Framework 13, Ryzen 5 7640U & Ryzen 7 7840U (details now online, preorders)

[sounds]

Summary

Linus teased that the new Frameworks with AMD had some nice features. AMD has lifted the embargo so now Framework published all the specs.

 

Quotes

Quote

The Ryzen 5 7640U processor has 6 CPU cores clocked at a base frequency of 3.5GHz and up to a max boost of 4.9GHz, while the Ryzen 7 7840U has an amazing 8 cores and 16 processing threads clocked at a base of 3.3GHz and up to 5.1GHz max boost. These are all Zen 4 cores, which feature AMD's fastest processor technology ever. These chips are fabricated on TSMC's 4nm process node

 

My thoughts

I've wanted a Framework but didn't want an Intel CPU. This is exciting.

 

Sources

https://frame.work/blog/announcing-the-framework-laptop-13-powered-by-amd-ryzen

[sounds]

Another money quote:

Quote

If you want to use an eGPU, you can do that too! This is because the Framework Laptop 13 with Ryzen™ 7040 Series processors has two fully capable USB4 ports, with the back left and back right Expansion Cards slots. The front left Expansion Card slot can handle both USB 3.2 and DisplayPort Alt Mode, while the front right Expansion Card can use USB 3.2. This does mean there is one Expansion Card slot that can't support the HDMI or DisplayPort Expansion Cards, and most OS's will provide a warning if you forget. You can charge your Framework Laptop through any of the four Expansion Cards as well.

It might be time for me, finally, to get an eGPU.

[filpo]

*Me as soon as I saw the new ltt on framework*

 

On a serious note it's pretty nice to see SOME companies doing innovative and different stuff all the time

[OhYou_]

18 minutes ago, filpo said:

On a serious note it's pretty nice to see SOME companies doing innovative and different stuff all the time

wow using amd AND intel cpus, how innovative, downright daring 

[filpo]

Just now, OhYou_ said:

wow using amd AND intel cpus, how innovative, downright daring 

not just that but also all they've been doing with repairability and the fact that you'll be able to SLOT the gpus you want in

 

Good one tho 

[jaslion]

My issue is that these cpu's haven't been reviewed yet anywhere. So who knows how good they are.

[OhYou_]

7 minutes ago, filpo said:

not just that but also all they've been doing with repairability and the fact that you'll be able to SLOT the gpus you want in

 

Good one tho 

if they have standart mxm gpus that will be cool but if its anything non standart then megacringe. 

I've always felt indifferent about their repairability, to me that means using components you can source from not just them, which a lot of parts are meh. 

Did they ever even release schematics/boardviews for their products, or cad files for the physical design? 

 

I man I'm all for at least a solid source of parts and information on how to repair it but ehh, last i checked lacks a ton in modability and sub-module repairs. 

[sounds]

12 minutes ago, jaslion said:

My issue is that these cpu's haven't been reviewed yet anywhere. So who knows how good they are.

Makes sense, preordering happens a lot now but it's not easy to spot the issues. AMD has been having some issues lately, this is one where I'm rolling the dice if I order one.

[igormp]

3 minutes ago, OhYou_ said:

Did they ever even release schematics/boardviews for their products, or cad files for the physical design? 

 

Yes

https://knowledgebase.frame.work/availability-of-schematics-and-boardviews-BJMZ6EAu

[LAwLz]

Those CPUs sound great.

8 Zen 4 cores (16 threads).

3.3GHz base clock going up to 5.1GHz

24MB cache

15-30W TDP

"Ryzen AI"

12-core Radeon 780M

AV1 encoding

 

I wouldn't say no to a laptop with that chip in it.

I wonder what Ryzen AI is and what it can be used for.

 

 

 

10 minutes ago, igormp said:

Yes

https://knowledgebase.frame.work/availability-of-schematics-and-boardviews-BJMZ6EAu

Please note that that's not the full schematics.

Luise Rossmann made a video about it but basically, it doesn't include enough information for it to actually be that meaningful. And they locked part of it behind a partner program.

 

 

 

 

 

28 minutes ago, filpo said:

not just that but also all they've been doing with repairability and the fact that you'll be able to SLOT the gpus you want in

 

Good one tho 

Maybe I missed something, but wasn't it just USB4 so that you can run an external GPU? From what I can tell, it isn't a GPU slot in the laptop.

