You’re right.
Why the rounded corners on the new display?
As is literally stated in the blog post this refers to:
There is one oddity with this otherwise ideal display though, which is that the corners are rounded (the top corners by 3mm and bottom corners by 1mm). This is because we repurposed and customized a panel that was originally designed for another company. We’ll share more on how and why we did this in an upcoming technical deep dive blog post
I must have missed that. I still don’t like it.
Minor correction needed on the specs page regarding the heat pipes:
And the refresh rate is actually 100% higher (from 60Hz to 120Hz):
(i.e. We didn’t go from 80 to 120Hz…which would be 50% higher refresh rate)
Anyone know what the minimum refresh rate on this VRR panel? 1Hz would be great (assuming it helps with reducing energy consumption).
Since nobody has mentioned it (though it’s been mentioned a couple of times in the corresponding YouTube video comments), wouldn’t it make more sense (and more aesthetically pleasing!) to use the Framework cog for the Windows/Super key? Heck, this could even also allow you to supply just one version of the keyboard as it being “OS neutral” would allow you to ship it with pre-assembled Windows laptops as well (fun fact: Cooler Master actually uses their own logo instead for the “Windows” key on some of their Keyboards, seemingly most of the “MasterKeys” models like the MasterKeys S)
Thing is, the Windows logo does not aesthetically bother me but, since I am becoming more and more of a Linux user, it feels a bit silly to have a keyboard with a “Windows” key if I have the choice not to. However, the “Super” key in its current form doesn’t really feel like my cup of tea and just aesthetically seems kind of “boring”? That is, it feels like it blends in too much with the Ctrl and Alt keys despite being a key that’s “special” enough that it should be distinguished in a greater manner, like with the aforementioned idea of using the Framework cog instead (or I suppose something like good ol’ Tux, but that would nullify the “OS neutrality” quality that the Framework cog would allow.)
(credit to 2disbetter for coming up with the idea of using the Framework cog back in 2021: Replace the Windows key with a Linux one or at least a generic "super" one - #2 by 2disbetter)
It’s also a bit silly that they use an outdated Windows logo still. Since 2021 the logo has been a square straight on. Maybe just a lot of inventory to work through though.
AFAIK Microsoft doesn’t allow Windows OEMs to do this.
Nice finding! and this laptop have touchscreen option source! I wonder how hard the modification would be to make it work.
I wonder if a Co-Pilot key will be required by year’s end as well for companies using Windows OEM licenses with how heavily Co-Pilot is being pushed.
It’s already required for “AI PC” branding.
Does the new processor support Thunderbolt? Only USB4 is listed on the spec page
Thunderbolt is merely a certification that can be obtained by USB4 devices that meet certain criteria and pass certain tests.
The new processors have integrated Thunderbolt controllers (ie. USB4 controllers that have met the criteria and passed the tests for Thunderbolt), however the laptop as a whole also needs to pass those tests.
Since Framework doesn’t list that on the product page I assume that means that this hasn’t yet been put through the testing. It will probably receive the certification at a later date (Framework has done that in the past), but they can’t advertise it yet as it isn’t guaranteed yet.
It’s great to see how the Framework hardware (mainboard, display, …) evolves and still stays compatible with older parts.
@Destroya Do the new motherboards support allocating up to 48GB of the maximum 96GB memory to the video card? I’ve seen some Core Ultra NUCs that do allow this and this would be great for running large language models locally with the new integrated Arc GPUs
All of that sounds great, although my laptop is quite recent, and I don’t think I’m going to be doing any big improvements to it for a while, especially if there’s no good way to repurpose the upgraded parts (e.g. the current screen). The one that I might consider sooner is the webcam module upgrade, if it is noticeably better. We need comparative reviews of the individual parts really.
I really liked the coolermaster case for old motherboards, I wonder if something similar could be done for old webcam modules, to turn them into external usb webcams for other systems.
Hurray for the availability in Denmark, Finland and Sweden!!
Maybe it is a dumb question but, what about Greenland, since Denmark is already included?
I think there’s a good chance you’ll be limited by memory bandwidth, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t gain anything over executing on the CPU alone.
There is a way for the screen:
Finally shipping to Finland soon(ish). Been waiting for few years and great to see its finally happening.
Now the hard part is to decide to go with the new Intel or the “older” AMD one. Just looking at some early tests for the Ultra series, it seems they are pretty on par with the AMD 7000 series.
would love to see a kit from FW with the driver board and some sort of case/ kickstand for the monitor