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Framework Laptop 16 Deep Dive – Enclosure

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Re: Framework Laptop 16 Deep Dive – Enclosure

#121

Post by xarope »

kelnos wrote: post #103
fragmede wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A Thinkpad T16 is going to be under $1,600.

From [0], the only model under $1600 is bizarrely discounted 45% from $2849, which I assume is a limited-time offer. The lowest-end model costs $1959, and is pretty meh: 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, crap 720p camera. The higest-end model is also strangely 45%-off discounted, but runs $3769 regular. If the Framework 16 ends up costing $2500 (or even $3000) for a reasonably-spec'd setup, I think that'd be pretty fair, especiall…

FYI Never buy a thinkpad at list price. They are constantly discounted.

Re: Framework Laptop 16 Deep Dive – Enclosure

#122

Post by krasin »

fragmede wrote: post #81
nrp wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

PCIe is too physically large, Oculink is too thick and doesn't have enough pins for power, and Thunderbolt has protocol overhead and throughput limitations.

Yeah, sorry, no. Thunderbolt does have overhead and limitations, but imo those limitations don't justify making a new standard, even if it's more open than the others. Maybe you could say more about those limitations and convince me?

For instance, Thunderbolt bandwidth is limited to 40 Gbit/s. The Framework adapter for GPU is PCIE x8, which gives 128 Gbit/s.

(not affiliated with the Framework company, only as a owner of two 13" Framework laptops; so I might be wrong/incomplete about the limitations implied by the OP)

Re: Framework Laptop 16 Deep Dive – Enclosure

#123

Post by liminalsunset »

zonkerdonker wrote: post #64
buildbot wrote: post #2

Good detail hear about the process if making the case - really interesting to read. Injection molding semi-liquid magnesium seems…quite difficult to say the least! Tangentially, I wish there was some online resources for learning how best design for manufacture for things like laptops and cases. Contract CNC fabrication is really inexpensive these days until you need 10 iterations to fix your dumb mistakes.

Thixomolding is an incredible process, I'm glad it's becoming more utilized. It really is the best for lightweight, strong, and super thin parts like laptop chassis. About 10 years ago I worked for a medical device company and we used thixo parts for a portable ultrasound system (think chunky laptop form factor). In my first few weeks, I had a proto part that needed a rework, so I chucked the thixomolded part into th…

I'm wondering what the properties of thixomolding parts are like compared to casting compared to having the part machined out of a solid piece.

One thing I personally noticed with these types of "cast-looking" parts is that they tend to fail in a brittle way and there's really not much ductility. I've seen many notebooks with Mg alloy casings that shatter when dropped, and I've always preferred the Apple unibody machined aluminum for this reason - if it's bent or drops, it tends to retain its integrity much better. Granted, aluminum doesn't tend to have all that much ductility before it too, breaks, but I've found it more robust.

Re: Framework Laptop 16 Deep Dive – Enclosure

#124

Post by zilti »

strangescript wrote: post #7
cowpig wrote: post #3

I find the battery life on my framework 13 really bad (ubuntu installed). There's some issue where the battery drains fairly quickly in suspend which requires enabling "deep sleep" mode, but it still drains a lot faster than other laptops I've had. And then the battery life in general isn't very good; I'd say ~2 hours at full brightness with some video streaming mixed in with normal browsing. I wonder if that's the s…

I find battery life with linux in general pretty poor. It also struggles achieve any kind of reasonable hibernate/suspend. I can throw my macbook into a bag and pull out a week later with just a small battery draw down. I have never had a linux laptop that would not be completely dead in that scenario.

My KDE Slimbook with openSUSE does a great job. Comfortably lasts a whole workday, and the standby works fine, too.

Re: Framework Laptop 16 Deep Dive – Enclosure

#125

Post by zilti »

BaculumMeumEst wrote: post #30
cowpig wrote: post #3

I find the battery life on my framework 13 really bad (ubuntu installed). There's some issue where the battery drains fairly quickly in suspend which requires enabling "deep sleep" mode, but it still drains a lot faster than other laptops I've had. And then the battery life in general isn't very good; I'd say ~2 hours at full brightness with some video streaming mixed in with normal browsing. I wonder if that's the s…

Spending a ton of time on brittle power configuration in order to get from “bad” to “meh”, and suspend never quite working properly, is part of the experience of owning a linux laptop. That’s the way it’s always been. Solutions include not caring, buying a mac, or buying windows and using WSL.

Lol, maybe try using a decent distribution like openSUSE then. I so far didn't have the slightest issue with my Slimbook

Re: Framework Laptop 16 Deep Dive – Enclosure

#126

Post by Hextinium »

_2z1p wrote: post #117
verall wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have seen this happen to many friends, older gaming laptops either dying or running much slower than expected while my desktop just chugs along.

Gaming laptops are particularly prone to this because of all the heat they generate. Desktops have much better mechanisms for dealing with heat.

This is where buying "professional grade" does often save you. I have seen tons of Dell Latitudes and Lenovo Thinkpads that look like a black brick but are still going 5+ years later. They actually invested in thermals and it shows. (Written on a 7 year old Thinkpad).

Re: Framework Laptop 16 Deep Dive – Enclosure

#127

Post by LoganDark »

111111IIIIIII wrote: post #113
verall wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If that is your definition then a Framework 13 is probably not the laptop for you. It does fit my needs perfectly though - a usually on desktop but portable for travel notebook PC with 64G ram and 2TB ssd for under $1200. Very cheap compared to other laptops with the same specs and I really like it.

Oh my god. How and why is it so affordable? Knowing that, I hope they offer a higher resolution screen someday.

> How and why is it so affordable?

Doesn't have a GPU.

Re: Framework Laptop 16 Deep Dive – Enclosure

#128

Post by Solvency »

buildbot wrote: post #2

Good detail hear about the process if making the case - really interesting to read. Injection molding semi-liquid magnesium seems…quite difficult to say the least! Tangentially, I wish there was some online resources for learning how best design for manufacture for things like laptops and cases. Contract CNC fabrication is really inexpensive these days until you need 10 iterations to fix your dumb mistakes.

Styrofoam. This is what auto body designers use to shape while designing forms.

Re: Framework Laptop 16 Deep Dive – Enclosure

#130

Post by reaperman »

zonkerdonker wrote: post #64
buildbot wrote: post #2

Good detail hear about the process if making the case - really interesting to read. Injection molding semi-liquid magnesium seems…quite difficult to say the least! Tangentially, I wish there was some online resources for learning how best design for manufacture for things like laptops and cases. Contract CNC fabrication is really inexpensive these days until you need 10 iterations to fix your dumb mistakes.

Thixomolding is an incredible process, I'm glad it's becoming more utilized. It really is the best for lightweight, strong, and super thin parts like laptop chassis. About 10 years ago I worked for a medical device company and we used thixo parts for a portable ultrasound system (think chunky laptop form factor). In my first few weeks, I had a proto part that needed a rework, so I chucked the thixomolded part into th…

> before the shop manager chewed me out for almost setting the shop on fire

In his defense, an engineer should have known this. In your defense, we all have blind spots - we might know 98% of the obvious things and still get caught by a handful of them. That’s why supervision is so important!

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