I have been looking at them a lot recently and they have a premium price is it worth it?
What does it look like when you want to upgrade? Like can you just swap out all parts over time and essentially it’s like having a custom desktop, but in small form factor.
Can you buy a base model and upgrade components over time?
Would it suit my use cases for it? Which are to run Linux, I have to use Windows as a Software Dev and so can’t do it on my main. Can I run Minecraft on Linux? I know, but I like that game it makes me happy to unwind.
I want to get more into cyber security related tasks and most likely increase my Darknet activities using Tails.
I’ve got a 13 at home and a brand new 16(?) At work. On the 13 I’ve replaced the hinge and the mouse trackpad. It’s been great and it’s running windows 11. The swappable ports are a GD GAMECHANGER I keep a set in my backpack and I can’t count how many times a swap has saved the day.
The 16 at work is way nice, and I love the custom keypad. I installed Debian on it and I struggled a bit at first getting drivers installed… but with the help of the Debian wiki and llama3 I got it sorted. I haven’t tried installing Minecraft just yet but I’m confident it would work as I’ve used Minecraft on Ubuntu before and it was fine.
I believe you can replace anything that’s not the mainboard/cpu on the 13. I believe the GPU on the 16 is upgradable which will be nice for gaming.
The only critiques I had about owning the 13 for so long is that there were lots of weird firmware glitches that have been solved over time and it’s become a very reliable, usable laptop.
Thanks for the reply.
I think I would het a 16 as they’re the ones you can have a GPU if I understand correctly.
The 16 inch model can have a GPU module installed indeed, which makes it slightly longer and heavier of course. Framework plans on releasing newer GPUs in the future, but can’t guarantee it, as it also depends on the GPU manufacturers.
Let’s hope they will be able to also provide GPU updates, which would truly make it fully upgradeable machine.
I don’t know about the framework laptop, but about the Minecraft question:
Yes, you can absolutely run Minecraft on Linux. It runs on top of Java, so it doesn’t really see the difference between the 2 OS. In fact, I’ve found that Minecraft runs faster for me on Linux than on Windows. The only thing that might not work is the official launcher, but that can be easily replaced (with the added benefit of improved functionality). I can recommend Prism Launcher, but really anything works.
About Bedrock, that’s a different story. Microsoft revamped the PC port of Bedrock, and now calls it “Minecraft for Windows”. It’s fully compiled, and it won’t run natively on Linux. However, I still believe it can be made to work with some Wine trickery.
Thanks for focusing on the Minecraft aspect.
I do play Java so that’s a win and I’m excited to start playing again once I save up to make the purchase.
I saw a video demonstrating specifically the Switch version of Minecraft performing better while emulated on a Steam Deck. Actually hilarious.
I have a first Gen core i5 Framework 13. I’ve upgraded a couple components that weren’t so great on those units (hinge and speakers) and the upgrades were easy. Otherwise I’ve been pretty happy with it and haven’t felt a need to upgrade the mainboard yet
So you really can upgrade many parts. I never would have imagined hinges would be upgradable.
Yup, they took feedback from customers and have provided modified components for customers that want to purchase them. Speakers, hinges, screens, stiffer chassis. All able to be replaced with the included screwdriver and guides online.
I got an Intel 12th Gen laptop but wanted an AMD 7040 gen CPU. I was going to live overseas for a while so shipping laptops via air is questionable.
So I bought the 12th gen and then a year later upgraded the main board. No issues other than VeraCrypt being annoyed.
Thanks.
Really loving all the comments on how it is very upgradable.
You can upgrade literally everything on it.
They just released a new high refresh rate screen for the 13 inch. I’m seeing if it’s worth buying.
Wonder if the old display can be used as a portable monitor? I would assume so.
I could be mistaken, but I’ve used old screens from laptops before. You just need to buy an LCD (or whatever display type) controller board.
I may have missed it, but as of now, framework doesn’t offer the controller board by itself just yet.
Knowing them, it’s probably not too far away.
So you can just find these on eBay or something. I would say Amazon but fuck those guys.
You just need to check the model number for the display, then search for a board that is compatible with that.
I’m very very lazy. Id rather have the OEM supply their own model than to get a 3rd party.
Then again I’m one of those heathens who pay for OEM camera batteries rather than wasabi power (which are amazing in their own right)
To each their own.
I like the tinkering and learning how to do things outside of OEM, even if they are amazing.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
This YouTube video should help you udnerstand
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
This is stuff for people that don’t know what to do with the money . Guys we are no longer in the 90s 00s , just use the first cheap crap used you can get
Can you expand on this as it’s a pretty wild take to me.
There are millions of of laptops and hardware in the used market . Instead of create new waste, even if it’s an anti waste project, you are generating waste. And nowadays for common task you can use almost any kind of laptop for common tasks. What I’m trying to say is that given the amount of already hardware in the market , buying a new thing won’t help. Just don’t buy new. We need a circular global market. And wipe the already trash that was already built, but by using the already built tings until they are unusable .
You can indeed run Minecraft on Linux. In my opinion, it’s even easier than running it on Windows, since you can use your package manager to install openjdk instead of fishing around Oracle’s website to get the Java 17 graphical installer. I use Prism, which is a 3rd party launcher, and I’m loving the experience.
I’ll answer what I know:
Yes, you can run Minecraft on Linux. There are both official and unofficial, paid and free versions.
For Java Edition, there’s an official launcher.
