I’m currently playing with the options for a FW12 laptop, but I’m finding myself a little stuck when picking expansion cards. I plan to use it primarily for HTML, CSS, and JS coding, plus some digital art on the side. My usual selection of cards is: 1x USB-C, 2x USB-A, 1x SD card. (I have a DSLR camera gathering dust that uses micro-SD, and I have an SD-to-micro SD adapter.) Since I’m not sure when I’d be able to pick up more expansion cards, does this setup sound ideal? Would a different card be more useful for an SD card, considering I don’t currently do much digital photography?
(If I put this in the wrong spot, please let me know. I’ll go to the appropriate forum and post there.)
4x USB-C (rarely use USB-A, preparing for the future)
1x USB-A
Picked them up just in case… to save on future shipping:
1x microSD (have not used regular SD size in more than a decade)
1x HDMI
1x DP
Also pre-ordered the desktop with almost all cards. When I bought my FW13 I only got 4 cards. Regretted that a lot as shipping would have been expensive.
This is what I have, but I wouldn’t use this as like a … Framework official recommendation or anything. Just what I personally use.
x2 USB-C (power and if I need to plug something else in like a mouse)
x1 USB-A (comes in handy when I need to install my OS onto testing equipment)
x1 Micro-sd (I go to events a lot so I can easily upload my photos/videos from my DSLR, but I also have one of those… multi-dongle things that connect via USB-A that include Micro-SD if I ever need it)
x1 HDMI (need…more….screens…….)
The rest I just casually swap if I need it such as SD or more USB-Cs honestly.
Thanks for the suggestions. I hadn’t thought about ordering extra cards with the FW12 to save on S&H later. Time to play with numbers and see what fits in the budget.
I won’t bore you with my selection; it won’t make sense for your use case since I’m sharing some expansion cards across my FW16 and FW12. Here’s what I would buy if I were in your place:
Bare minimum:
3-4 USB-C
1 HDMI if you will need it to access an external monitor without a docking station.
My logic here is that good HDMI-to-USB-C adapters can be pricey, but adapters for everything else you use is pretty cheap. USB-C will account for most of your usage in the long term. Additionally, you don’t want to be caught with a broken charging port and no replacement handy.
If you have the budget:
3-4 USB-C
1 USB-A
1 SD card
1 HDMI (if needed)
You’re right about the SD card being more versatile while you’re getting started with digital photography. An adapter can let you use a MicroSD card in an SD slot, but the reverse is not true. USB-A is becoming less and less commonly used. One is nice to have, but more than that isn’t that useful in the long term.
Ultimately, I’ve been keeping 3x usb c and 1x usb a in each of them, and the hdmi, dp, sd, and ethernet are swapped in for one of the usb c when needed/desired. being able to share the specialty cards is a real bonus for me.
If we end up with another fw12 for my husband, I would probably go with 2x usb c, 1x usb a, and 1x hdmi for him, i think.
Personally, I’d get at least two USB-C, but that’s me. Since USB-C is used for charging and so many things are moving to USB-C these days, I find two C and one A more useful. But that will depend on how much USB-A stuff you have.
USB-C can also connect to docks, displays, etc. I find them far more versatile than USB-A.
I got 2 USB-Cs for hubs and charging. Then I got 2 USB-As because I have a lot of USB-A devices and cell phone chargers.
Display output and wired networking will be handled by the hubs, I like having a mostly symmetrical port layout in terms of general-purpose ports like USB, and I have a portable hub that I can plug in anywhere for more connectivity like HDMI and Ethernet, so this was the perfect configuration for me.
when I ordered my FW13, I got 3 USB-C and 3 USB-A, my sister got the same for hers a month or so later, my FW12, which hasn’t shipped yet, has 2 USB-C, 2 USB-A, an HDMI, and a display port.
I had originally planed to just use a USB hub for external monitors, should they be needed, but I found that the cheap hub I have will periodically lose connection, which means the screen basically has to reboot…manageable, but annoying.(I should also note, it has the same issues on my other laptops, this is not a framework problem)
as for layout, I run USB-C on both back ports, and USB-A on the front ports, I like being able to charge from either side, and most of the stuff I need to connect is older stuff that uses USB-A
I’d got two USB-C, so I can plug the charger into both sides, which is convenient as you don’t have to do weird cable routing depending on the location of yoru charger. I also got HDMI and SD-Card reader. I didn’t got any USB-A cards as I think these are outdated and I prefer to avoid them. (I have adapters if really needed)
The plan is to always have 2 USB-C ports in the back slots, for charging from either side. I’ll swap in cards as needed into the front slots. Probably 2 USB-C, 1 USB-A, 1 HDMI as the “default” config.
Per-card reasoning …
4 USB-C cards because they’re versatile, and because they match the chassis color, so they’re a good filler if I don’t need a specific port.
2 USB-A ports so that I can copy things between USB drives or card readers. I’ve got already got a USB-A to SD/MicroSD card reader in my bag, so USB-A is also my “card reader” port.
HDMI will get some use with projectors and TVs and such.
DisplayPort because it’s the superior port and I wish the world would switch to it, even though it’ll probably only get used at home where I could just use a dock instead.
Ethernet is the least critical, since I already have a USB Ethernet adapter. But it’ll be more convenient if I need to plug directly into something (server? router? random network device?) to troubleshoot something where there isn’t a proper table. The card won’t tend to unplug like an adapter would. I’ll also use it when installing Linux so that I don’t have to mess with wifi.
Going with all USB-C (4x) in bubblegum to match the case. Considering HDMI later in case I want to hook up to a monitor/TV, or I might just get a dongle/adapter. Everything else I use nowadays is USB-C or I can easily find an adapter/alternative cable.
Honestly after a while I’ve settled on 4xUSB-C and plug in an HDMI/USB-A/charging adaptor when needed. The adaptor is a bit more flexible and keeps more ports free. And having a lot of USB-C ports is nice. Plus if you’re plugging in a cable anyway, why not an adaptor on the end?
I do sometimes use the storage expansion cards, as I’ll sometimes use it as a cable-less laptop while the card is plugged in and that way it won’t get caught on anything.
You’ve all given great and helpful replies, thanks! I’m currently leaning toward 4 USB-Cs and picking up a USB-A, SD card, and Ethernet card with my order or later on when the stylus is available for purchase.
I will be a new Linux (and Framework) user when my FW12 comes. The one time I tried running some Linux images on my machine from a bootable USB drive, I had to use a hardwired ethernet cable to download drivers. Admittedly, this was for a fairly old Mac Mini.
Are yall just taking it on faith that the wifi will work with the supported distros? Do I have an outdated impression of Linux and hardware “just works” now? Something else I’m missing? Thanks for your thoughts.
Depending on the Wi-Fi-chip it should be usable ootb. Which means you just have to configure it (ssid, password,etc.).
I ordered a Ethernet-extension, even if I have an USB–Ethernet laying around here and will use the notebook on an usb-hub with Ethernet when on I’m on my desk.
I think there should always be an option to use Ethernet because it’s more stable, has more bandwidth and is just hassle-free.
The easiest and cheapest way will be an ordinary usb-Ethernet-adapter
