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Cheers y'all,<br>
<br>
Back in July, Framework announced they would be taking preorders for
their 16-inch variant with the dedicated AMD GPU. I decided to take
the plunge, and yesterday afternoon it arrived.<br>
<br>
Here are the system specs for my specific device, plus the prices
paid:<br>
<br>
<div class="show-configuration-content">
<div class="space-y-5">
<div class="space-y-2"
data-test-id="product-configuration_review_hardware"><span>System:
Ryzen™ 7 7840HS<br>
</span><span>Memory:
DDR5-5600 - 32GB (1 x 32GB)<br>
</span><span>Storage:
WD_BLACK™ SN850X NVMe™- M.2 2280 - 1TB</span>
</div>
<div class="space-y-2"
data-test-id="product-configuration_review_expansion_bay_system"><span>Expansion
Bay Module:
Graphics Module (AMD Radeon™ RX 7700S)</span></div>
<div class="space-y-2"
data-test-id="product-configuration_review_customize">Display:
2560x1600<br>
<span>Keyboard:
RGB Clear ANSI </span><span>$50.00<br>
</span><span>Macropad:
RGB Macropad Module </span>
<span>$59.00</span>
</div>
<div class="space-y-2"
data-test-id="product-configuration_review_expansion_cards">
<div class="flex flex-row justify-between text-md">
<div class="font-semibold capitalize"><br>
Expansion Cards</div>
<span>Audio </span>
<span>$19.00<br>
</span><span>USB-A</span>
<span>$9.00<br>
</span><span>USB-C – USB-C Expansion Card</span>
<span>$9.00<br>
</span><span>Ethernet</span>
<span>$39.00<br>
</span><span class="font-semibold">2 x</span>
<span>
HDMI (3rd Gen)</span>
<span>$38.00<br>
</span><span>250GB (2nd Gen)</span>
<span>$45.00</span>
</div>
</div>
<br>
Product Price</div>
<div class="space-y-2 my-5"
data-test-id="product-configuration_review_product_price %>">
<div class="flex flex-row justify-between text-md">
<span class="font-semibold whitespace-nowrap">$2,421.00 +
$135.55 tax</span><span
class="font-semibold whitespace-nowrap"> = $2556.55<br>
</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<br>
Here are my thoughts for those considering a Framework computer in
the future:<br>
<br>
First, I'm pleased to say that Fedora Silverblue 39 works out of the
box. No needing to mess around with secureboot, bootloader
headaches, driver headaches, or anything. It just works! Fedora 39
and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS are the officially supported distros (with
plans for supporting Fedora 40 and Ubuntu 24.04 LTS in the near
future), but I would imagine most distros (ones that are up to date
with new kernels and new Mesa drivers) will work just fine.<br>
<br>
The laptop is *heavy*! It's just over 5 pounds with the GPU
installed, and it certainly feels heavy! It's also quite large,
nearly an inch thick and about a square foot in size (14" by 11.4" x
0.82"). If you're looking for a tiny lightweight laptop, this isn't
it.<br>
<br>
You will absolutely need some expansion cards, and you will need to
pick a keyboard for this laptop. That adds up a bit towards the
final cost. Mercifully you can arrange them almost however you want
(you'll need at least one USB-C module for charging in one of the
rear ports). You can also bring your own memory and storage if you'd
like, provided it fits the internal port. You can also save a bit
and skip on the GPU if you'd like; the iGPU is pretty powerful.<br>
<br>
The one thing to be aware of is that the fans are loud, and you will
hear them when they spin up.<br>
<br>
Initial part install, repair and disassembly is exactly as Framework
advertises. They even provide instructional videos on their website
(which you can look at on either a mobile device or another PC).
Honestly I feel building a tower is harder than servicing this
laptop, which is quite refreshing! Hopefully Framework will remain
around for many more years, or the user-serviceable aspect spreads
to other major manufacturers (ie System 76).<br>
<br>
The RGB keyboard and macropad are reprogrammable pretty easily via
their website. So for us Dvorak or Colemak users, this is pretty
awesome. Alas I haven't figured out how to alter the color profile
to something a bit more to my liking, but it's pretty easy to turn
the LEDs for a distraction free work session. I'm not really in love
with the touchpad (I like the feel of my Thinkpad's touch pad
better) but it gets the job done.<br>
<br>
Haven't had a chance to really put the battery through its paces,
but considering the hardware I don't expect a whole lot of life
compared to ultra-portable laptops. Which is fine for my use case,
but may not be fine for yours.<br>
<br>
Overall, I'm quite pleased with this machine. I can definitely
recommend it if you can afford it.<br>
<br>
-Matt<br>
<br>
<br>
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