Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I'm a laptop weirdo and that's why I like my new Framework 13

blog.matthewbrunelle.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 314 posts

Re: I'm a laptop weirdo and that's why I like my new Framework 13

#41

Post by gsa »

I have been looking to buy a new laptop personally. Framework has a compelling argument. But with only 4 ports on the Framework, I'd likely be switching the ports often. In addition to using USB-C, I often need a USB-A for an external mouse but other times a HDMI port to connect to a display while presenting.

I don't think it's fair to compare Thinkpad X1 Carbon with Framework. The T14 range is a much better comparison. While Lenovo took a few steps back a few years ago the last couple of generations seem to be much better in regard to being repairable. The T14 Gen 5 [0] gets a 9/10 score on ifixit. Parts are easily available globally, while Framework is still somewhat limited in this regard geographically.

That said, it's great we have a choice! If it were not for Framework, I don't think Lenovo would have made an effort to make the Thinkpads repairable again.

- [0] https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Lenovo_ThinkPad_T14_Gen_5

Re: I'm a laptop weirdo and that's why I like my new Framework 13

#42

Post by drxzcl »

systemtest wrote: post #34

I work international (somewhat of a digital nomad) so perhaps I’m an outlier in my usage. I have an M1 MacBook Pro that I bought new at release. I can’t replace the memory or storage. But so far I didn’t need to do that. In case it breaks, I walk to my nearby electronics store and purchase a new MacBook Pro. With Time Machine restore I am up an running within an hour. The M1 goes onto the pile of stuff to repair late…

All the stores I can get to within a reasonable time period stock ISO keyboards instead of ANSI, and I've never really warmed up to those. So I'm stuck with next-day even for macs.

Re: I'm a laptop weirdo and that's why I like my new Framework 13

#44

Post by dijit »

myself248 wrote: post #29

Oh, I did magnificent things to my old Toughbook CF-17 / CF-m34. (It ended up as a franken-puter with parts of both.) First: Remove the internal CDPD wireless modem, remove the internal 56k POTS modem/10/100 Ethernet combo card. Wire the TTL-level UART from the CDPD port over to the RJ11 jack so I could now hack on embedded devices using a simple RJ11-to-bare-wires cable. Second: The modem/ethernet card removal freed…

I love all of this.

I’ve never been brave enough to modify my laptops beyond the one time I sprayed a new (hard) topcoat on an Acer Aspire 5520g… which turned it from a flimsy piece of garbage into a slightly less flimsy piece of garbage.

I feel like running a Thinkpad x201 these days would be a lesson in frustration (for the browser bloat you mentioned) but that was my perfect laptop. If I could do a mainboard swap I would continue to use it.

Re: I'm a laptop weirdo and that's why I like my new Framework 13

#45

Post by dontlaugh »

jdblair wrote: post #39

I'm also a laptop weirdo and I've had a Framework 13 with the Ryzen 7 motherboard since May of 2022. I run Ubuntu (currently 25.10) on it. Its a good laptop, but not a great laptop. Its very light and compact (very important to me), and its been reliable, at least since the AMD GPU driver issues were resolved. The matte screen is fine, battery life is adequate, and the CPU meets my needs as a hobby developer. Overall…

I tried a coworker’s, I was a bit shocked how poor the case is. Everything flexes badly, especially the keyboard.

I was considering one, but definitely not worth it. I can get a ThinkPad for less and it’s much better quality.

Re: I'm a laptop weirdo and that's why I like my new Framework 13

#46

Post by jdblair »

jdblair wrote: post #39

I'm also a laptop weirdo and I've had a Framework 13 with the Ryzen 7 motherboard since May of 2022. I run Ubuntu (currently 25.10) on it. Its a good laptop, but not a great laptop. Its very light and compact (very important to me), and its been reliable, at least since the AMD GPU driver issues were resolved. The matte screen is fine, battery life is adequate, and the CPU meets my needs as a hobby developer. Overall…

Also, something weird:

I looked up my purchase using my Framework account to confirm my purchase date, and it lists my mother board as System: Intel® Core™ i7-1260P. Sloppy record keeping like this doesn't inspire confidence.

