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The Framework Laptop is now shipping

frame.work

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Re: The Framework Laptop is now shipping

#492
post #396

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LPDDR is low power because it is a more sophisticated device with more complex protocol compared to regular DDR, because it has a higher pinout allowing it to have a more efficient electrical connection and because the computer manufacturer can optimize the connection with specific chips in mind instead of having to support a wide range of devices. I think the number of pins is a practical limitation. Current DDR DIM…

It is if it's a standard that everyone decides to support...

That's the thing, who is everyone? Such technology would only be relevant to premium-level ultraportable notebooks. Desktops, gaming laptops as well as budget laptops would stick with the cheaper and more ubiquitous DDR. Smartphones and tables will continue to solder RAM on due to space constraints. Apple (who is the driving force in this market segment) won't be interested since they are going fully custom and I doubt that an LGA socket will work with their on-package custom-build wide RAM interfaces. So in the end we are left with things like Dell XPS 13, MS Surface and few others. These are all popular and impactful brands, but they are just a drop in the bucket compared to the total PC sales. And I doubt that technology reserved to only selected premium laptops is going to be cheap.

Re: The Framework Laptop is now shipping

#493
post #484

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I am not an Apple devotee, and I think that what you say is generally right. But Apple releasing M1 laptops kind of changed the game...

Well, I am not an Apple devotee, either; moreover, my impression has been that, unlike IBM or Microsoft or Sun, neither Apple itself nor any of its products have so far made any impact on my life or work whatsoever. I may well be wrong, but I am not even sure if anything was much different had Apple never existed in the first place.

You're certainly not an iOS developer.

Re: The Framework Laptop is now shipping

#494
post #228
post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Major thumbs-up for AMD chip. With a replaceable main board, this will be a dream. I ordered a framework laptop at its highest CPU+RAM spec and can't wait to replace my 6 years old ThinkPad x250 with it. EDIT: would also add that the open source design USB-C based side modules are amazing - looking forward to designing my own modules.

Thanks! We're looking forward to seeing the modules everyone develops, and we're excited to get new mainboards out in the future.

Why AMD? What about ARM?

I don't want to use an Apple laptop, but I do want a fanless design with M1-type performance and battery life. Can you do that with anything from Intel or AMD?

Re: The Framework Laptop is now shipping

#496
post #286

This device is seriously the answer to all my laptop problems. I really like the form factor of the XPS 13, but now I'm stuck with the complete inability to upgrade RAM. In what universe is that normal? Then I accidentally nuked the USB-C ports on the left side when it got wet, and now I'm left with a single port for everything, including charging. What!? Why? I tore the entire thing apart and there's just no way to…

> In what universe is that normal? In a universe where you want high-performance energy efficient RAM. Premium ultracompact laptops have long moved to LPDDR which is both faster and consumes significantly less energy than regular modular DDR. And LPDDR does not come in DIMMs. And then you have Apple who are using custom package technology with custom RAM chips to cut down RAM power consumption to under one watt activ…

1 watt active is low. But so is 2 for dimm ddr3 [1]. They switched to make upgrading more difficult.

"Typical Power Consumption of PC Components - Power Draw in Watts" https://www.buildcomputers.net/power-consumption-of-pc-compo...

Re: The Framework Laptop is now shipping

#497

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So just...put LPDDR on a DIMM? Or some other kind of removable slot?? I see no technical reason you couldn't. Or, instead of soldering chips, make little LGA slots for the individual chips. I can't imagine the tiny added resistance from an extra millimeter of wire and pin surface contact would impact much of anything and even if it does, I'd rather take that than have no options when the next Windows update makes my…

The reason is signal integrity. Running a high speed signal (never mind a bus of 64+ of them) through a connector is hard and takes a lot of power because the connector can seriously degrade the signals. LPDDR can be low power because it doesn't have a "memory stick" abstraction, just memory chips and controllers. It's not the resistance that kills the signal, it's the inductance and the impedance mismatching.

1 watt vs 2 Watts. Stop shilling.

Re: The Framework Laptop is now shipping

#498
Very excited to see modular and repairable tech in production! Just wanted to make a top-level comment in support of a trackpoint option. Given modular design and the Marketplace it could make sense to have a simple drop-in replacement for the keyboard module that would potentially lure many hardcore Thinkpad fans.

Re: The Framework Laptop is now shipping

#499
post #7
post #4

Framework Founder here! I am happy to answer any questions on the product.

We're almost all thinking it, so... are you trying to get sued by Apple, or what's the reason for 1:1 copy of the design? Edit: To be clear, I'm not just trying to dunk on the idea. That would be the reason for me not to buy one if it looks like the vendor can fold because Apple dragged them to court.

I mean, I think that ship has sailed... Here's a Samsung definitely-not-MBP: https://www.samsung.com/hk_en/pc/notebook-7-np730xbe-k02/NP7...

And of course there's the suspiciously named Huawei Matebook Pro.

If Apple was inclined to sue people for making MBP lookalikes, it has far more interesting targets to go after.

Re: The Framework Laptop is now shipping

#500

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would really prefer that a laptop was just a tiny bit thicker to fit a 100WH battery to compensate for that. My T480 gets 12-16 hours with normal use, I imagine it could easily hit 20 with current processors.

High-end 15" laptops already have 100Wh batteries, and 100Wh is the practical maximum. So abandoning LPDDR would lead to a reduction in battery life on the high end, which probably isn't going to fly.

> isn't going to fly.

Literally - 100Wh batteries are maximum you can take on planes

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