Framework Laptop 16 pre-orders are now open • Hacker News Board

Re: Framework Laptop 16 pre-orders are now open

#51

Post by washadjeffmad » Tue, Jul 18, 2023, 4:42 PM UTC

zmk5 wrote: post #3

Honestly, it was much cheaper than I had assumed it would be. A pre-built "performance" version starts at $1,699 (Ryzen 7 7840HS) with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. Compare that to the entry 16 inch MacBook Pro at $2499. The "overkill" system with a Ryzen 9 7940HS, 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD is $2099. A pseudo comparison to the 16 inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro, 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD is $3099. Also these systems are cheaper if do…

Not being snarky or anything, but do you have easy access to broadband internet where you are, or do you live in a locale that prohibits VPN?

It turned out more effective for me to buy a Chromebook and build a remote workstation to do actual work from, with the added benefit that I don't care if my Chromebook is lost or stolen because it doesn't store any data and costs less than a screen replacement (I also wasn't impressed by the highly externalized "there's an adapter for that" dongle-shuffle for basic ports when Apple did it 2017, and if I wanted to bring it all with me, I'd still need to buy and lug around a eGPU if I wanted to do any compute. Plus I get like 14 hours of full-brightness work time off of one charge, similar to an M1 MacBook Air.

That's just my use case, of course. I've also built an SFF system with eDP when I have to travel and generate a lot of data and an Alienware m17 isn't enough.

Re: Framework Laptop 16 pre-orders are now open

#52

Post by Thoeu388 » Tue, Jul 18, 2023, 4:47 PM UTC

nrp wrote: post #20

Thoeu388 wrote: post #18

> The back two slots on each side can take up to 240W power input over USB-C using USB-PD 3.1. I would like an option for normal barrel jack power connector. I found USB-C power delivery very unreliable and not universal. For many applications (Pi4, Rock5) you are limited to original makers power adapter. Framework in this case is using very new PD spec to deliver 180W, so I assume it will be the same. There is also…

We're using the USB-PD 3.1 standard and are testing for compatibility. We haven't seen issues when testing with other compliant USB-PD 3.1 adapters.

Latter please provide list of adapters, that are tested with your product. Some mid-range stuff like Anker. It may save you many headaches on support.

Re: Framework Laptop 16 pre-orders are now open

#53

Post by nrp » Tue, Jul 18, 2023, 4:48 PM UTC

yndoendo wrote: post #49

According to the specs. The keyboard is running QMK on a RP2040. Does anyone know if this will be programmable like quality mechanical keyboards? One thing missing from all high-end laptops is the ability to program the key mapping at firmware level so one does not have to re-configure the OS. Caps lock is such a useless and easily accessible key.

Yes, you can use QMK tools like VIA to reconfigure, or even just modify the firmware. It's all open source: https://github.com/frameworkcomputer/qmk_firmware

Re: Framework Laptop 16 pre-orders are now open

#54

Post by kibwen » Tue, Jul 18, 2023, 4:54 PM UTC

washadjeffmad wrote: post #51

zmk5 wrote: post #3

Honestly, it was much cheaper than I had assumed it would be. A pre-built "performance" version starts at $1,699 (Ryzen 7 7840HS) with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. Compare that to the entry 16 inch MacBook Pro at $2499. The "overkill" system with a Ryzen 9 7940HS, 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD is $2099. A pseudo comparison to the 16 inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro, 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD is $3099. Also these systems are cheaper if do…

Not being snarky or anything, but do you have easy access to broadband internet where you are, or do you live in a locale that prohibits VPN? It turned out more effective for me to buy a Chromebook and build a remote workstation to do actual work from, with the added benefit that I don't care if my Chromebook is lost or stolen because it doesn't store any data and costs less than a screen replacement ( I also wasn't…

Remoting into a beefy workstation works for plenty of command-line tasks, but is going to yield a subpar experience for GUI tasks. As someone whose daily driver for several lean years was a $180 netbook (remember netbooks?), anything that I could do on my remote machine was grand (at the time, a $5 VPS), and anything that I had to do locally was a slog.

> "there's an adapter for that" dongle-shuffle

> lug around a eGPU

One of the unique selling points of the Framework is that you can customize the ports to your needs, so dongles are unnecessary unless you need a whole lot of ports. And the Framework 16 doesn't need an eGPU, you can plug in an actual GPU that integrates with the body of the laptop.