It is definitely not, and /proc/cpuinfo confirms it:

model name : AMD Ryzen 7 7840U w/ Radeon 780M Graphics

Re: I'm a laptop weirdo and that's why I like my new Framework 13

#47

Post by eviks »

phoronixrly wrote: post #33
eviks wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They aren't, otherwise you wouldn't have to pick the lightest of them and pick only 1

The lightest one? What about the display colour mismatch, which is literally one of the first things I calibrate away when I get a new laptop, even on macbooks? Imagine moaning about two displays from completely different manufacturers and production dates showing different colours... Or maybe the auto-dimming feature which can be disabled by software? Or the touchpad which is 'too sensitive when scrolling'....

> first things I calibrate away

How? Do you expect every user to have an easier access to color calibration hardware devices to fix this issue compared to a software fix they could find after some googling???

> auto-dimming feature which can be disabled by software

He also disabled the led via software, so you failed to point out why this one is easier

> the touchpad which is 'too sensitive when scrolling'....

How is this lighter? Touching the touchpad is a very frequent action, so the deficiency will affect you every day, and you can’t fix it by looking up some systemd service unlike the LED, and you can’t put a sticker on it to dim it. So how is an unsolvable frequent issue more trivial than a solvable one?

Re: I'm a laptop weirdo and that's why I like my new Framework 13

#48

Post by tecoholic »

systemtest wrote: post #34

I work international (somewhat of a digital nomad) so perhaps I’m an outlier in my usage. I have an M1 MacBook Pro that I bought new at release. I can’t replace the memory or storage. But so far I didn’t need to do that. In case it breaks, I walk to my nearby electronics store and purchase a new MacBook Pro. With Time Machine restore I am up an running within an hour. The M1 goes onto the pile of stuff to repair late…

Sorry! So many questions. That electronics store won't sell RAM and SSD sticks? Which cities have stores that can sell Macbooks but not RAM & SSD? Like why wait for Amazon next day delivery if your SSD or RAM dies? Why would you wait for Framework to ship parts, unless it's the main board. Even then, wouldn't it be much cheaper to just plug in the SSD into an M.2 slot (of any generic new/old laptop) and rsync your way to productivity in pretty much the same time a Time Machine restore would take?

Re: I'm a laptop weirdo and that's why I like my new Framework 13

#49

Post by astra1701 »

The really special thing about Frameworks is that you can quickly buy and replace basically any part, not just the usual RAM and SSD -- case in point, when I managed to damage my FW13's keyboard such that it was no longer usable, I could just... go straight to Framework's website and buy a new one for $40. And, I even had the option of a slightly improved one, that shed the Windows key and lacked the god-awful copilot key.

This approach even allows the manufacturer to correct design flaws after the fact -- and let's face it, there will always be design flaws. For instance, my FW13 originally came with a very weak hinge for the screen. It was perfectly usable for most daily usage and most people probably wouldn't care, but it meant I couldn't hold it up without the screen tilting back. Well, FW corrected this for those customers who really did care by just selling a new hinge for $24, and so $24 + 10 minutes with a screwdriver later, I had a substantially more refined device! (And to clarify -- there was a defective hinge version in the early batches, and those were replaced free of charge. Mine was a slightly later version that, beyond lacking the level of stiffness I preferred, was not defective.)

Re: I'm a laptop weirdo and that's why I like my new Framework 13

#50

Post by je42 »

gsa wrote: post #41

I have been looking to buy a new laptop personally. Framework has a compelling argument. But with only 4 ports on the Framework, I'd likely be switching the ports often. In addition to using USB-C, I often need a USB-A for an external mouse but other times a HDMI port to connect to a display while presenting. I don't think it's fair to compare Thinkpad X1 Carbon with Framework. The T14 range is a much better comparis…

you can switch the ports pretty quickly on framework laptops.
Post reply on HN