor as in window manager and stuff in VR.
Valve is supposed to release a standalone VR headset running Linux within the next few years (hopefully sooner than later), according to SadlyIt’sBradley. Also, there’s SimulaVR which are creating their window manager with Godot and Haskell. However, imo Rust might be better suited for this kind of software, so I might give it a shot in the future.
Not sure if it’ll ever be more than a toy project, though.