The obvious query is “Why?”
Framework builds , repairable laptops that anybody can take aside and put again collectively once more. It’s a giant deal in an period the place laptops are commonly bought as a single unit that, ought to one half break, goes within the trash. Since each a part of a Framework machine may be swapped out, you may maintain one going for so long as your persistence, and the provision of spare elements, permits. Desktops, nonetheless, are already modular and repairable — firm founder mentioned “desktop PC ethos was one of many core inspirations for the Framework laptop computer to start with.”
When the Desktop was introduced, Patel mentioned the genesis of the product got here from seeing a preview of . It’s an APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) — AMD’s time period for a chip combining a CPU, GPU and NPU in a single package deal, very like Apple Silicon — with loads of hyped-up claims about its efficiency. These claims had been so compelling that Patel added the Desktop to the corporate’s roadmap simply to harness that potential energy. The large promoting level for this chip is the sheer quantity of RAM you may make use of (as much as 128GB) and the large reminiscence bandwidth (as much as 265GB/s) it might benefit from. AMD described it as a “” chip that’ll work in a daily ‘ol PC, with the bottom mannequin priced at $1,099.
However there’s a satan’s discount in choosing such a robust chip, since to get it means Framework has had to surrender lots of its founding ideas. As somebody in all probability as soon as wrote, for what shall it revenue a pc producer if it shall achieve searing energy however lose its personal soul?
{Hardware}
The key difficulty with the Ryzen AI Max is its inflexibility because it’s made as a single package deal. Very like Apple Silicon merchandise, you’ll want to choose your chip spec within the data that you simply don’t get to vary issues later. Consequently, you’ll be ordering the Framework Desktop in one in every of three unchangeable flavors:
-
Ryzen AI Max 385 with 32GB RAM, Radeon 8050S GPU
-
Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with 64GB RAM, Radeon 8060S GPU (the mannequin I’m testing).
-
Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with 128GB RAM, Radeon 8060S GPU
With each different Framework machine, the mainboard has the CPU and fan soldered in place, however that’s it. Each different part can kind of be eliminated and reinstalled on the alternative mainboard. Right here, if that APU goes or in case your wants do evolve, then you definately’re dropping just about the whole lot (together with the heatsink) because it’s all . We’ll get into pricing issues later, however alternative mainboards from Framework run between $799 and $1,699. In any other case, the one issues you may recuperate listed below are the Wi-Fi module, SSD (there’s house for 2), energy provide and case.
Talking of which, the Framework Desktop is a Mini-ITX desktop in a 4.5L case, full with non-obligatory carrying deal with. It’s much less understated than the circumstances you’d have seen at a LAN get together circa 2006, however that’s not the purpose. Whereas the field itself is a stark black, you may add a giant chunk of persona to it with the entrance panel, which has house for 21 plastic tiles. These tiles are available in a wide range of colours (together with black, inexperienced, orange and lavender) so that you can mosaic to your coronary heart’s content material. You too can choose up single tiles with particular pictures printed on, together with the Framework, AMD and Linux logos, plus this fetching pleasure coronary heart. Naturally, in the event you’re artful, you can even make your individual.
Beneath the entrance panel and irritatingly small energy button, you’ll discover two of Framework’s trademark enlargement card slots. These are USB-C ducts into which you’ll slot any of the corporate’s enlargement playing cards, letting you choose and select what I/O you could have up entrance. However the flexibility, so essential on a laptop computer, is much less of a problem right here since this can be a Mini-ITX mainboard. Lean over to the again and also you’ll discover two USB-C, two DisplayPorts, two USB-A sockets in addition to devoted connections for HDMI, Ethernet and three.5mm audio.
Set up
Framework is just promoting its desktop in a “DIY Version,” however that’s much less of a giant deal than you would possibly initially anticipate. Whereas the corporate’s DIY laptops require you to place each part within the chassis, on the Desktop there’s little or no to do in any respect. The whole lot bar the SSD is already in place, and all you might want to do so as to add that’s take away the heatsink and slot your drive into the M.2 slot. After that, you simply want to connect the beefy 120mm fan to the equally beefy heatsink, pop the cowl on high and screw within the 4 screws. Framework’s great iFixit-style guides claimed getting the {hardware} collectively would take between 30 and 45 minutes. I hit cease on the watch after quarter-hour and 15 seconds, and might’t think about many people will take far more time than that to place the whole lot collectively. From there, you simply want to put in your working system of selection and also you’re able to go.
