It has been an enormous 12 months for repairable-laptop maker Framework. After launching the Framework Laptop 12 and the Framework Desktop this summer season, the corporate is now rolling out an enormous replace to the Framework Laptop computer 16. The machine could be configured with (or upgraded to) an Nvidia RTX 5070 laptop graphics card. It’s also possible to improve to the brand new 2025 mainboard, which incorporates the next-gen AMD Ryzen AI 300 sequence chips.
Why is that this an enormous deal? Effectively, Framework is an organization we have grown to understand quite a bit over the previous few years. The corporate has been pioneering a extra sustainable (and enjoyable!) strategy to designing computer systems, making as many elements of the system as modular as potential. That has included issues just like the RAM and storage, naturally, but additionally the CPU, battery, Wi-Fi card, and far more.
The concept is to swap out elements on the laptops when new modules come out (or if one thing breaks down), decreasing the necessity to purchase a brand new laptop computer each few years and sending fewer elements to the landfill. However upgrading discrete graphics on laptops has at all times been elusive. Firms like Alienware have tried modular discrete GPUs in transportable PCs earlier than, and they never lasted. However with the brand new RTX 5070 graphics module improve, Framework proves it may be finished.
Courtesy of Framework
The unique Framework Laptop computer 16 arrived at the start of 2024, launching as an AMD-exclusive system with the Ryzen 7 7840HS (or Ryzen 9) and the discrete Radeon RX 7700S for graphics. On the time of testing, GPU efficiency landed someplace round a cell RTX 4060. On paper, that makes the leap to an RTX 5070 not solely an incredible demonstration of the Framework ethos—but additionally an enormous deal for efficiency. Framework says it is a 30 to 40 % enhance in GPU efficiency over the RX 7700S.
Extra energy would not come free, so Framework is transport a 240-watt USB-C charger that makes use of the USB Energy Supply 3.1 spec. That’ll make it one of many solely laptops with an RTX 5070 that’s powered solely by USB-C. Different 240-watt energy adapters usually use a proprietary energy port (see virtually every gaming laptop).
The Framework Laptop computer 16 was the follow-up to the unique Framework Laptop 13 and added extra than simply the discrete graphics module. It additionally had a novel strategy to customization, letting you organize the keyboard and trackpad nonetheless, utilizing modules and spacers to customise it. The brand new mannequin additionally comes with a greater webcam and a extra inflexible prime cowl (on the lid).
