Framework truly did it: I upgraded a laptop computer’s whole GPU in simply three minutes

Today, I can verify the system truly works. I traveled to Framework’s San Francisco places of work to be the primary journalist to improve a complete laptop computer graphics card, with my very own palms, in simply three minutes — together with the time it took to reboot. I yanked an AMD Radeon RX 7700S video card out of the machine and plugged in a brand-new cellular Nvidia RTX 5070, with simply six screws and utilizing the pen-shaped screwdriver that comes included with the machine.

And as a result of seeing is believing, I filmed the entire thing to indicate you the way fast and simple it was. (Hey veteran PC builders: this seems to be simpler than MXM modules, proper?)

I wasn’t in a position to check every part I might have preferred to check at Framework’s places of work. We couldn’t run benchmarks, solely primary gameplay samples to indicate the cardboard was working. (Framework claims the Nvidia card needs to be a 30 to 40 p.c improve over the present AMD one; video games did run, and didn’t appear to have apparent points at 1440p and excessive settings.)

Also, I wasn’t in a position to improve fairly from scratch. I truly hauled my authentic Framework Laptop 16 overview unit to San Francisco to see if I might flip that one into a brand new Nvidia laptop computer, however CEO Nirav Patel advised me it could want software program updates, together with at the least one new BIOS model, which weren’t absolutely prepared but. So whereas I did do the improve myself, the laptop computer I upgraded was one which Framework had prepped for the GPU swap.

While I used to be there, I additionally obtained to strive Framework’s new standards-compliant 240W USB-C PD 3.1 charger, one of many very first available on the market, letting the Laptop 16 (the primary 240W PD 3.1 laptop computer!) lastly play and cost at full velocity. I introduced my energy meter and noticed the Framework Laptop 16 pull over 220W whereas operating stress exams, charging up its battery, and charging up a pair telephones plugged into the laptop computer all on the identical time. When I got here again 15 or so minutes later, the brand new energy adapter was solely heat, not scorching — snug to choose up and maintain. I’ll have a video on that subsequent week.

At $699 for less than a 100W, 8GB cellular RTX 5070 price of efficiency, this is perhaps area of interest tech for now. (The GPU and second-gen laptop computer are up for preorder, transport in December, in case you are a part of that area of interest.) But Framework’s confirmed the purpose, and I’m hoping future upgrades maintain it from being area of interest for lengthy.