Trying to understand performance and ways to decide laptop upgrades

Community Support
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Hi everybody!

For context, this is my computer

OS: Windows 11, version 25H2

Framework Laptop 16 AMD 7040 Series (First Gen, pre-order batch 4)

Ok, so I’m not as tech-savvy as most in this community, and I’m still trying to figure out a lot about hardware and software in general. So I got the first 16 because of long-term use from a sustainability perspective, and I have been scared to dive into upgrades or improvements because I’m not as experienced, which brings me to my question.

How do I properly check the performance of my current setup? And how do I decide what needs to be upgraded, cleaned or changed so that I can enjoy/improve/maximize my computer?

I don’t consider myself a gamer, since I rarely play any games on my computer. I’m often connected to at least one other screen. The issue is that the original AMD video port isn’t powering the outlet for the 16, and when connecting to a dock that both charges and displays, I end up constantly switching to one of the side ports, which limits the GPU’s use for the screens. Getting a new GPU seems counterintuitive given the limited use I’ve given the current one.

Finally, I have noticed the computer slowing down when charging… I don’t want to be constantly on the lookout for my battery needing to be unplugged and replugged, but it certainly seems that my battery might need a replacement or is somehow messing up the computer’s processing.

I have a lot of floating questions that I need someone to help me sort out in a less technical way, as I have limited time to really dive into learning more about hardware or software… I’m definitely not the target audience for Framework, mainly here for the repairability/sustainability aspect.

Thank you, anybody willing to help this lost soul hehehe :sweat_smile:

2

Hello Josue,

The Framework Laptop 16 you have is still one of the most potent offerings that are available. To check the performance of the machine, download a tool called HWINFO. It will have a ton of sensor readings and stats to shift through.

One of the things that can be an issue over time is the temperature of the processor. On some Framework Laptop 16 models the liquid metal that is used as thermai interface material can get out of place and it is not as effective at cooling as it originally was.

A new thermal interface material was adopted for these machines with better results. If the processor is regularly maxing out its temperature even under light loads this might be an indicator it could use being replaced. Regular thermal grease from a number of vendors also has worked fairly well in place of the liquid metal; though it is a little tricky to remove the old material because of its properties. (There a number of forum posts that detailed their process).

Unlike computers in the past, the monitor does not necessarily need to be plugged into the “video card” port to be operational. This has changed because of how advanced modern operating systems have become.

The power slowing down when the charger is connected is a little odd, check and see if the computer is set to maximum performance under windows and hopefully this will make it so the device is not slowing down.

Taking the machine apart and checking that the fans are free of dust and lint may help too after this much time has passed. If the proper airflow is not achieved this can slow down the machine as it is thermally throttling itself to protect the components from overheating.

Windows 11 itself also has a tendency to “slow down” over long periods of time. Some of this is due to the patching as it went along and other functions of the OS that have changed since it was originally installed. A fresh or clean installation of the latest Windows may streamline the machine. Always make sure a backup has been made and if bitlocker was enabled that a copy of the recovery key is available if something goes wrong. If a Microsoft account is used on the machine the recovery key is also backed up to that account online.

If I remember correctly the rear port was never intended to power the laptop, it was only a video out source with the expansion card. So using a dock/hub that lowers the device and handles external monitor connection can be used on one of the side ports. A word of caution though as most docks/hubs can not provide as much power as the 180w charger that came with the machine. Many are limited to 100w. This may be where a slowdown is being felt as it is trying to power the device and charge the battery and some of the power is being used to charge the battery.

If the laptop only has 8 or 16 gig of ram that can also feel limiting as Windows is not great with memory usage. If it has 32 gig or more then everything should be running swiftly on the machine.