At this time, I can affirm the system really 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 cell Nvidia RTX 5070, with simply six screws and utilizing the pen-shaped screwdriver that comes included with the machine.
And since seeing is believing, I filmed the entire thing to point out you ways fast and straightforward it was. (Hey veteran PC builders: this seems to be simpler than MXM modules, proper?)
I wasn’t capable of take a look at every little thing I’d have favored to check at Framework’s places of work. We couldn’t run benchmarks, solely primary gameplay samples to point out the cardboard was working. (Framework claims the Nvidia card must be a 30 to 40 % improve over the prevailing AMD one; video games did run, and didn’t appear to have apparent points at 1440p and excessive settings.)
Additionally, I wasn’t capable of improve fairly from scratch. I really hauled my authentic Framework Laptop computer 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 instructed me it will want software program updates, together with no less than 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.
Whereas I used to be there, I additionally received 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 computer 16 (the primary 240W PD 3.1 laptop computer!) lastly play and cost at full pace. I introduced my energy meter and noticed the Framework Laptop computer 16 pull over 220W whereas working stress checks, charging up its battery, and charging up a pair telephones plugged into the laptop computer all on the similar time. Once I got here again 15 or so minutes later, the brand new energy adapter was solely heat, not sizzling — comfy to choose up and maintain. I’ll have a video on that subsequent week.
At $699 for less than a 100W, 8GB cell RTX 5070 price of efficiency, this is likely to be area of interest tech for now. (The GPU and second-gen laptop computer are up for preorder, delivery in December, if you’re a part of that area of interest.) However Framework’s confirmed the purpose, and I’m hoping future upgrades maintain it from being area of interest for lengthy.
