How long does it take to get a update on cpu’s, etc when they come out? I love the idea of a easily updatable laptop, but if it takes months after the release of new cpu to upgrade, does that not lesson the advantage? Still no word on when meteor lake cpu’s will be offered while main stream manufacturers are already rolling out. When could we expect to have that upgrade offered? Also there must be a way to fit (with small form m.2?) dual drives into a framework 13.
Framework is currently relatively busy with the AMD 13 and the Framework 16. Also depending on the advantages of the new CPU version, it might not be worth it releasing a new model. Framework has already confirmed they’ll probably be skipping the Ryzen 8040 Series for example. So maybe the next update is the Intel 15th gen? Or they’ll only release AMD boards in the near future? Who knows.
Looks difficult.
Sadly, if one sells their laptops as up-gradable, but one has to wait every other generation (not to mention availability of the ones supported happening months later then other manufacturers on the cpu’s they choose to support) to upgrade it loses it’s appeal to a decent amount of the public.
Don’t get me wrong, I want Framework to succeed, and I want to give them my money, but time is running out, my laptop is dying and i was holding out for the meteor lake cpu because of the iGPU for light video work.
Sigh the wait goes on.
Could one not have a stacked m.2 connector or a dual plug connector (think shortest m.2 drives = same length as the longest so have a plug opposite of each other and a attachment screw in the center?
Framework is still a small company in a space dominated by the likes of Dell, Lenovo, and HP. They also started releasing on a delay, with the 11th gen boards releasing in the summer. They have consistently been updating every year since, but have stayed on that half year delay. We won’t know whether they will release a 14th gen board until they are ready to announce it, but unlike AMD’s 8000 series, it seems like 14th gen will be a big enough upgrade to warrant the work. I wouldn’t expect it until this summer though, so if you need 14th gen and can’t wait that long, I wouldn’t recommend Framework. As they keep growing they will be able to better handle yearly upgrades, but with a total team of 50, it’s really hard to keep in line with companies that dwarf you in scale.
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Slight nitpick but Intel 14th gen (aka Raptor Lake Refresh) is just a refresh (ie. Same product with a new name and maybe some small tweaks) of 13th gen (aka Raptor Lake).
Intel is also separately releasing a bunch of CPUs with a completely different naming scheme (meaning they’re not called 14th gen). Those are known as Core Ultra Series 1 (aka Meteor Lake) and are meaningful upgrades over the current gen.
AMD is doing something similar. 8040 series (aka Hawk Point) is just a refresh of 7040 series. 8050 series on the other hand is expected to be a meaningful upgrade. Although assuming the leaks/rumors I’ve read are accurate I doubt we’ll be seeing the 8050 series.
8050 series leaks/rumors
8050 series is expected to be split into 2 categories: Strix Point and Strix Halo
Strix Point is expected to be the direct successor to the 7040 series and target the same 15-55w power range (the Framework 13 is designed for 28w CPUs and the Framework 16 is designed for 45w CPUs) while being a meaningful step up from the current 7040 series as it offers up to 12 cores (instead of the 8 that are available with the 7040/8040 series) and 16 iGPU CUs (instead of the 12 that are available with the 7040/8040 series) all while on newer architectures.
The problem is that rumors/leaks have indicated that Strix Point may require LPDDR5x. LPDDR5x is higher bandwidth and lower power than normal DDR5, however it is also much more sensitive to any signal degradation that occurs between the ram and the CPU. Traditional types of user replaceable/upgradable RAM cause too much degradation in the socket which means that LPDDR5x is normally soldered (which Framework obviously will not do because that's against their mission). There is a new standard called CAMM2 that allows for user replaceable/upgradable LPDDR5x, however it is not yet in use and I am skeptical that Framework would use it before other manufactures have started using it and modules are widely available.
Strix Halo on the other hand is expected to have a ridiculously powerful iGPU with the goal being to not need a dGPU. The first problem is that with great iGPU power comes great power consumption. The Strix Halo CPUs are expected to target 55-125w, which makes them a complete non-starter for the Framework Laptop 13 and a bit of a stretch (but not completely out of the question) for the Framework Laptop 16. The next problem is memory bandwidth. GPUs need a lot of memory bandwidth (far more than CPUs need) so the Strix Halo CPUs are expected to use a 256 bit bus. To take advantage of a 256 bit bus would require four DDR5 modules, which takes up valuable board space. Lastly combining the CPU and GPU into a single part is kinda against the modularity and upgradeability of Framework as both would need to be combined into a single part.
There is also expected to be the Fire Range CPUs, however leaks indicate that those will use AMD's next generation desktop CPUs just shoved into a laptop form factor. Desktop CPUs have different design philosophies that make them poorly suited for laptops. I talked more about this here when explaining why Framework isn't using AMD Dragon Range processors (which are basically the current desktop CPUs but shoved into a laptop form factor).
I am hopeful that the rumors about Strix Point requiring LPDDR5x turn out to be false, in which case we might see the 8050 series.
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The point is not to always update immediately to the most recent cpu version, the point is to be able to replace it when the mainboard starts to become too old or defect so you don’t have to throw away the chassis and screen and so on.
The point is to reduce waste, not increasing it by constantly doing very minor upgrades.
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