I mean, running an eGPU might be neat for those who want to game on their laptops, but it's not exactly innovative to use USB4 which supports it.

[filpo]

6 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

Maybe I missed something, but wasn't it just USB4 so that you can run an external GPU? From what I can tell, it isn't a GPU slot in the laptop.

 

thats not what I saw in the vid (put the right time in). Apparently they made their own PCIe by 8 interface, nothing saying its USB 4. Then again I could be wrong

 

[brwainer]

33 minutes ago, OhYou_ said:

if they have standart mxm gpus that will be cool but if its anything non standart then megacringe.

Mxm was never really a standard - it defined the physical parts of the PCB but that’s about it. Upgrades to newer generations were almost never available, and cards between systems weren’t compatible because the position and mounting of cooling wasn’t part of the standard - nor the amount of cooling capacity needed. On the Framework 16 they are combining the GPU with the fans for the system. So if you have a powerful GPU it will include an appropriate cooling system and beefier fans, but if you replace it with an M.2 carrier board then the fans will only be enough to cool the CPU. There’s other lessons learned from the repeated failure of mxm in the new system.

[Fasterthannothing]

O good new AMD laptops just in time for a major AMD security flaw 

[Doobeedoo]

Nice one. What I'd like to see is a chip with higher CU count for GPU and in 17" body. That would be so good.

[LAwLz]

18 minutes ago, filpo said:

thats not what I saw in the vid (put the right time in). Apparently they made their own PCIe by 8 interface, nothing saying its USB 4. Then again I could be wrong

Didn't watch the video and I don't plan on doing that either. I just went with what the news post said. But if they did make their own interface then I am a bit conflicted.

On one hand, it's pretty neat that you can slot in a GPU in the laptop. I think that's pretty cool if that's how it works.

On the other hand, doesn't making a proprietary GPU fly in the face of the whole "open" aspect of Framework? 

[brwainer]

25 minutes ago, filpo said:

thats not what I saw in the vid (put the right time in). Apparently they made their own PCIe by 8 interface, nothing saying its USB 4. Then again I could be wrong

 

That is showing the Framework 16, which is not out yet. It has a rear slot for a GPU directly connected by PCIe.

 

this announcement is about the Framework 13 AMD version, which just like the Framework 13 Intel version has eGPU support over USB4/thunderbolt.

[brwainer]

9 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

Didn't watch the video and I don't plan on doing that either. I just went with what the news post said. But if they did make their own interface then I am a bit conflicted.

On one hand, it's pretty neat that you can slot in a GPU in the laptop. I think that's pretty cool if that's how it works.

On the other hand, doesn't making a proprietary GPU fly in the face of the whole "open" aspect of Framework? 

If there isn’t a working standard for a replaceable GPU (because mxm is arguably not a standard, and even if it was it never worked as promised) then is it a bad thing to make a standard and publish it for others to use? They promised at the announcement a month ago that the GPU slot specifications would be open for people to make their one modules, for GPUs or otherwise (anything that uses PCIe), just like their side module standard is open and people are making their own.

 

Edit: already in their github: https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionBay

[wanderingfool2]

2 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

Didn't watch the video and I don't plan on doing that either. I just went with what the news post said. But if they did make their own interface then I am a bit conflicted.

On one hand, it's pretty neat that you can slot in a GPU in the laptop. I think that's pretty cool if that's how it works.

On the other hand, doesn't making a proprietary GPU fly in the face of the whole "open" aspect of Framework? 

Could be wrong, iirc from my understanding they made it so they could effectively open source the implementation.

 

Similar thing to the Rossman issue, the size they were they had to contract out which meant they couldn't release all the schematics and such...but they are attempting to do as much in-house or have contracts that allow them to.  Sort of like end goal is to have it as open as possible, but taking baby steps on their way to actually achieving it.

[brwainer]

1 minute ago, wanderingfool2 said:

Could be wrong, iirc from my understanding they made it so they could effectively open source the implementation.

 

Similar thing to the Rossman issue, the size they were they had to contract out which meant they couldn't release all the schematics and such...but they are attempting to do as much in-house or have contracts that allow them to.  Sort of like end goal is to have it as open as possible, but taking baby steps on their way to actually achieving it.

