I recall reading issues about how the DIY edition is partially assembled already due to various tariff and such that is basically at the whim of the government.
However, will there ever be a point where you could feasibly buy all Framework-necessary parts (i.e., mainboard, chassis, keyboard, etc.) and then buy e-waste for a bargain and pay less overall? I was looking at how much I could save if I went to my university’s surplus store for laptop parts like an SSD, screen, and RAM, but after getting the bare minimum of a mainboard, keyboard, etc, it comes out to more than a DIY edition of the same specs but brand new. (Meaning only the framework raw components cost more than an entire DIY laptop)
As someone who doesn’t know much on the whole tariff business with parts, do you think the e-waste laptop will ever become an economically viable option for framework customers?
If this post came off as condescending in any way, I apologize. It’s more so out of curiosity than being stingy. And if it were true, I think it would be a fantastic pathway for people to drastically reduce e-waste.
Can’t help you on the tariff question, but on the subject of buying the parts there was already a discussion on that a while back here. I think the idea of building your own laptop from parts won’t be the better economical option until you can start looking at used parts, as I’m sure Framework would have tried to offer DIYers a true DIY laptop if it wasn’t easier for them to put most of it together before it is shipped. It would be interesting in the future if you could buy parts off of other users who have upgraded to newer parts and build your own laptop out of hand-me-downs!
@Azure Thanks, that’s just what I was looking for! I was looking at buying a whole used laptop off my university (relatively new, ofc), and then using those parts to plop into a Framework motherboard and case. I figured I could get everything apart from a mainboard, keyboard, and rest of the chasse (i.e. lid, hinge, bottom, etc.). Seems like for now that’s not gonna save me any money. Hopefully we can see a future where that’s a reality.