Framework is a scam. Components you are likely to actually change out are just as upgradeable/replaceable as any other laptop with non-soldered components (keyboard, drives, memory, battery, wireless adapters, screen). In order to upgrade a part like CPU, you still have to replace the whole motherboard and pay a premium close to the cost of a laptop, anyway. At that point, what is the value of holding onto a likely-several-years-old case and screen that have probably suffered wear and tear…? It doesn’t really make any sense…
You nailed it for the desktop. The only reason why someone should buy one is because they specifically want this AMD APU for unified memory that comes in it
Bring on the downvotes by fanboys coping with buyers’ remorse
Components you are likely to actually change out are just as upgradeable/replaceable as any other laptop with non-soldered components
Which other laptop let’s you swap out the main board? Or the mobile GPU? Which other brand open sources their designs, schematics and repair manuals? Which other brand let’s you pick and choose your storage, ram, display, keyboard, etc. (or none at all), all at market value? Nah. Framework laptops are great (albeit way too expensive).
I think the desktop was a chance to capitalize on AI nonsense for profit. When it came to the RAM they were like “well we really tried to make it repairable but AMD said they couldn’t do it but oh well we just shipped it anyway 🤷”
Which other laptop let’s you swap out the main board?
I mean my point is that you’re realistically never going to do this, because its a huge premium and costs about the same as a new laptop… why swap a brand new mainboard into an old and worn out laptop…
Which other brand let’s you pick and choose your storage, ram, display, keyboard, etc.
Uhhhh literally all of them??? Every laptop I’ve owned was built by customizing all the individual components on the manufacturers website.
My laptop (KFocus brand) is like 8 phillips screws, the back comes off, and there’s full easy access to memory, drives, and network cards for simple replacement. Pretty sure it’s fewer screws than framework lol
Well… Not from Framework. I looked one up and it was £700 for the main board or £1300 for the whole laptop. Or I could get a laptop with the exact same CPU (Ryzen AI 7 350) from Asus for £800. I mean, sure it’s probably not as good a laptop. But even so… If your laptop breaks are you going to spend £700 on a new main board that might fix it, or £800 on a new laptop that definitely works.
It definitely doesn’t make sense for upgrading - you can just sell the old laptop and buy a new one if you want to upgrade.
Tbh I hope they succeed still, but it’s really hard to compete with the sheer pricing power of less modular products.
I looked one up and it was £700 for the main board or £1300 for the whole laptop.
That’s…nearly half the price.
I mean, sure it’s probably not as good a laptop.
Oops, half the price and also not comparable.
If your laptop breaks are you going to spend £700 on a new main board that might fix it, or £800 on a new laptop that definitely works.
I’m definitely going to pay the 700 to have a better laptop rather than the 800 on a disposable laptop from a company with the worst reputation for customer/warranty support in the business.
You have to be prepared to keep them long term in order for them to make sense.
It definitely doesn’t make sense for upgrading
It definitely does. And you’ve just demonstrated exactly how. If you don’t care about money or quality or respect then maybe it doesn’t to you.
Not the person you replied to but I looked at lenovo when I bought my framework. I grew up with thinkpads as my dad was an IBMer. This was my first non-thinkpad.
Thin and lights in the same category as the framework laptops absolutely do not have choice of all of those components to the same degree. Increasingly Ram is even partially sodered, leaving one sodimm for upgradability, and there certainly wasn’t an option to leave out components and bring off the shelf parts, making the entire market of socketed components available to you for configuration on a framework (something I was excited I could take advantage of, and that saved me a decent chunk of money as a broke person who needed a new laptop.). I don’t recall there being anywhere near as many keyboard layouts.
The thinkpax carbon x1 literally has all soldered RAM. Two keyboard layouts. An included network card with optional mobile broadband. One display with touch or one without. And it’s unclear if the ssd is socketed though I’d guess it is. But you have to buy it from them though and it’s ludicrously expensive.
And a new motherboard is very explicitly not as expensive as a new laptop, with the current top spec amd main board being $700 cheaper than the same laptop with base configuration. Its less than 50% of the price of the base spec.
You’re talking out of your ass. Maybe lenovo has some options in the same category with more socketed components, I’m not going to go digging for then for the purposes of this argument. Many people might be better served by those if they’re an option (though they’re almost guaranteedly much more expensive, as thinkpads in general are much more expensive for the specs you get), but if what you want is upgradeability and repairability, no, lenovo very explicitly doesn’t compare, I compared them as I was shopping. I loved my thinkpads. They treated me well. They weren’t what I was looking for though, and I’m very excited that I can now upgrade my cpu and/or RAM in 5-10 years when I need an upgrade. I could not do that with a thinkpad.
Edit: just checked the T and E series and although they have socketed ram they also don’t have the same breadth of options or upgradability. Lenovo still makes amazing laptops, and I’m sure either of those would serve people well (though the T series is not really a direct competitior to the main framework 13" line), but if you want what a framework offers, you would not be as happy with the thinkpads.
I dunno, I have a Framework laptop and had a keyboard issue with it. It still worked, but one of the keys didn’t register well. So they sent me a new keyboard and I sent them back the old one after I’d swapped it. Not a single day was I without my laptop, which sounds quite unlikely compared to other laptop brands and the support you get (or not) with those.
No buyer’s remorse here.