In use
With the Desktop, Framework is focusing on two teams: avid gamers, and builders keen to make use of AMD’s Ryzen AI Max. The pitch to the previous group might simply be boiled right down to ‘this can be a quick PC you don’t have to do a lot to construct.’ That’s a simple sufficient metric to guage it by, since we will simply run some video games on it and see how nicely it performs. I’ll admit that I’m not an AI developer, and so can’t converse as authoritatively on the latter or how efficient it might be at working massive fashions in the event you — as the corporate expects — purchase a number of mainboards to run in a cluster.
I mainly ran each title in my admittedly restricted recreation library with the settings dialed as much as max, and it didn’t break a sweat. AMD claims the Radeon 8060S GPU inside my machine goes toe-to-toe with an RTX 4070 laptop computer GPU. It is a ten pound hammer for the one ounce nail that’s Fortnite, however even demanding titles like Hardspace: Shipbreaker breezed by. My intestine tells me, nonetheless, that individuals wouldn’t be eyeing this up as a main gaming machine. That’s not the place this unit’s energy lies, actually, however within the extra work-y duties that higher go well with the APU.
As I mentioned, I’m not an AI developer however I did fiddle with LM Studio, which I examined with a chatbot working Google’s Gemma 3 27B mannequin. Efficiency was a little bit slower than you may even see on a web-based AI shopper, however not sufficient for it to be a problem. LM Studio, too, instructed that working this was solely taking round a 3rd of the Desktop’s CPU energy, so there’s in all probability loads extra headroom there to run greater and extra demanding fashions.
I’m, nonetheless, on surer footing with massive workstation duties, like video enhancing and exporting, and I used to be impressed with the outcomes right here. For this, I took a 39GB HD video file with a runtime of two hours, made a number of minor trims, after which compressed and exported it as an MP4 file. Crunching the file right down to 6GB took only one hour and 12 minutes, a staggering velocity enhance for a job that might take half a day to export on lesser {hardware}. It’s price remembering, too, that I’m testing the middle-tier model of the Desktop with 64GB RAM.
When saying the Desktop, Patel mentioned the machine would run quietly even at peak energy. He described it as “silent whereas sitting in your desktop underneath regular hundreds, and even underneath gaming, it’s impressively quiet.” In the event you’re accustomed to Framework’s monitor document and merchandise to date, that quote may have immediately provoked scoffing. The corporate does many issues nicely, nevertheless it wildly overpromises on how quiet and funky its machines run.
Framework trumpeted how a lot better its cooling was on its recently-released Ryzen AI 300 mainboard for the Laptop computer 13, which was noisy and lap roasting. Right here, you’ve bought a beefy APU anticipated to run for sustained durations of time at 120W and as much as 140W in enhance. I half anticipated to have the ability to use this factor as an area heater however, mercifully, the corporate does appear to have made good on its guarantees. The 120mm fan barely bought noisy in any respect, and I can solely recollect it changing into noticeable when working heavier AI fashions in LM Studio and after I began exporting the video file.
Pricing
The beginning value for the bottom mannequin Desktop with the Max 385 and 32GB of RAM is $1,099. For that, you’ll get the case, energy provide and mainboard, which incorporates its personal Wi-Fi module. What the corporate is itemizing as non-obligatory extras, nonetheless, consists of the SSD, CPU fan, OS and even the ability lead. So, in the event you had been seeking to purchase the bottom mannequin as an basically off the shelf buy, together with ornamental tiles and two front-facing enlargement playing cards, the worth rises to $1,386. If you wish to go for the mid-tier choice (the 395 with 64GB RAM) add $500 to the bottom mannequin value. If you wish to go for the excessive finish 395 with 128GB RAM, then you definately’ll be including $900 to the bottom value, bringing the overall for an off-the-shelf mannequin to round $2,286.
