Framework Laptop

Good question. I'd argue that 2011+ hardware is still viable today. A week ago my Mom complained her PC was sluggish, she was absolutely right as the last few windows updates turned her G3260 into a slug. For Christmas we upgraded her to an i7-4790 for peanuts off Ebay and her PC is lightning fast now.

A good thing to know is what is the upper limit of that generation socket and motherboard, then you can do what we did above.

Framework's website is slick and can teach a DIYer with just its config page by watching the neat animations. None of this is new, Michael Dell was probably the first famous person to do it, but at the time DIY was hot in the mid-late 80s, just ask my 8 year old self what I was doing at the time. My son is taking the baton with full force.
 
Doesn't make sense for me. Mobile CPUs and GPUs are still soldered in so you're replacing the entire motherboard if you want to upgrade.

For example, if you wanted to replace a 720p screen inside your HP laptop with a 1080p screen from HP, it's entirely doable. Same thing with wifi cards, and shorted out mobo/CPUs. I've done this multiple times with work laptops, even between different generations and going from an i5 to an i7 (with the mobo since they're soldered) as long as the chassis and connectors are the same.

So as long as the component you're placing isn't soldered in, the only plus side of these is customizing the side ports and making some upgrade options easier.

Logistical side I don't know how well they'll do against the big-3 in an enterprise environment.
 
I like the concept, I really do, but the modularity of Framework laptops comes at a cost... not only are they vastly more expensive to buy, the overall fit and finish is inferior to laptops half the price.

When you make something easy to fix and modular like that, you have to make so many compromises. Hate on companies like Lenovo or Dell as much as you want, and I do hate how proprietary they make stuff, but the end result, once you're out of the bottom cheap tier of computers, the advantage to a regular, not-easy-to-fix laptop is insane performance for the price in a polished package.

And Framework just doesn't have the budget to do the same amount of R&D as legacy laptop makers. I'm not saying there aren't garbage laptops out there from companies like Lenovo or Dell, but at the end of the day, they generally deliver a good experience for a reasonable lifespan.

If you want something to tinker with and have the budget to buy a Framework laptop, go ahead... but at the end of the day it's by far from the best laptop out there, and you can get something with better specs for way less money if you shop around.
 
The one review I read was not all that great. The build quality had some issues and other problems with software or firmware.

Not going to save any money.

I will stick with a off the shelf laptop.
 
I’ve seen someone with one at a coffee shop at Portland. It’s definitely unique and I like the DIY ethos. But what an COTS laptop gets you is more sturdy build(unless we’re talking Dell, my work Latitude is flimsy junk), and maybe “MIL-spec” certified. I think I’ll stick to hand me down ThinkPads or MacBooks here.
 
Good question. I'd argue that 2011+ hardware is still viable today. A week ago my Mom complained her PC was sluggish, she was absolutely right as the last few windows updates turned her G3260 into a slug. For Christmas we upgraded her to an i7-4790 for peanuts off Ebay and her PC is lightning fast now.

A good thing to know is what is the upper limit of that generation socket and motherboard, then you can do what we did above.

Framework's website is slick and can teach a DIYer with just its config page by watching the neat animations. None of this is new, Michael Dell was probably the first famous person to do it, but at the time DIY was hot in the mid-late 80s, just ask my 8 year old self what I was doing at the time. My son is taking the baton with full force.
I like the concept. I specifically bought a compaq laptop back when because it ran a mobile AMD K2, and was upgradable to the K3. Remember those? Short lived before the Athlon…

I’ve seen someone with one at a coffee shop at Portland. It’s definitely unique and I like the DIY ethos. But what an COTS laptop gets you is more sturdy build(unless we’re talking Dell, my work Latitude is flimsy junk), and maybe “MIL-spec” certified. I think I’ll stick to hand me down ThinkPads or MacBooks here.
It’s a bummer that they took some of the upgradability out of the MacBooks. My 2008 intel unit can upgrade ram, swap batteries, etc. no dice anymore.
 
I was considering it only because of its upgradeability. But it has other issues. At this point I don't want PCs to be a hobby, just want to work without a lot of effort. I have 49 years of experience on IBM mainframes. But in retirement I get to choose my hobbies and fooling with PCs will not be one of them.
 
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I was considering it only because of its upgradeability. But it has other issues. At this point I don't want PCs to be a hobby, just want to work without a lot of effort. I have 49 years of experience on IBM mainframes. But in retirement I get to choose my hobbies and fooling with PCs will not be one of them.

Did you turn into the family IT guy after getting into mainframes?

This is me when anybody outside my family asks for computer help now.

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