Why an APU for Frameworks first desktop?

Framework Desktop
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An APU is typically targeted towards a mobile device with design trade-offs particularly around power and cooling. These are not constraints typical of desktops. I can see the motherboard for this desktop is not an ideal size for a laptop (although I do recall, some time back, carrying an old Compaq portable that was about the size of a sewing machine) but, as this is Frameworks first desktop, why not go for a desktop CPU and GPU?

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that market is already saturated. desktop APUs with up to 96gb of vram…? not so much

not even gpus with 96gb vram are readily available.

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And that’s only a Windows limitation I heard. Someone quoted 112 GiB or something for Linux.

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Finding capable GPUs for small form factor cases is tricky as well. A 4060Ti is about the best you can do for a 4.4 litre case and they tend to be noisy.

I’ve a build with a 12 core 3900X CPU and an RX570 in a 4.4 litre case. I love its look but I’ve had to restrict the CPU to 65watts and even then, it’s noisy and gets hot.

This device, should be able to run very quietly and yet provide the power that most folks seem to want out of all these “soon to be ewaste” MiniPCs.

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no the bios/microcode limits it to 96gb vram

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Going from the videos i’ve seen, the design spec pretty much went backwards.
Instead of having an idea and finding components to fill it, AMD offered the chip and framework built a system around it.

Seems mostly relevant to the AI market where this PC will be a monster, but personally i’ve brought into it for the sheer efficiency and quiet gaming angle (Don’t really care about money cost, but a ~130W system vs 600W+ being dumped into my bedroom at the height of summer is huge)

Kinda intrigued also for the AI aspect, but thats just a bonus feature for me.

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Framework disagrees:

Source: Framework | Framework Desktop Deep Dive: Ryzen AI Max

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Framework themselves have said that the only reason they build a “desktop” at all is because they liked the AI Max+ 395 chip and the possibilities it offered, and they wanted to use it in something. It didn’t make sense for any of their laptops, so they decided to make a small form factor desktop around it.

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