Framework 13 Pro evaluate | PC Gamer

The second you contact the brand new Framework 13 Pro laptop computer it is totally different to what’s come earlier than. Despite the bubblegum pink USB Type-C ports I’ve jammed in both facet of the machine, this can be a critical laptop computer for critical work. But it is also nonetheless immediately recognisable as one of many firm’s eminently upgradeable and repairable notebooks. This is the true fantastic thing about Framework’s new machine, a laptop computer that without delay exists as the head of its {hardware} journey, but additionally steadfastly refuses to compromise on the core ideas that has made it one in all my favorite PC builders.

Though, it have to be mentioned, that refusal to compromise right here comes at a hell of a price due to the deal with extremely costly LPCAMM2 reminiscence.

This is a next-generation Framework laptop computer, however continues to be utterly suitable with each Framework 13 system the corporate has shipped prior to now 5 years or so. That is a hell of an achievement, that means that you would have an ageing 13-inch laptop computer and decide and select from the corporate’s Marketplace retailer whichever components of the brand new machine you wished. If all you wished was the gorgeous new CNC aluminium chassis and enter cowl, go for it; for those who simply wished the brand new touchscreen, be our visitor.

But it is the complete package deal right here, with the Panther Lake-based Core Ultra Series 3 mainboard at its coronary heart, that has made this arms down one of the best Framework machine you should buy or construct. Every element of the brand new laptop computer feels beautiful… bar one. And I do know it is a acquainted chorus from me now, however I want there was a extra premium show possibility. I’ve been spoiled by OLEDs and Retina shows, and if Framework needs to really personal its ‘MacBook for Linux’ tagline then that’s the only place it falls down. And even then, only slightly.

Otherwise, I’m in love with what Panther Lake offers this device—almost silent operation, super-long battery life, and outstanding gaming performance—as well as how it feels, both in terms of that new chassis and this vastly improved keyboard and haptic touchpad. The Framework 13 Pro represents the idealistic young company all grown up, and it’s a machine that’s an absolute delight to use.

Framework 13 Pro features

From a pure efficiency and effectivity standpoint, it is the Intel mainboard sitting contained in the Framework 13 Pro which makes this such a robust and usable laptop computer. The Core Ultra X7 358H chip baked into it comes with the magnificent Arc B390 built-in graphics core that has made the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ such an impressive gaming handheld, and that provides the 13 Pro some spectacular gaming chops, too.

One different fascinating factor to notice concerning the new mainboard is its use of LPCAMM2 modules. Interesting… and costly. When the design selections had been made—with the aim of sustaining excessive reminiscence bandwidth and throughput for the Panther Lake CPU with out soldering on LPDDR5X and dropping upgradeability or repairability—Framework would have identified it was a dearer possibility, however the reminiscence disaster has made that exponentially worse.

There can be a degree of worry to dropping in a brand new reminiscence module that I’ve not skilled earlier than. When you add within the LPCAMM2 module it is advisable line it up on an entire load of pins. Pins which, like motherboard socket pins, are very a lot incompatible with an errant thumb brushed throughout them. Too informal set up will kill a brand new mainboard actual fast.

That new Intel SoC has been wrapped in a brand new cooler, which together with the effectivity positive factors of the Panther Lake structure, permits for usually silent operation. Combine that effectivity with the elevated battery capability of 74 Whr (in comparison with 61 Whr in earlier variations of the machine) and also you’re getting stellar battery life out of the machine.

To deal with that elevated battery girth Framework has redesigned the CNC machined aluminium backside cowl to have much less of a taper to the entrance of it. The precise thickness of the body hasn’t actually modified, however it’s extra uniform now. Which is not any unhealthy factor, and actually does give it that MacBook/Razer Blade really feel to the chassis. Impressively although, it’s nonetheless backwards suitable with all the opposite Framework 13 laptops the corporate has ever launched in that you would order the chassis by itself and drop your current system into it with out a problem.

