By: Pc Meg
The company’s debut desktop is a compact microtower that combines Framework’s signature swappable I/O modules with quirky design touches. Plus, it promises real productivity and gaming punch from a special AMD CPU.
Your typical desktop PC has long been customizable and easy to fix. So, why is Framework Computer—the company best known for its ultra-upgradable laptops—expanding into this well-established market?
It’s easy to understand after you see, touch, and test out the Framework Desktop, which the company just announced. The product stands apart from a typical tower desktop PC because it’s compact, well-built, and portable enough to fit it into a backpack. And its focus on processing and graphics power, via a much-anticipated Ryzen AI chip, could put it well ahead of much of the mini PC crowd.
How the Framework Desktop Feels
The compact design is part of the appeal to the Framework Desktop, which is easy to carry with one hand. (Framework will even sell an optional handle.) It’s essentially a Mini-ITX-form-factor desktop that feels like it weighs around 10 pounds.
The product is also sturdy, with every part carefully packed into the chassis. In fact, the enclosure is so effective at enclosing that I initially struggled to open it. The top of the case has two flip-top fasteners that you untwist, letting you access the innards of the PC. The front face itself is easy to remove; it attaches via magnets.
“We designed the Framework Desktop to be the easiest PC you could build,” Framework’s founder and CEO, Nirav Patel, said at the Framework Desktop’s reveal event.
Most desktop PCs are already upgradable and repairable to a greater or lesser extent, so Framework included some elements that allow you to customize the Framework beyond the norm. For one, the PC’s front panel features several small plastic tiles you can replace individually to show off different colors, symbols, and logos.
The company also includes two of its Expansion Card bays along the bottom edge of the case; these accept customizable I/O modules that let you change out which ports the PC chassis has at a given moment. (Here, we’ve got twin USB-C.)
Going Inside the Framework Desktop
On the downside, the Framework Desktop doesn’t have enough space for a dedicated graphics card. Instead, it relies on an integrated AMD Radeon 8060S GPU, which is part of its AMD Ryzen AI processor (more about that in a moment). In addition, the LPDDR5x RAM has been soldered onto the motherboard, so customers won’t be able to swap in new memory.
But outside of that, buyers can expect a PC with a standard mix of ports and some standard components. The (non-modular) port loadout on the back is two USB4 Type-C, two USB-A, two DisplayPorts, an HDMI output, and a 5Gbps Ethernet jack. The cooling for the system was developed in concert with Cooler Master and Noctua, and is anchored by an oversize 120mm CPU fan in Noctua’s signature beige and maroon. (You can see it with the side off, dominating the interior.)
The motherboard, according to Framework, is a standard Mini-ITX design with a laptop-grade Ryzen AI Max CPU integrated. (Framework notes that it uses standard headers and will work in other Mini-ITX cases.) It has a PCI Express x4 slot (though the Framework case has no bracket for mounting any expansion cards) and two PCIe NVMe M.2 slots for up to 16TB of storage and Wi-Fi connectivity (the latter via an M.2 module).
The power supply is unusual; it’s a semi-custom 400-watt unit in the Flex ATX, as opposed to SFX, form factor.
Source by: Pc Meg
