I received my Framework DIY Edition laptop on December 9th as part of Batch 6. From what I have seen, there are very few long-term reviews of the Framework laptop so I thought I would share what I have learned.
Quick system specs:
- i5-1135G7
*32 Gb 3200 MHz ram
*WD Black SN750 SE 1TB SSD
*Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 160 MHz wifi card
How I found this laptop and community review
I found out about the Framework laptop from the Linus Tech Tips video and as I needed a laptop for my college work I got one on cyber Monday since the parts I got from elsewhere were much cheaper. Over the past six, almost seven months I have had a very positive experience with both the framework laptop and the community surrounding it. The community has been a very helpful place to find out anything I have needed for setting up and using my laptop. Having seen the marketplace first open and now hold many replacement parts I am optimistic for the future of Framework and I’m excited to see what is in store.
My review of the laptop
Due to the shortage of graphics cards this past year I have been unable to get a graphics card to use as an eGPU so my tests were only using the CPU and RAM for the speeds.
I mainly use my laptop for school work and programming but I also use the laptop for some gaming. My laptop easily runs vanilla Minecraft above 60 FPS and with some optimization mods, the game easily runs above 150 FPS. Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order runs at 30 FPS during normal gameplay at high settings. (Note: These aren’t normal benchmarks but they are what I am familiar with) What I have learned is that the laptop works well for most work but has a few problems.
*The problems I had with the lid have been fixed with the new lid design.
*As others have said the battery life leaves a bit to be desired but it is easy enough to charge while I’m not using it.
*The aluminum body is a fingerprint magnet, although the dbrand skins are an easy way to fix it.
*The speakers are not the greatest.
*The CPU ends up heating up a lot and the fans end up being very loud.
*When the laptop heats up the power button becomes hot and painful to touch.
Final thoughts
I think that the Framework laptop is well worth its cost despite its drawbacks. Can it be improved? Yes, but so can most modern laptops. The Framework team seems to be listening to the community so I’m sure that in time all these problems can be fixed.
If I think of anything else I will add it but this is what I thought after six months of use.