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

blog.matthewbrunelle.com

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

#61

Post by moltopoco »

astra1701 wrote: post #49

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 copilo…

Being able to replace the keyboard is especially wonderful because laptops are usually "region-locked". I know people who use relatively unpopular layouts relative to where they live, and it makes it harder to buy and much harder to sell their Macs.

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

#62

Post by nrp »

Etheryte wrote: post #58
Esophagus4 wrote: post #53

I thought Framework was worth a gamble. I replaced my last laptop after 10+ years because the battery gave out, the end-of-life hardware was so old it no longer got OS upgrades, and eventually apps stopped working. I like the idea of getting to easily throw new hardware at my machine to keep it going. (I also tired of Apple shoving bad experiences down my throat (TouchBar, Butterfly keyboards, thin glass screens that…

I can't even recall when I last needed USB-A, literally everything I have uses USB-C (or bluetooth for mouse and keyboard). What do you use it for?

USB-A is our second most popular Expansion Card after USB-C (and before HDMI), so certainly people are using it for something!

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

#63

Post by nrp »

jdblair wrote: post #46
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

Could you submit a support ticket around the order record issue? We certainly want to determine what happened there: https://frame.work/support/

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

#64

Post by gsa »

je42 wrote: post #50
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.

In my experience (my partner has a Framework), changing a port is not something easily done without putting the Framework bottom side up. In practice you need to stop whatever you are doing to first sleep the laptop, turn it over, change the port and then get back to what you were doing before. Repeat the process if you want to get the ports back in the original order.

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

#65

Post by systemtest »

tecoholic wrote: post #48
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 wa…

Not just RAM and SSD. Displays can break. Power ports can break. USB-C ports can break. Keyboards can break. PCBs can break. And those take time to ship if you have a Dell, HP, Framework or even an Apple machine. I like being able to walk to a nearby store and grab a new MacBook Pro in case I quickly need a new machine to continue my work. My clients typically hire me for short periods and they need me to work at full capacity for that time period. Waiting a week while Framework ships me a new display is not an option.

A Time Machine restore has never failed me. You are fully operational after the backup is restored. Syncing your data onto an SSD via M2 isn't comparable.

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

#66

Post by cromka »

They need to bring trackpoint and WWAN, otherwise they simply are not a competition for Lenovo, as much as I hate it.

I also find their design very boring. I am not asking for a MacBook, but even ThinkPads are way more sexy and you can actually identify with that design. Framework just comes off as another 2015 MacBook Air design knockoff.

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

#67

Post by Esophagus4 »

Etheryte wrote: post #58
Esophagus4 wrote: post #53

I thought Framework was worth a gamble. I replaced my last laptop after 10+ years because the battery gave out, the end-of-life hardware was so old it no longer got OS upgrades, and eventually apps stopped working. I like the idea of getting to easily throw new hardware at my machine to keep it going. (I also tired of Apple shoving bad experiences down my throat (TouchBar, Butterfly keyboards, thin glass screens that…

I can't even recall when I last needed USB-A, literally everything I have uses USB-C (or bluetooth for mouse and keyboard). What do you use it for?

I still do have a few USB-A: Yubikey, mouse receiver, Streamdeck, USB sticks, webcam, old HDD hard drives I use for backups...

I guess I could, but I would rather not upgrade all of those to USB-C and I really tired of having to carry dongles everywhere.

I even like that if I were consistently using HDMI, I could actually just put an HDMI extension card into my laptop and still not need a dongle. It's customizable to my usage at any point in the laptop's life.

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

#68

Post by systemtest »

steveBK123 wrote: post #40
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…

The way all of the backup/sync/restore is so dialed in on MacOS/iOS/iPadOS at this point is pretty hard to beat. You get a performant fat client that you can treat like an interchangeable thin client as the need arises.

Exactly. I have a high-speed USB-C disk connected to my machine and an off-site backup. The first is for accidentally deleted files and to be able to quickly recover. The other is more of an actual backup. My iPhone and MacBook are indeed expendable devices at this point.

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

#69

Post by systemtest »

drxzcl wrote: post #42
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.

Agreed, though for the sake of ergonomics I hardly use the built-in keyboard and almost always have an external keyboard connected.

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

#70

Post by humanfromearth9 »

astra1701 wrote: post #49

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 copilo…

I assume not just replace, but upgrade, in some cases
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