I am leaning toward getting the desktop, but all the videos I see about it lean toward the AI aspect and using AI for modeling. ( I don’t even know what that is) . I just like the form factor. ( I already have a mini pc and a original framework 13, and have built my own desktops for years.
Is this chip just overkill for me. I will be a normal user (linux)
thanks,
dan
Without knowing more about your workload, probably.
thanks,
dan
In this case if AI isn’t your interest you should consider the cheaper 32 and 64 GB memory versions, as well as the 385 version. Could still be interesting (for the formfactor, the low wattage, gaming capabilities, etc) depending on what you are looking for.
But know that the platform was designed with AI in mind.
If you don’t intend to run AI software, I’d go for the 32GB version. However, I’d take into account where you’re based - unfortunately the warranty period in the US is only a year, which I’d say is insufficient for a product of this cost. I’d love for FW to offer additional warranties to offset the risk, but they’re not currently a thing.
It may come down to the repairability aspect - FW is probably one of the top players in the market. How much you want to support that versus the risk of minimal warranty periods is up to you.
Finally, if you already have a mini PC, I am not sure this will do anything especially different. I think the CPU will perform well, but there has been some critical feedback about the PSU. If you want to avoid that you could buy the mobo separately, and put it in a custom case.
I have only touched the NPUs once or twice and it works pretty well with the smaller models but I don’t see myself using this device exclusively for its AI capabilities. All the tooling is just very primitive right now, I rather use Claude or Copilot CLI.
thanks to all who responded, you have given me good info to consider
dan
For me, the framework desktop sits at a good balance of power efficiency + GPU performance + size (with linux support as an extra nice-to-have since it’s framework). Soldered ram isn’t as much of a concern to me since i can retire it as a very capable home server once i upgrade to a better machine.
If you only care about price/performance ratio → build your own desktop tower. if you care about efficiency → a mini pc probably works. if you care about performance + efficiency → mini pc + eGPU is another option.
i switch my home base (workstation) once a year when i travel to visit my family and the framework desktop is perfect for carry-on luggage.