Here’s the open source posting of the Expansion Bay (GPU slot): https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionBay

 

Also input modules: https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/InputModules

 

and expansion cards (the same cards they’ve been using for years): https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionCards

[LAwLz]

12 minutes ago, brwainer said:

If there isn’t a working standard for a replaceable GPU (because mxm is arguably not a standard, and even if it was it never worked as promised) then is it a bad thing to make a standard and publish it for others to use? They promised at the announcement a month ago that the GPU slot specifications would be open for people to make their one modules, for GPUs or otherwise (anything that uses PCIe), just like their side module standard is open and people are making their own.

Fair enough, but I'll hold off giving them credit until I see the result of this.

If they release it as an open and free standard, and if it catches on, then I'll give them credit.

Until then, however, in practice, it will be the same as them making their own proprietary GPU connector.

 

 

12 minutes ago, wanderingfool2 said:

Could be wrong, iirc from my understanding they made it so they could effectively open source the implementation.

 

Similar thing to the Rossman issue, the size they were they had to contract out which meant they couldn't release all the schematics and such...but they are attempting to do as much in-house or have contracts that allow them to.  Sort of like end goal is to have it as open as possible, but taking baby steps on their way to actually achieving it.

If they don't release the schematics then I don't think they deserve credit for releasing the schematics. If they don't make the specifications public then I don't think they deserve credit for making it open.

I understand why they aren't doing some things (like not releasing the full schematics), but at the end of the day, I don't think we should give credit to companies for things they don't or haven't done. 

 

If Framework releases the schematics for some future laptop then I'll give them credit for that, but I won't give them credit beforehand. If this supposed GPU slot becomes an open standard that actually changes the market in some way then I will give them credit for that too. I won't give them credit before that happens though, because they don't deserve it until it happens.

 

If the argument is that they are taking baby steps then I also think they only deserve "baby praise".

[wanderingfool2]

23 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

If they don't release the schematics then I don't think they deserve credit for releasing the schematics. If they don't make the specifications public then I don't think they deserve credit for making it open.

I understand why they aren't doing some things (like not releasing the full schematics), but at the end of the day, I don't think we should give credit to companies for things they don't or haven't done. 

The thing that I view though is that they are releasing a whole lot more than other companies are, and almost releasing what they are capable of.

 

iirc as well, the ones they lock behind the "partner program" was essentially making sure that you sign NDA's which were required by the third party ones.

 

It's clear that they are making an attempt to become repair friendly, and even by the initial design it's a lot more repairable and friendly than others.  The speed in which you can replace a keyboard on this newer one as well just speaks to that.  In my experience, the majority of broken laptops at my work comes from broken keyboards.

 

At least from what I've seen, they are making consistent steps in the direction of repairability, so I am fully onboard with offering them praise until they stop moving towards that. 

[starsmine]

1 hour ago, Fasterthannothing said:

O good new AMD laptops just in time for a major AMD security flaw 

that does not apply to zen 4

[OhYou_]

2 hours ago, igormp said:

Yes

https://knowledgebase.frame.work/availability-of-schematics-and-boardviews-BJMZ6EAu

more like yes*
can only get full schematics if youre a repair shop i guess. 

[AlTech]

1 hour ago, Sakuriru said:

The pinout for their expansion slot includes a USB2.0 interface but no USB4. But there's no need to include it because you can run USB4 over PCIe lanes.

In the email newsletter they sent today, they said only the back left and back right of the Framework 13 AMD chassis are USB4 and could be used for eGPUs.

 

Quote

If you want to use an eGPU, you can do that too! This is because the Framework Laptop 13 with Ryzen™ 7040 Series processors has two fully capable USB4 ports, with the back left and back right Expansion Cards slots. The front left Expansion Card slot can handle both USB 3.2 and DisplayPort Alt Mode, while the front right Expansion Card can use USB 3.2. This does mean there is one Expansion Card slot that can't support the HDMI or DisplayPort Expansion Cards, and most OS's will provide a warning if you forget. You can charge your Framework Laptop through any of the four Expansion Cards as well.

[brwainer]

11 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

In the email newsletter they sent today, they said only the back left and back right of the Framework 13 AMD chassis are USB4 and could be used for eGPUs.

 

People are confusing different things.

 

The expansion card slots on the Framework 13 have some limitations with an AMD CPU, as written in the quote. But people here are also talking about the Framework 16’s “Expansion Bay” which has USB2 and PCIe.