Hi!
After reading lots and lots of articles and posts of the community, i’m about to set my mind on a Framework 16. But i’m not really sure about a few things, because i’m not a computer expert. I try to find the information i need by myself but it’s not always easy to unterstand the community, kind of a foreign langage to me (also, really a foreign langage since english is not my first langage). Can you help me?
I’m gonna go for the pre-built for sure. But i hesitate for the configuration. I would like to be able to play some good games, on Steam for exemple. Is the Ryzon 7 sufficient? Is the Overkill making a big difference? Will i be able to play recent games without the graphic module? Is it important to have an expansion card?
I think that if someone is able to explain to me what differences this will make between this configurations, i’ll be able to make a choice 
Also, is there a better timing to make an order between now and a few months? I remember reading something about a new version of the laptop in august but i can’t find where and i’m not sure to have understood correctly what i read…
Thank you very much in advance !
Hello,
While this is primarily an English forum, you will find some French speakers here and no one will be upset at you for speaking French. Et il y a toujours Google Translate. 
I don’t have all the answers but hopefully others will come in and you’ll be able to put it together.
The expansion cards are the ports of the laptop. Internally, the Framework laptop 16 has 6 USB-C ports. The expansion cards convert this USB-C into something you’ll need, then they sit inside the laptop frame. Simply put, you get to pick which ports are useful to you.
You will need at least one USB-C, because the laptop charges that way. Then you can pick another 5 that you think you might need. If you want to use an external monitor you can choose an HDMI or DisplayPort (DP) expansion card. If you have older USB devices you can pick a USB-A card. If you want to listen through headphones you can pick an audio expansion card, it has a headphone port. There’s a microSD card reader expansion card and (soon) an SD card reader expansion card. There’s an Ethernet card for hard-wired networking. Finally there are storage expansion cards, think of them as big USB sticks. 250 GB and 1 TB.
That’s the new Framework Laptop 13 with Intel Core Ultra Series 1. It’s the smaller Framework laptop with the latest Intel CPU.
The ryzen 7 and ryzen 9 options from framework are near identical in performance, the only reason to go for the overkill version is if you really need 32gb ram out of the box. for most games, 16gb is plenty. i would personally go for the performance config, since the only difference between that and performance pro is the windows 11 version (if theres a feature that you really need win11 pro for, get the performance pro but if not just performance)
as for expansion bay, if you are intending to play recent AAA games at high graphics settings at a high fps, then id say get the graphics module. but i would also add that thats only a good idea if you are always near a power outlet since youll drain the battery fast. personally i have the expansion bay shell, since the integrated graphics are more than enough for most games (iirc its more powerful than the steam decks apu). best part is if you get the shell and then after using it you think you actually want the gpu, you can just buy that later on
as for expansion cards, i had typed out something for this but someone else sent in a response before i finished typing, and theirs was probably better an explanation than mine lol. one thing i will add if you can get more than 6 if you want, as you can swap them out as you need to
some other bits you didnt mention, you can also pick input modules (either 2x spacers, a numpad, or a macropad). this is just personal preference, if you like having a numpad(/macropad) get that, but if not just get the spacers. for the extra spacers option, if you want some of those, all of them including colour shift are just blank spacers, they dont do anything. the only one with a specific function is the led matrix module, which the community has made some fun things for, but you can just ignore it if you want plain spacers
as for waiting till august, as mentioned by the user above its just for the framework 13’s latest mainboard, the only things you would miss out on fw16-wise would be coloured usb-c expansion cards, and due to the modular nature of the fw16 you can buy those later
tl;dr get overkill if you need 32gb ram, performance pro if you desperately need win11 pro, and the regular performance in all other cases
you can still upgrade basically everything later down the line if you need to
The Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 options on the Framework Laptop 16 are actually the same chip just with different binning. When a CPU is manufactured minor defects occur resulting in some CPUs performing slightly better than other CPUs. Binning is the process where they measure those tiny defects and sell the better performing CPUs at a higher price.
In theory the performance difference between the Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 is at most 5%, however in practice it’s usually more like 2%.
Depends on the game.
If you don’t get the 7700S graphics module then you will be using the Radeon 780m graphics integrated into the CPU.
The Radeon 780m is commonly found in handheld gaming devices such as the Lenovo Legion Go and the Asus Rog Ally Extreme. It offers highly respectable performance in those devices, however those devices have a much lower display resolution than the Framework Laptop 16 (higher resolution = more work for graphics = worse performance).
It is strongly recommended to have 6 expansion cards including at least 1 USB-C card for charging.
The expansion cards are Framework’s approach to ports. The Framework Laptop 16 has 6 slots for expansion cards and leaving then empty can look weird while also meaning you don’t have ports aside from the recessed USB-C connection which is intended to be used for connecting the expansion cards (and in the event that those ports get damaged it is an expensive repair, so it is recommended to just use the expansion cards to avoid that risk).
There is a new version of the Framework Laptop 13 in August. That has a new display, new webcam, and on the Intel side new processor options (which is mostly about catching up to the AMD 7040 series processors that Framework already has in the AMD variants of the Framework Laptop 13 and in the Framework Laptop 16).
However that is for the 13-inch model. Nothing has been announced regarding future varieties of the AMD 7040 series model.
The Ryzen 7 would be enough to play the regular not high resource required games.
My setup is a 7840HS w/ Radeon 780M Graphics with 7700S GPU added + 64GB Ram.
As I’m under Linux on mine, I tested Star Citizen in HD mode (and it runs Ok). God of War runs fine, Cyberpunk is stuttering at times. But I run these on the 7700S with Full HD 1920x1080. So AAA titles won’t run without the 7700S GPU on it.
Most of the games that run on the Steam-Box should run on the builtin GPU.
If you tell us which games you play, we could give you a better response as to what will run, and what will not.
I hear nothing about a new version coming out soon.
Thank you !
I’m not too bad in english, i’ll try to continue that way. That’s a good practice 
It’s all clear about the expension cards, thanks!
Thank you all ! That’s all very helpfull!
If I understant correctly, if I go for the Performance but need more storage space for some games, I can get a storage expansion card? Or just add RAM?
That will be my last question and i hope it’s not too stupid 
Thank you, this community is awsome!
RAM is for runtime memories, like how many applications and browser tabs you can open at the same time before the system becomes slow/unstable.
To have more permanent storage for installing games and saving videos and stuff, get a bigger SSD (or an expansion card). Note that the expansion cards are basically just fancy thumbdrives, they’re relatively expensive and they take away a slot. Better to just get a larger SSD (or an additional one as the Framework 16 has two slots). However this might need some minor DIY.
As @Jonathan_Haas said - you have 2 storage slots.
What I did is to install the OS on the small disk (2230) SSD, and put the data (Games) on the large storage slot (2280) SSD. This way, I can update the OS and keep the game data.
To prevent heat - I took the Sabrent SB-2130-1TB as 2230 SSD storage device. This has TLC cells and is the one device needing less energy (energy == heat dissipation).
For the large device I took the Solidigm P44 Pro 2TB device. It is fast and produces the least heat.
PS: Si un jour t’as besoin de plus de détails (en français → PM).
Is it only possible with the DIY version? Or can i replace the SSD and add one more or less easily? Maybe with help of a professional if needed…
That is not a problem with the built version. Framework has a guide (Framework Laptop 16 - Framework Guides - well, kind of), but iFixit has one Framework Laptop 16" SSD Replacement - iFixit Repair Guide
And here, it really is easy!
The difference between rebuild and DIY is only how far the the laptop is assembled. You can disasemble the prebuild beyond the same way as the DIY.
They are the same device on all levels.
Merci