Also getting the CNC aluminium therapy is the highest cowl for the rear of the show and the enter cowl housing the keyboard and the brand new haptic touchpad, each of that are glorious. The elevated journey on the keyboard makes it a pleasure to sort on, and the responsive trackpad is an actual enchancment over the unique, and was designed particularly for Apple people coming throughout the divide to a PC laptop computer. My solely concern is that multi-finger gestures too simply actuate a press, which is troublesome to configure on the Fedora distro I’m utilizing in the meanwhile.

Finally, the Framework 13 Pro comes with a brand new touchscreen panel. It’s a 120 Hz show, with a 2880 x 1920 native decision that runs impressively vibrant (as much as 700 nits) if you’d like it to. What it is not, nonetheless, is a responsive OLED show. It’s not a gaming panel, as CEO Nirav Patel explains to me once I converse to him on the present ground at Computex, however there may be nonetheless a degree of ghosting to the show which does not really feel as premium as all the things else concerning the system.

Framework 13 Pro worth

The idea of ‘worth’ for the Framework 13 Pro is a tough one. On the one hand you’ve gotten the truth that one of the best model of this machine comes with the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors, they usually demand the quickest LPDDR5X reminiscence you can provide them. And, to make sure Framework sticks to its improve/restore ethos, it’s utilizing LPCAMM2 modules to ship that quick LPDDR5X reminiscence.

These should not frequent, and they aren’t low-cost. There are few suppliers, and Framework just lately admitted that its present provider for these Micron modules has increased the cost by “more than double”. You only have to look at the configurator on the Framework website for the 13 Pro to see what that means. A 16 GB LPCAMM2 module costs $239, while the 32 GB version adds another $800 onto the cost of the laptop. That makes the cost of the Framework 13 Pro rather prohibitive for most mere mortals.

Even a 16 GB 13 Pro config will run you well over $2,000. And even if you switch to AMD, the HX 370 Framework 13 Pro configs of the same spec costs just shy of $2,500.

The different facet of this, nonetheless, is that Framework has been strolling the stroll on long-term upgradeability for its units for a few years over many various generations of PC {hardware} from totally different producers. That means the preliminary premium outlay for a Framework system may be offset by the truth that it’s possible you’ll not have to purchase one other complete laptop computer once more for a really, very very long time given the extent of granular upgrades on supply.

I’ll grant you that this can be a very excessive bar to recover from, nonetheless. When the price of an preliminary Framework 13 Pro buy is that this excessive you are going to should maintain maintain of this factor, upgrading piece-by-piece for a lot of generations, to even get near breaking even with somebody who simply purchased a brand new machine each time, and grasp the ecological penalties.

Framework 13 Pro sound

When it involves the precise audio expertise, Framework has added new side-firing audio system to the design, reasonably than the unique down-firing ones. They ship spectacular readability and can go fairly loud, too, however they’re nonetheless simply laptop computer audio system. Basically, don’t anticipate actual room-filling audio with thumping bass.

But it is the opposite sound manufacturing facet of the Framework 13 Pro that has me really impressed, and that is the fan noise. It’s lengthy been a problem for me and Framework laptops; there isn’t any technique to management the fan ranges except you hack in some third-party instruments made by the neighborhood, they usually noise has typically trended far too far to the disagreeable for my liking, particularly when beneath critical load.

That was a priority for me as somebody who wished to make use of the B390 iGPU on the coronary heart of the Core Ultra X7 CPU inside this machine for gaming. I should not have been apprehensive, nonetheless, as even when I’m pushing the Arc GPU the system is tuned to rein it again in just a little (however not an excessive amount of) and maintain it operating at a genuinely quiet degree. There is fan noise, however it’s slight at worst.

For more often than not I’ve been utilizing the Framework 13 Pro outdoors of gaming, although, it has been all however silent. And typically truly silent.

Framework 13 Pro efficiency

When I first began benchmarking the Framework 13 Pro, with its Intel Core Ultra X7 358H chip, I’d come off the again of testing the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ with the very comparable Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor. And there was a slight degree of disappointment at seeing the efficiency not fairly hitting these ranges or the degrees of our initial Panther Lake performance tests when the architecture first came out.

