I see what you’re getting at with desktop vs mobile chips and cooling. Possible that an eGPU could perform better, but i think generally the more direct and wider connection that a dGPU would have could let it outperform a Thunderbolt solution. Something to test once the laptop releases.
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After a recent favourable review of the 13 in the UK press I decided to check out Framework as a possible replacement for my ancient Macbook Pro. I have been reluctant to simply get a new Macbook because of lack of user configurability. I love the Framework approach of letting us upgrade things like memory and ports. I would be looking for a self build 16 inch and I would want to run Ubuntu LTS. The options to configure memory, ports and storage are priorities. I am a software developer specialising in relational and NoSQL databases, Elasticsearch etc. Impatient to be able to order up a Framework 16.
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Hi and welcome to the forum.
So may see more of your here as the year goes on 
I will wait for 4K screen option. The first 2560x1600 is just impossible to use in Linux as a development machine (crisp fonts in IDE).
I won’t be able to move to a Framework 16 from my XPS 17 because the DPI is too low. Very bummed!
I’d developing on a 2560x1440 screen just fine. You may have to increase the font sizes a bit, but 2560x1600 on 16" is much more reasonable to use at 100% scaling than the Framework 13" with its 2256x1504 at 13".
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I’ll be getting one.
My current desktop is nice, but getting old. And I cannot do 4K video editing on that one (GPU too bad and CPU barely able to handle the load).
On top of that, with a laptop, I will be able to take it with me to my diving holidays and work the videos while on site! :} 64Gb Ram and a good AMD Ryzen CPU I think will make a huge difference. And I hope that the expansion port will provide 2 NVMe slots to add 1 1tB SSD in Raid 0 for fast processing of the videos :} And if not available, it may come at a later time.
At home, I will connect it to an external calibrated 4K screen. This way - best of 2 worlds in one!
PS: Only using linux here. For the current best experience I use KDE Neon which provides the latest wayland and Plasma KDE on one go. Really good.
I’m super exciting about buying the framework 16 and switch from my old Legion. The changeable dedicated graphic card and motherboard + ability to swap the graphic card for a battery is a game changer for me. I’m disappointed framework doesn’t yet ship to me (Poland) but I guess I’ll have some family from Germany reship it to me (please let us buy normal keyboard while buying from Germany). But yeah, the laptop is looking awesome rn.
My plan is to sell my Razer Blade 15 with an RTX 3070 as fast as I can for a Framework 16.
I will be moving to the FW16. My current (and only) PC is a Dell Precision M4800, the last of the brick-shaped Precision mobile workstations. Its specs are:
i7-4810MQ, which takes as much power as modern Intel chips but with no fun hybrid architecture
Quadro K1100M, basically a GT 640M? but with different drivers.
I bought it refurbished in early 2019 and it’s finally now aging too much. One keyboard screw has a slot cut into it because I stripped it, the ZIF connector clip for the keyboard broke, so now I’m using only an external keyboard. Not fun, since now I can’t use the thing in a portable sense easily.
The FW13 was very tantalizing, but I really need a dGPU. My use case is also rather uncommon, I do video editing and do play some games, but things like 3D scanning require a heck of a lot of GPU power, which this poor K1100M doesn’t have at this point. If I need to 3D scan something in the garage, I really can’t use an eGPU enclosure.
So a machine that can be a powerful desktop with a dock as well as a powerful portable editing and scanning machine is like the best for me. Get a mobile 4090 now, in a few years get a 8090 or whatever is out at that point. It would be sweet.
I love the input module system as well. I need a numpad, so I am glad that is an option. Instead of the two spacers next to the touchpad, I would love to have that prototype display for system monitoring. Just fill the whole thing up with useful bits.
2560x1600, 165Hz, 100% DCI-P3 is just perfect.
Thanks for listening to my rambling, lol. I CANNOT WAIT to pre-order. Shut up and take my money already!!!
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I’ll consider it if we get decent GPU and screen options. My 13 does what I need it to do for work (and I have the 13th gen board coming for it), but I still have a separate gaming laptop for when I travel. I want both in one. So decent GPU with decent high-refresh rate screen will be must-haves to go to the 16.
The confined space of a laptop can never offer the same heat dissipation as a full format external housing.
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Obviously we’re stuck waiting for benchmarks, but I don’t think that an eGPU will in all cases outperform the FL16 implementation of a dGPU. The bandwidth limitations of say a TB3 3060 will probably put it on equal footing with the heat TDP limitations of a mobile 3060, etc. The power savings of the mobile gpu compared to the egpu will probably be the deciding factor in that case. It’s just the same bang for less buck.
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I doubt that’s what was meant. For one you can attach much bigger gpus to an egpu enclosure than you can feasably put into a laptop, even with the overhead tb gives you, plus wasn’t the ask about a egpu connector in the expansion bay which could give you pcie4x8, which isn’t really a bottleneck even with the biggest gpus out right now.
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I have a 16" Asus Rog GL550VW from 2016, a Macbook Pro 16" M1 and a custom PC.
I’m seriously considering the FL 16, since my Asus it’s a bit old and may not last much longer, even though it’s been perfectly working the last 7 years.
Contrary to what I’ve read, I’m not a fan of 13" laptops, I find them too small for my taste.
I just hope it’s price/quality/performance ratio is good enough, since I got my Asus for US650 with 16GB RAM, 2GB VRM, 1TB HDD, 256 NVMe and it’s still working as good as new.
Pretty curious to see some benchmarks when FW16 eventually becomes a thing. Gonna be a real important question that, about eGPU vs dGPU, and it’ll depend on what sort of dGPU performance is on offer.
Of course, eGPU requires $300-$600aud investment right off the bat for a eGPU box or other external contraption. That’s a big factor too, unless you already have a suitable one.
I’m tempted to buy a GPU now, run it in my old desktop, then connect it to a FW later in a Razer Core X eGPU box or something. But waiting to see what dGPU options it has first.
Not really. If you want the fancy ones, sure, that’s the price, but you can also get a 30 usd adaptor that gives you USB to pcie and add the power supply and the GPU. It will not have a cover and look fancy but it will work as well.
myeah. But you gotta buy that PSU, y’see? 30USD becomes 50AUD, +150/200aud in psu.
But there are cheaper ones, sure, so my minimum’s a little high.
Sure, but still way cheaper. You have to think that the cheaper egpu covers also do not include the psu.