Framework is a scam. Components you are likely to actually change out are just as upgradeable/replaceable as any other laptop with non-soldered components (keyboard, drives, memory, battery, wireless adapters, screen). In order to upgrade a part like CPU, you still have to replace the whole motherboard and pay a premium close to the cost of a laptop, anyway. At that point, what is the value of holding onto a likely-several-years-old case and screen that have probably suffered wear and tear…? It doesn’t really make any sense…
You nailed it for the desktop. The only reason why someone should buy one is because they specifically want this AMD APU for unified memory that comes in it
Bring on the downvotes by fanboys coping with buyers’ remorse
Which other laptop let’s you swap out the main board? Or the mobile GPU? Which other brand open sources their designs, schematics and repair manuals? Which other brand let’s you pick and choose your storage, ram, display, keyboard, etc. (or none at all), all at market value? Nah. Framework laptops are great (albeit way too expensive).
I think the desktop was a chance to capitalize on AI nonsense for profit. When it came to the RAM they were like “well we really tried to make it repairable but AMD said they couldn’t do it but oh well we just shipped it anyway 🤷”
I mean my point is that you’re realistically never going to do this, because its a huge premium and costs about the same as a new laptop… why swap a brand new mainboard into an old and worn out laptop…
Uhhhh literally all of them??? Every laptop I’ve owned was built by customizing all the individual components on the manufacturers website.
My laptop (KFocus brand) is like 8 phillips screws, the back comes off, and there’s full easy access to memory, drives, and network cards for simple replacement. Pretty sure it’s fewer screws than framework lol
It doesn’t.
Show me.
Well… Not from Framework. I looked one up and it was £700 for the main board or £1300 for the whole laptop. Or I could get a laptop with the exact same CPU (Ryzen AI 7 350) from Asus for £800. I mean, sure it’s probably not as good a laptop. But even so… If your laptop breaks are you going to spend £700 on a new main board that might fix it, or £800 on a new laptop that definitely works.
It definitely doesn’t make sense for upgrading - you can just sell the old laptop and buy a new one if you want to upgrade.
Tbh I hope they succeed still, but it’s really hard to compete with the sheer pricing power of less modular products.
That’s…what we were discussing?
That’s…nearly half the price.
Oops, half the price and also not comparable.
I’m definitely going to pay the 700 to have a better laptop rather than the 800 on a disposable laptop from a company with the worst reputation for customer/warranty support in the business.
You have to be prepared to keep them long term in order for them to make sense.
It definitely does. And you’ve just demonstrated exactly how. If you don’t care about money or quality or respect then maybe it doesn’t to you.
Lol okay!
Lenovo website > Make your own PC page > select base model (choice of screen and keyboard) > Build your PC button (choice of other components)
Dell website > choose base model > Explore Options > Build Your Own > Customize now button
HP website > choose base model > Customize & Buy button
KFocus website > choose base model > all components must be configured before you can order
…no? None of those allow you the same breadth of options.
Yes… they literally all do… 🤦
Here, let’s go through them each together:
Choice of storage? Yup.
Choice of memory? Yup.
Choice of display? Yup.
Choice of keyboard? Yup.
Choice of OS/battery/secondary drives/power adapter? Yup.
🙃
Not the person you replied to but I looked at lenovo when I bought my framework. I grew up with thinkpads as my dad was an IBMer. This was my first non-thinkpad.
Thin and lights in the same category as the framework laptops absolutely do not have choice of all of those components to the same degree. Increasingly Ram is even partially sodered, leaving one sodimm for upgradability, and there certainly wasn’t an option to leave out components and bring off the shelf parts, making the entire market of socketed components available to you for configuration on a framework (something I was excited I could take advantage of, and that saved me a decent chunk of money as a broke person who needed a new laptop.). I don’t recall there being anywhere near as many keyboard layouts.
The thinkpax carbon x1 literally has all soldered RAM. Two keyboard layouts. An included network card with optional mobile broadband. One display with touch or one without. And it’s unclear if the ssd is socketed though I’d guess it is. But you have to buy it from them though and it’s ludicrously expensive.
And a new motherboard is very explicitly not as expensive as a new laptop, with the current top spec amd main board being $700 cheaper than the same laptop with base configuration. Its less than 50% of the price of the base spec.
You’re talking out of your ass. Maybe lenovo has some options in the same category with more socketed components, I’m not going to go digging for then for the purposes of this argument. Many people might be better served by those if they’re an option (though they’re almost guaranteedly much more expensive, as thinkpads in general are much more expensive for the specs you get), but if what you want is upgradeability and repairability, no, lenovo very explicitly doesn’t compare, I compared them as I was shopping. I loved my thinkpads. They treated me well. They weren’t what I was looking for though, and I’m very excited that I can now upgrade my cpu and/or RAM in 5-10 years when I need an upgrade. I could not do that with a thinkpad.
Edit: just checked the T and E series and although they have socketed ram they also don’t have the same breadth of options or upgradability. Lenovo still makes amazing laptops, and I’m sure either of those would serve people well (though the T series is not really a direct competitior to the main framework 13" line), but if you want what a framework offers, you would not be as happy with the thinkpads.
Yeah I’m obviously not comparing to soldered components, so most of your comment is completely irrelevant.
The options you’re claiming can’t be configured, 1) literally can be, or 2) are silly novelties
$700 cheaper than a ridiculously overpriced laptop? Wow totally great point. 😂
I’m yet to be proven wrong. Enjoy holding onto an old beat up laptop case over the years for… reasons… totally worth it
I dunno, I have a Framework laptop and had a keyboard issue with it. It still worked, but one of the keys didn’t register well. So they sent me a new keyboard and I sent them back the old one after I’d swapped it. Not a single day was I without my laptop, which sounds quite unlikely compared to other laptop brands and the support you get (or not) with those. No buyer’s remorse here.
The framework 12 has a touch screen you can swapout by removing a couple screws. Looked pretty good to me