Fully Modular Laptop Computers

[Judge]

Anyone heard of this company "Framework" ? Looks like they've been around for a while.

Interesting and very welcome concept of modular laptop systems. Especially for so many gamers who may look at the term "gaming laptop" as an oxymoron. Where one can upgrade all kinds of internal components, contrary to an industry that expects you to simply replace the whole laptop every so many years.

Seems like pretty neat engineering. Especially if their modules while proprietary, can use any brand of components with the right specs. Allowing people to build laptops the same way I build a PC, using proven quality components rather than "no-name" ones with less reliability.

https://frame.work/

 

[Outdated]

For me the big worry with laptops has always been heat dispersion, but I live in a much hotter climate than most of you.

 

[Judge]

For me the big worry with laptops has always been heat dispersion, but I live in a much hotter climate than most of you.

Totally agree. Thermodynamics is everything.

For me the "jury is still out" when it comes to Apple's M1 and M2 CPUs and allegedly how powerful they are while maintaining acceptable thermal signatures with heatsinks and no fans.

For me a lack of noise is important too. But noise never throttled a CPU either...lol.

Though it does make me wonder with these modular systems, if there will be an available opportunity to use CPU and GPU fans that get the job done, but with a lower dBA in noise they make?

 

[Outdated]

In the tropics I avoided AMD just because they tended to get hotter than Intel and this meant that they wear out much more quickly. Apple's CPUs are all Intel by the way, hence the lower case i in the names of their products.

 

[Judge]

In the tropics I avoided AMD just because they tended to get hotter than Intel and this meant that they wear out much more quickly. Apple's CPUs are all Intel by the way, hence the lower case i in the names of their products.

I've ALWAYS avoided all AMD processors exclusively because of the greater temps they generate. Funny to think in all the years I built computers, only once did I use a non-Intel CPU. It was back in the early 90s that I used a Cyrix chip that turned my 386 into a 486 and did so quite seamlessly. Though back then thermodynamics considerations didn't go much further than a small heatsink.

BTW, Apple dumped Intel a while back. Their M1 and M2 processors are proprietary Apple products.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/29/apple-ditched-intel-and-it-paid-off.html

 

[Outdated]

BTW, Apple dumped Intel a while back. Their M1 and M2 processors are proprietary Apple products.

I didn't know that. I've completely ignored them for so many years.

 

[Judge]

I didn't know that. I've completely ignored them for so many years.

It's an interesting subject, those M1 and M2 processors. Check it out, and see if you are skeptical about their thermodynamics claims. I'm just on the fence about it all....as if it could be too good to be true.

Though it would seem that certain applications can inevitably make them run quite hot.

Right now I'm not particularly trusting of the industry as a whole. Especially seeing all the nasty things Nvidia is doing. But it may allow Intel to catch up in terms of their own GPUs which presently don't seem to cut it. I've had good luck years ago with ATI/Radeon gpus...but have used Nvidia for years now.

 

[Outdated]

Check it out, and see if you are skeptical about their thermodynamics claims.

I've got a bit of interesting reading ahead of me, thank you. They must be very low wattage systems, down to 7nm lithography would definitely help with that.

 

[Judge]

I've got a bit of interesting reading ahead of me, thank you. They must be very low wattage systems, down to 7nm lithography would definitely help with that.

Good point about wattage. An issue I'm debating now myself over the next PC I build. Whether to remain with an earlier generation Intel CPU rated around 65 watts, or go to a much faster and later one one around 125 watts. When all that power adds up in terms of heat buildup.

I keep hearing good things about Intel's latest i5 processor, but yeah....much higher wattage than what I have with an outdated 3rd gen i5 CPU. With me I'm always trying to find an acceptable balance between heat and noise. Though sometimes I just want to throw my hands up and give up....

 

[Angular Chap]

I'd love a Framework motherboard (or Mainboard as they call it) just to use as a single board PC, like a super Raspberry Pi.

I've seen some nice things done with just the motherboard:

framework sando

GitHub - penk/MainboardTerminal: A Retro-style Computer with a Modern Core

 

[Judge]

That hasn't been the case in a decade. Even before buildozer amd has had cpu's with no thermal problems.

LOL. That's ok. I haven't bothered to check in more than a decade. I'm fine with Intel processors.

However thermodynamics isn't an issue confined to any one CPU. There's much more to it in terms of multiple components and considerations of that which may enhance or encumber airflow to keep temperatures down.

 

[Judge]

This fascinates me. That with a Framework laptop, you can customize all four modular ports on both sides. Need one port over another? You can have it your way instead of "theirs". Comes in handy if there's one part in particular you need. In looking at laptops in general I always seem to get discouraged over what laptop has what ports and where that cannot be changed.

Nice...

https://frame.work/products/laptop-12-gen-intel/configuration/edit