1st post! New toy... (Framework Laptop)
Hello all!
Aaron here, first post, well... First real post... I did do an intro, or rather an "About the Author" sort, but this post is the first REAL post... And as such... it's a good one... I got a new toy... A went in on the Framework laptop... And I flipping love it... I'll go into the deets of the hardware, the experience, and challenges and overall view on the device.
Who is Framework and why is their Laptop a bid deal?
I'm not going to go to much into this as their are far better and more in depth publications that have written about Framework and their Laptop... Most notably, the likes of Linus Tech Tips, iFixit and Level1Techs. So, basically, Framework, the company is a startup that is trying to...
"Fix Consumer Electronics"
And so... basically, their first product is a modular laptop, that is completely up-gradable with almost everything (except the mainboard) being replaceable or repairable... Not only that, they strive to make a slim and attractive product. I for one, really hope they succeed!
So... Why'd I buy the Frameworks laptop?:
So I guess why I bought the Framework laptop is because I'm passionate tech nerd... It's the same reason why I buy anything techy related... Plus I rather needed a laptop to replace my very trusty, but very aged Lenovo Thinkpad T440... Which has served me very well, but with a 4th gen i5... and 8GB's of Ram... it just can't run certain tasks I need of it...
The laptop...
The Framwork laptop is a very modern, very powerful and very slim machine... It has all the features of a modern ultra book, but can be completely disassembled into pieces, yet still maintains it's strong frame...
It's powered by either the 11th gen Intel Core i5 1135G7 or either of the Intel Core i7 1165G7 or 1185G7 CPU's, with up to 64GB's of RAM and a PCIe Gen 4 M.2 NVME SSD. It's quite powerful as I said.
It's also one of the most configurable machines I've ever had. The i/o is based on USB4 (with Thunderbolt unofficially Supported.) and comes with 4 ports, a 3.5 "Courage" Jack (Headphones), But the really cool part are those USB4 ports... You can choose what adapters or external ports you'd like them to be. In my configuration, I choose to go with a USB Type C, Type A, 2x DP, 1x HDMI and 1 x 1TB expansion card with USB C. So far, see no issues, as you can add more docks or hubs, etc to further expand the I/O.
The challanges of a new toy...
The laptop is rather easy to use once you get to know the thing. The only real challenge I came across thus far with the Framework Laptop was to install Kubuntu 21.04. In order to do so, you have to disable Secure Boot, in order to disable Secure Boot, you have to get into the BIOS, and that's where I had to do my first google search on the device (Press F2 at boot up... ;) )... but, it was really easy and Framework's has A LOT of documentation on how to use the laptop and get things like this done. It's part of their goal... And that is part of why I bought the laptop...
I like that for once a OEM PC hardware company is putting things out in the open, not behind a subscription paywall or having to pry it out of the sale engineer's cold, dead hands... In fact, they even publish the schematics for the design online and help hobbists and tinker's who wish to build 3-d printed expansion slots out by explaining things and coaching them along the way. I love it!
Closing thoughts on the device and experiences:
Thus far, I absolutely love the thing... Aside from the fact that I had to wait for the laptop to ship in mid-September, the over-all experience has been great, 10/10 would buy again. That's another thing I can't wait for, is the second gen or revision of the device. They have plans for a Ryzen edition, I think, I hope! That would save on battery life... But overall I fully support Framework and their endeavor's... I really do!
Well, that's all for now...
Cheer's all, talk to you on my next post!