I’m thinking about buying a new computer and I’m seriously considering a Framework laptop, but I’d love some advice from people who actually use them.
A few questions I’m hoping you can help with:
Which Framework model/config would you recommend right now?
How has your experience been with performance, battery life, and build quality?
Any regrets or things you wish you’d known before buying?
If you use yours for specific tasks (dev work, design, gaming, general use, etc.), how does it hold up?
I’m open to different configurations and trying to figure out what gives the best long-term value. Any tips, opinions, or “if I were buying again” thoughts would be super appreciated.
I have a Framework 13 and I’ve just bought a Framework Desktop motherboard that I’ll be installing in a standard mid-tower ATX PC case.
I’ve also helped friends assemble three Framework 13, a Framework 16, and a Framework Desktop DIY computers.
Whichever Framework computer you get, I would recommend that you get the DIY model because you can often save some money by buying the RAM and SSD(s) on the open market.
You can also save money if you use Linux which Framework supports because then you won’t have to pay for a license to run Windows.
Even if you want to run Windows, you can also save money by buying an OEM version of Windows.
All of the Framework computers that I and my friends have bought have had AMD processors. I’ve used AMD cpus for decades in thousands of PCs and PC upgrades and I’ve found them to offer better performance and better graphics at lower prices than Intel. Plus AMD processors are well supported and work very well with Linux.
Framework computers are cleverly designed, easy to build, upgrade, and repair, have excellent keyboards and screens and are quite sturdy.
Framework 13, DIY, AMD or Intel (whatever the preference)
Tl;dr.
Framework 12 is their smallest and most portable. It is limited to older generation Intel processors (this is for battery life), has 1 ram slot, and the display is not great compared to the other models. What it does have going for it is the touchscreen for those that just have to finger their devices or using a pen on a computer is their preference, ala iPad/smartphones.
Framework 16, amazing machine for what it is if extra power and discrete graphics are key. Is it the most powerful in all the land, nope. No other brand offers the expandability or upgradability like a 16 though. Battery life is ok. Not terrible, but not 18+ hours. It is also expensive.
Framework 13, the goldilocks of laptops. The best selling device for a great reason. It ticks all the major boxes of what a laptop needs to be. Portable, flexible options, decent battery life, darn good performance, and can be fixed by almost anyone.
In all of this though, expect that a bit more is going to be paid to get into the Framework eco-system. Part of that extra compared to other brands/models is the fact it is repairable, upgradable, can natively run Linux, has an increasing userbase of enthusiasts, and it is a real laptop.
Is it the lightest, no, is it the fastest, no, does it have the best battery life, no. What it does do it does well and whatever shortfalls are more than made up for by the fact if you bought it when it first came out in 2021; the same hardware could be updated today with just a mainboard and memory.
Getting one with a lower processor does not mean a huge tradeoff. It just does not have bleeding edge speeds like the highest spec processors. At the end of the day, it is still a laptop; all heavy lifting should be done with a desktop or workstation (or at least they are much more economical).
I started with an 11th Gen machine with the i5 processor and it is more than enough for everything I need a laptop to do. RAM has a bigger impact vs. processors in my use cases.
I’ve been using a Framework 13 7840u for over 2 years. I can only recommend this laptop to people who are not afraid to tinker or are more of a Linux-type person.
I bought it because Framework is run by people like me, who have the same view on what a laptop should be like and what it shouldn’t. The support is very good. The people replying to my tickets actually knew what they where talking about. Deep understanding, clear messaging and they know which type of screenshots/photos they need and what I should try next.
But the build quality is at most B-tier when compared to my Thinkpad T430i. I’ve had 4 hardware problems with my Framework 13:
Broken display which flickered under CPU workloads
Fan started scraping more and more with time until it was so loud it stopped/choked
Battery swell
Pre-applied heatpaste was trash and wasted a lot of my time debugging throttling issues
The first 3 issues were fixed by support. They sent me free replacements. But I’ve also had a bunch of firmware/driver issues which should never happen:
My GPU driver (amdgpu, Fedora) froze my whole system every time I did something that taxed the GPU. The driver is fixed now and works, but it took almost a year
Despite that, I don’t regret buying and would do it again. If I would’ve bought a Dell XPS or a Macbook, I would probably complain much more because they suck in other ways that I hate even more. The only laptops I see as competition are probably ThinkPads, but I don’t know how good the latest models are.
I’m satisfied with my AMD 7040 13” Framework. It’s portable, quiet and enough power for occasional (older) game session. Linux support is great and after replacing the default WIFI/Bluetooth combo, I’m satisfied with the hardware.
I wish the body was a bit stiffer though. Had it open on the sofa and it seems my 3yo child accidentally stepped onto it. Bent the lower half, luckily without breaking anything important, but the touchpad now doesn’t really react to left click.