For Bedrock, there’s an unofficial bedrock launcher that uses a Google Play account with a Minecraft License.
For Java for free, there are cracked launchers that download as jar files and work great.
For Bedrock for free, I just wouldn’t bother. I’m big into piracy, and even I just gave up and bought a license from Google Play Store. If you want to give it a shot, you can find a launcher that takes x86 apks, but it’s near impossible to find x86 apks that work, and the only ones I found were from super old versions, like pre-1.16.
Thanks. I already own Java Edition and someone else said you can get a third party launcher too which is cool.
Prism Launcher is easily the best third-party launcher, hands down. It’s really useful and intuitive, with instances (basically it lets you make seperate game installs for different modpacks or versions or whatever) and lets you easily install any mod, modloader, modpack, resourcepack, or shaderpack from all the major platforms (CurseForge, Modrinth, FTB, Technic, etc.)
I prefer MultiMC as it does the same while being extremely lightweight. Or does prism have any special features that multimc doesn’t have?
Well, Prism is forked from PolyMC, which is forked from MultiMC. Prism lets you download directly from Curse and FTB, while MultiMC doesn’t.
Ty
Yes, multimc only has a repository of finished modpacks you can download.
We hang out at !framework@lemmy.ml
Awesome. Thanks.
can I run Minecraft on Linux?
You’re a software developer you answer that.
As for everything else, yes it’s worth it. Upgrading isn’t as easy as a desktop, but it’s much easier than other laptops.
Just because you’re a software developer doesn’t mean you know how everything in software is.
I was more asking for the performance on Linux.
Yes, I imagine it more fiddly than upgrading a desktop. I’ve never really been in to buying laptops as they don’t have good upgrade options. I did have an M1 MacBook Pro and that was amazing, but they hold their value so well and I got it almost have price on discount it was a no brainier to sell it after a year for about the same I got it for.
The performance depends on how powerful the laptop is. Get an AMD model.
Is the Intel + Nvidia performance on Linux worse than on windows?
Maybe. For most things Nvidia works fine I think. Its just proprietary, and they come with arbitrary restrictions. Nouveau is an open source solution probably bad with games. I use AMD + Lutris (Linux game organizer) and its great. The only games that don’t work well are almost all AAA games.
Which kind of restrictions?
Switching to AMD isn’t an option, I don’t want to spend money to switch to Linux.
You’re a software developer you answer that.
lol. What a shit take.
I have been running one for 2 years and next generation am going to do the thing they were designed to do and upgrade my laptop without throwing away the whole laptop. So for less than $1000 I will be upgrading to something that is faster than my desktop, and it’s portable.
The price tag is premium, at first, then it actually saves money.
Thanks for the reply.
That makes sense on it being premium at first but then the options are there to upgrade and repurpose old parts.
Totally, I’m not buying a new monitor, keyboard, speakers, webcam, or chassis. Just a new CPU and in this case RAM, as we made the switch from DDR4 to DDR5.
Imagine having to buy a new keyboard, mouse, monitor, and speakers, every time you wanted to upgrade your desktop. It’s the same thing.
What will you do with the old internals?
Probably turn it into a dedicated mini pc for the 3D printer. It’s still decently powerful I just don’t need it anymore. I might gift it to someone as a mini pc, depends on if I see someone who needs a computer but doesn’t have one.
Sell them
Just got my Framework in the mail today. I’ll report back soon and let you know how it is!
I am excited for you. Hope you have a great day with your new toy.
I’ve had my fw 13 since early Feb 2022. So far, I’ve replaced the hinges and upgraded to a new mainboard. (11th gen i5 to 12 gen i7 when it became my main PC).
I’ve redone the thermal paste on the 12th gen 2 times already to clean the fan out and have not had any problems opening things up. I open it up so often to tinker that the pull loop on the keyboard cable finally broke on me a few weeks ago.
My old mainboard is currently running my entire homlab. Opnsense, pihole, Plex, Kavita, audiobookshelf, foundry vtt, *arrs, unifi controller. I threw it into a 3d printed case and its been running fine without any issues.
I thought about upgrading to the fw16, but it’s too expensive for me to justify it. If I want to game I just plug into my eGPU. I don’t need my gaming system to be ultra portable.
I’ll probably upgrade again when they release a new ryzen mainboard that has USB 4 2.0 support so I can take advantage of the additional pcie bandwidth for my GPU.
I would reccomend the fw13 to anyone who is into customizing PCs or is passionate about repairability in the electronics they own.
It’s made for user reparability/upgradability and has great linux support.
Thanks.
The Framework laptops can be easily upgraded and/or repaired by just about anybody who can watch a YouTube video. It is indeed possible to buy a base model and then upgrade it later.
Keep in mind however that you can’t just replace the CPU, but you have to replace the whole mainboard. Other components can be swapped at will, like RAM, SSD, Display, camera and microphone module, hinges, … Then of course there are the modules that you can easily swap without even opening the laptop, and can give you different ports, card readers, storage or custom modules (diy projects for example).
The build quality is quite solid on my FW13, the keyboard is decent and the trackpad is quite good. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another one if the need arises…
Thanks for the reply.
My decision has been made after this post. It will be my next laptop.
You’re welcome!
I’m pretty certain you won’t regret it!
I did just order one to replace my MacBook, so I’m interested in hearing from others as well. The upgradability was a big plus for me beyond being able to have a mobile Linux machine for dev work.
We got plenty of replies.