Due to the distinct nature of the Ryzen AI Max, an apples-to-apples comparability isn’t going to be good. However, in the event you had been seeking to spend round two grand on a high-performance PC, you may snag one thing like Lenovo’s Legion with AMD. $2,200 buys you a Ryzen 7 with 16GB DDR5 RAM, a 1TB SSD and NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4070 Ti with 12GB RAM. Alternatively, that determine might get you an with a Ryzen 7, Radeon RX 9070 XT Prime (with 16GB VRAM), 16GB RAM and a 2TB SSD. The true differentiator is how a lot you’ll worth the sooner reminiscence bandwidth and velocity the AI Max affords over its discrete rivals.
Framework will even promote customers the Desktop’s mainboard by itself, with the bottom mannequin priced at $799. Definitely, in the event you’ve bought packing containers filled with spare elements and the required Mini-ITX case, you may save a piece of change that method. This will even be probably the most value efficient method for energy customers to run clusters of boards for greater tasks. Pre-orders are open, however the firm gained’t begin delivery boards on their very own till it’s fulfilled all of its system orders.
Wrap-up
In my time with the Framework Desktop, I’ve flip-flopped a number of instances on if this product is a success or a miss. Framework was open in regards to the truth this was one thing akin to a facet mission, outdoors its common remit to construct modular laptops, primarily based on a very thrilling chip. So whereas I feel the all-in-one strategy is a backward step in comparison with common PCs, I get the rationale for doing so right here.
The place I feel Framework whiffed was to pitch this as a machine to make “PC gaming extra accessible” by lowering “the psychological and bodily load” related to constructing your individual. Nightmares about thermal paste apart, I don’t suppose that’s an actual difficulty for would-be avid gamers as they may simply choose up a pre-built system for comparable money. And I think most avid gamers would a lot fairly use a PC with a standalone graphics card fairly than slum it with an built-in GPU.
As a result of even mentioning gaming, actually, does the machine an enormous disservice, pulling the main focus from its actual energy. Which is the benefit at which this machine dealt with productiveness duties, like working AI fashions and crunching video. The effortlessness at which it dealt with that dropped at thoughts merchandise just like the Mac Studio, a inventive powerhouse in its personal tiny package deal. It’s this that Framework ought to have led with, particularly because it’ll do all of these duties and play video games on the facet.
I’m undecided I’d advocate this product to people who find themselves simply seeking to purchase a robust PC or a gaming PC. It’s a device for a particular group of customers able to benefiting from the AI Max’s advantages that you simply’d in any other case want a workstation for. So whereas its assessment rating is justifiably excessive when the Framework Desktop is judged by itself deserves, that doesn’t imply you have to personal one.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/framework-desktop-2025-review-powerful-but-perhaps-not-for-everyone-150011909.html?src=rss
Trending Merchandise
Zalman P10 Micro ATX Case, MATX PC Case with 120mm ARGB Fan Pre-Put in, Panoramic View Tempered Glass Entrance & Aspect Panel, USB Sort C and USB 3.0, White
Logitech MK470 Slim Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo – Modern Compact Layout, Ultra Quiet, 2.4 GHz USB Receiver, Plug n’ Play Connectivity, Compatible with Windows – Off White
ASUS 24 Inch Desktop Monitor – 75Hz, Full HD (1920×1080), IPS, Frameless, Adaptive-Sync, Eye Care, HDMI, D-Sub DVI-D – VA24EHE
Sceptre Curved 24-inch Gaming Monitor 1080p R1500 98% sRGB HDMI x2 VGA Build-in Speakers, VESA Wall Mount Machine Black (C248W-1920RN Series)
MSI MPG GUNGNIR 110R – Premium Mid-Tower Gaming PC Case – Tempered Glass Side Panel – 4 x ARGB 120mm Fans – Liquid Cooling Support up to 360mm Radiator – Two-Tone Design
Wi-fi Keyboard and Mouse Combo – Rii Commonplace Workplace for Home windows/Android TV Field/Raspberry Pi/PC/Laptop computer/PS3/4 (1PACK)