Re: Framework Laptop 16 pre-orders are now open

#55

Post by thomastjeffery » Tue, Jul 18, 2023, 5:05 PM UTC

anotherhue wrote: post #37

Question for those of you that use a similar form-factor laptop: Can you really use it without a desk?

You can get a centered (no numpad) keyboard, and it has a second fan for the GPU; so I expect it would be quite comfortable. The only issue left is weight (4.6-5.3lbs), which seems to be the heavier side of average.

Re: Framework Laptop 16 pre-orders are now open

#56

Post by Rebelgecko » Tue, Jul 18, 2023, 5:08 PM UTC

trashcanman wrote: post #11

zmk5 wrote: post #3

Honestly, it was much cheaper than I had assumed it would be. A pre-built "performance" version starts at $1,699 (Ryzen 7 7840HS) with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD. Compare that to the entry 16 inch MacBook Pro at $2499. The "overkill" system with a Ryzen 9 7940HS, 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD is $2099. A pseudo comparison to the 16 inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro, 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD is $3099. Also these systems are cheaper if do…

No compare it to the MBA 15 w 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM upgrades and the 70W charger from their educational store + $150 gift card offer. $1575 inc Cali tax

What's the comparison look like with 2TB of storage? And maybe a bit more RAM (I don't think MBAs let you upgrade after purchase so buying a 512GB machine seems shortsighted for a lot of use cases unless all your development is in the cloud)

Re: Framework Laptop 16 pre-orders are now open

#57

Post by Rebelgecko » Tue, Jul 18, 2023, 5:10 PM UTC

syntaxing wrote: post #27

How are the trackpads on these? The trackpad on the MacBook is probably one of the main reasons I can’t go back to another laptop.

On previous generations I think it's decent. The main annoyances are that when I touch the glass a certain way I can feel a scratch or divot, and the pressure it takes to click varies based on where you click.

Overall I think the hardware is great, my complaints are mostly with software/firmware/BIOS. My biggest complaints are with battery life, especially during standby. Framework has been working on a fix since 2022 but no dice so far.

-Sent from my Framework laptop at maximum brightness because the brightness keys don't work unless I disable other sensors on the laptop

Re: Framework Laptop 16 pre-orders are now open

#58

Post by seanhunter » Tue, Jul 18, 2023, 5:24 PM UTC

Thoeu388 wrote: post #18

> The back two slots on each side can take up to 240W power input over USB-C using USB-PD 3.1. I would like an option for normal barrel jack power connector. I found USB-C power delivery very unreliable and not universal. For many applications (Pi4, Rock5) you are limited to original makers power adapter. Framework in this case is using very new PD spec to deliver 180W, so I assume it will be the same. There is also…

Wow. Strong disagree. I have been using USB-C power only across 4 different makes of laptop on windows, mac and linux for about 6 years now and I don't recognize these issues.

I literally have never seen power renegotiation after the first time I plug a device in even a single time. I have seen problems where external displays don't find display signal just as you do with hdmi or displayport sometimes but I've never had a power problem. Are you using sketchy cables perhaps?

Re: Framework Laptop 16 pre-orders are now open

#59

Post by kibwen » Tue, Jul 18, 2023, 5:25 PM UTC

zapdrive wrote: post #24

Have they fixed the ridiculous sticking out ethernet port?

If you mean the optional ethernet port module, no, because 1) foldable ports are more fragile, expensive, and patented, and 2) if there's demand for it, anybody can manufacture an alternative ethernet module with a folding port, which is the point of being modular.

Re: Framework Laptop 16 pre-orders are now open

#60

Post by sylens » Tue, Jul 18, 2023, 5:26 PM UTC

wilsonnb3 wrote: post #16

sylens wrote: post #8

I think the missing piece here would be the desktop version of Steam OS. All the other components are in place for a stellar gaming laptop

You can install steamOS on it if you want, it is just a Linux distro like any other. Not sure why you would want to though, there are plenty of good Linux distros available and Windows is a much better choice for gaming if you don't need handheld specific features.

I know you can install the initial versions of SteamOS on it, but as far as I know, SteamOS 3 (the version powering the Steam Deck) has not been officially released for desktop use.

My dream is a gaming laptop with the same type of suspend/resume capability that the Steam Deck has