USB 4 and TB4 both go up to 40 Gbps or rather ~32 Gbps in reality. Difference between both is that a lot of features that TB4 has are only optional for USB4. You can also have USB 4 ports with only 20Gbps instead of 40 Gbps.
For those that say TB4 isnāt a thing yet, itās got fully released products already. You can find TB4 compliant docks and such online. Additionally itās even safe to start talking about the future TB5 release, as there were Intel internal specs unintentionally released regarding a new standard that supports 80GB/s transfer, right in line with what speculated TB5 performance would be.
Framework laptops are supposedly already supporting TB4. There isnāt a big difference between TB3 and TB4 other than with TB4 you need 4 PCIe 3.0 lanes instead of 2 for the full 40 Gbps speed. Also a lot of laptops already claim having TB4 support and being USB4 compatible.
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Main reason to get TB4 is simply the guarantee that it supports all the features that TB3 made optional. Including the aforementioned full set of 4 PCIe lanes that TB3 didnāt make a requirement for compliance.
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Can you elaborate on what the power profiles are under Windows 10? Iām bringing my own OS, it will be Windows 11, and Iām just curious. Thanks.
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I still have every confidence that the board will do as advertised in the future, getting everything done right out of the box is difficult as you have to pick your battles. Especially if you are working with a 3rd party who provides the bios.
It should a bios change, or even a plug developed to supply power via the battery connector in the future as well (hoping for that one) - both will make me happy at the right time.
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The only thing I do wish we could know is the exact part numbers of the connectors that plug into the motherboard and the pinouts (the full schematic is not necessary) ā¦ So we can be working on our own needs for in the future.
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Hmmm.
I wonder if an actual battery is needed.
Is it possible a connector with the proper wiring - a sort of loopback plug - would allow the board to power up?
@CJ_Elevated pulled the battery after powerup, so it may be that some circuit needs to be closed, not that battery power needs to be present, in order to boot.
Exactly, and I hate to tell you how many times I have wanted to go into the weeds with a full explanation of things and the interview format & time restraints didnāt allow it.
Iām still so happy with the unit. Especially mine as it is clicking along hitting 5.1 at times with one heck of a load as I work.
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In case anyone didnāt see @CJ_Elevated ās Youtube update, BIOS v3.06 just fixed this issue and heās confirmed the mainboard works without the battery!
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Thatās amazing news, all I hope now is lvfs in production, so I can get the firmware updates.
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This opens up an interesting possibility ā not just upgrading the mainboard in a Framework laptop, but using the mainboard in an alternative laptop chassis, for those who want to minimize e-waste or prefer designs substantially different from the Frameworkās. (Of course youād miss out on the expansion cards, but some users could live with that trade-off.) I imagine the use of eDP and USB internally would make much of the I/O relatively straightforward, and while the Framework is quite fully packed some laptops have more space for arranging the non-mainboard parts (although theyād probably require adapter cables and other parts for things like USB connectivity). Cooling and power obviously might be problems. But I wonder if there are laptops with which itās physically compatible, where the mainboard (and maybe some other Framework parts) could be used to upgrade an old laptop or revive a bricked laptop (I have a dead ThinkPad x270, for example, which I believe uses eDP and has at least one USB-C port).
(Reading the full thread, I see @1111 and @Frosty had similar ideas! 
)
Provided that Framework is still around in a few years, long enough to release an upgraded mainboard, Iām planning on taking my existing mainboard and using it to create my own MAME cabinet. Even the i5 that I bought is massive overkill for retro gaming, but the form factor is perfect.
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Grin another thing I had to look upā¦ Iām not a gamer in any form.
MAME MAME - Google Search
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The upgradable mainboard in addition to the fabulous I/O was probably the biggest selling point for me.
When Iām done with the 11th gen board, I can hopefully pop a new one into the laptop chassis, then use my old board as a NAS, a media server, an emulator cabinet, or something. Maybe just build a simple bracket behind the TV and replace the Raspberry Pi thatās there now.
As I upgrade, I wonāt have e-waste, Iāll have materials for crazy contraptions to support my mad-scientist lifestyle.
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Ooh the 1165G7 is much faster than the aging Xeon E3-1220 v3 in my FreeNAS and consumes 1/3 the power. If only it could be installed into an ATX/microATX case, use an ATX power supply and support 6 X SATA 3.0 drives. Iād give up ECC because thatās not possible but the rest might be in a few years.
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Nice one! Have a boot drive or two off USB and thatās sorted.
FreeNAS is very particular about hardware and probably wouldnāt like it. Openmediavault is notā¦
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Updated as of yesterday (2021 11 07): Complete PC in a Mechanical Keyboard! Retro Concept, Modern Hardware. - YouTube
Looks like the āCyber Deckā theory is confirmed operational!
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I would like to see a small battery option as well. Something that only lasts a few minutes. All of my network equipment, and VM host have a battery of some kind already. UPS or laptop with built in battery. I think a small form factor battery (options of long tube, nice and flat, or something in between that would fit well against the board). Should not be a requirement, but it would be a value add when its upgrade time I would think.
I like the ideas of supplying power through the battery connector long term. Is there any issues that would occur by doing so? (firmware updates check if the laptop is plugged in, for example) and eventually maybe some kind of āshore power via battery connectorā setting. That may be a laptop v2++ design issues, but would be interesting. Youād get an extra port back, and not be at the mercy of USB / TBolt for providing power.