But I’ve already mentioned just how quiet a device this 13 Pro machine is, and that’s as true when doing CPU rendering as it is when I’m pushing it with Cyberpunk 2077. On a machine such as this I’ll take a few missing frames per second in exchange for an actual experience that doesn’t make me want to stab myself in the ears to get away from the sound.’

You can see in the CPU benchmarks that the chip is bouncing off 100 °C and thermally throttling, and it’s the cooling limitations necessary to maintain the chilled experience which are slightly holding back the gaming frame rates, too.

Even if we are talking about a slight tempering of the performance of the Arc B390 iGPU compared with other devices sporting Intel’s top integrated graphics, it’s still the most powerful that you will find and places this machine head and shoulders above the best that AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 can muster.

And I was already pretty impressed with that.

Framework 13 Pro aesthetics

With its graphite black, CNC milled aluminium chassis the Framework 13 Pro is the most effortlessly stylish laptop the company has ever produced. It feels like the culmination of everything Framework has been working towards for these six years. The slightly chunkier styling, necessitated by the bigger batter sitting underneath the touchpad at the front of the device, makes it feel far more solid than before.

And actually makes it feel far more like the MacBook it’s trying to ape, and the Razer Blade 14 that it’s potentially going to replace as my daily driver.

It actually is more solid, too, as you can pick it up by the corner and the extra structural rigidity afforded by that new aluminium frame means there is zero give. The same is true of the keyboard as well which betrays no movement bar the extra travel of the keys Framework has deliberately introduced into this version.

But then you’ve also got all the other Framework touches that has made its 13-inch laptop such a pleasing device for years. You have your choice of coloured and translucent bezels as well as a plethora of colours for the USB Type-C input modules. For this layout I’ve gone for a pair of bubblegum pink ports and a translucent grey bezel for that extra techie feel. But that’s my preference and you can make your own choices at the point of purchase yourself.

Framework 13 Pro software

There is no bloat, because there doesn’t have to be any software included at all.

If you just want to stick a Linux distro onto your device the SSD will be shipped blank, likewise if you want to use your own copy of Windows rather than spend $200 on a needless Windows Pro license.

There is a driver bundle for Windows you can download from the Framework support site, and you will need Wi-Fi drivers in hand when you install Windows (‘cos that’s still a thing), but Linux support is largely there out of the box when you install your distribution of choice.

The slight downside of this, as I noted before, is that there is no system control software. That means there is no granular control over power options beyond the OS options, and there are no fan controls, either. The fan control issue isn’t a thing for Panther Lake, however, thanks to its quiet operation straight off the bat, but I wish I could control the SoC’s TDP as easily as you do on a gaming handheld, but that’s a relatively minor gripe in a world that is often replete with too many different bits of control software fighting each other.

Framework 13 Pro battery life

Of course this is not a gaming laptop, but the level of gaming performance you can get out of this ostensibly productivity laptop is excellent. Development by day, gaming by night. Or on the go, because the battery life of the Framework 13 Pro is also very, very good.

Stick it on balanced mode in Windows and boot up a game and you’ll find the battery drains in a little over two hours, but the latest Arc drivers include the same Endurance mode I loved so well in the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+. It doesn’t quite get you the same five hours of gaming that handheld delivers, but you’re still not getting far off a doubling of the gaming uptime of the standard mode.

That does try and stick you to 30 fps as a rule, but when you’re trying to keep gaming as long as possible when you’re on the move—or trying to make sure that when you’re done playing you have some power left for some actual work—then it’s a worthy compromise.

That, however, is a Windows thing, requiring the latest Intel Arc drivers and isn’t necessarily something you can replicate within a Linux environment. Almost all of Framework’s impressive 13 Pro battery life numbers are recorded from a Windows installation, with only its seven days of standby measured with Ubuntu.

That doesn’t mean it’s bad in Linux, not by a long shot. I’m using a Fedora Cosmic Atomic distribution at the moment, and have been running it all day long today, without it going into standby once, playing music, downloading games, and having video meetings, as well as writing this review, and I’ve only gone through half the battery capacity in six hours. It’s all-day battery life for sure, though I think Panther Lake’s optimisations are probably going to be felt more keenly in a Windows environment.