The battery life in arstechnica's review stands out as different and lower compared to 2 other reviews (pcgamer and techradar):
https://lemmy.zip/comment/3284894
It might be due to the use of the USB-A ports on the backside of the laptop which are known to have some abnormal power draw, which framework is currently addressing.
30% better than any Intel gen, wow.
Do they now have additional USB ports on the back side? Or do you refer to having USB modules plugged in?
They were talking about the usb modules. The back two on either side (the ones closest to the screen) have an issues where the USB 4 Type C to USB A adapter is not fully going to sleep when nothing is plugged in. So ArsTechnica's reviewer most likely had one of the USB A modules plugged into those two USB 4 ports which causes their apparent poor battery life.
Indeed. On both the picture at the top of the article and at the bottom, do we see them having the USB-A expansion card in the slot closest to the screen. If that's how it was configured for the battery test, it would show battery life in a non-optimal configuration.
Edit: this is only an issue on the AMD board.
So.. a fixable issue.
I believe Framework said they are looking into fixes for this issue, either with firmware patches or if neccesary a hardware revision of the USB A module. Current workaround is just to not put USB A into those two back slots.
Still no CoreBoot support, so it's a hard pass for me. I wish they worked on it, they promised it back in 2020.
Don't let perfect be the enemy of good
I have a first gen framework and I really like it. Having the ports behave differently on this AMD does seem a little annoying but I guess you'd get used to it.
I think it's an alright compromise. I rarely move my expansion cards around. I use four USB-C cards and sometimes swap one out for a storage card that has Windows installed on it.
I also don't move them often, it's interesting they weren't able to get all 4 the same though. I haven't read anything that actually explains it. I guess the CPU can only handle that configuration.
The Ryzen 7840U and 7640U, by specification, support 2 USB 4 ports and 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports. So it seems that's just a limitation by the architecture.
Thanks. I've read a few articles about these AMD frameworks but have never seen the reason for the limitation mentioned.
My biggest complaint: In stock: never
Since I'm allergic to ever preordering anything, ever, for any reason whatsoever, this may as well be vaporware.
They only take a refundable $100 deposit until shipment. So, lower risk than with a video game or Kickstarter, IMO.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
My third review of this laptop is probably the one that I (and many Framework-curious PC buyers) have been the most interested to test, as the company has finally added an AMD Ryzen option to the repair-friendly portable.
I won't spend a lot of time talking about the design of the Framework Laptop 13 again, except to say that it remains a competent ultraportable, and there's nothing that feels dated or clunky about its design now that didn't already feel a little dated and clunky two years ago (the relatively thick display bezel is the main culprit here).
Another laptop in this category we generally like, Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon, has been using the same basic design for years, so it's not like Framework is in danger of falling behind in a chaotic and fast-paced industry.
All the Intel Framework Laptops have supported the same specifications for all four ports (USB 4 for the 11th-gen, Thunderbolt 4 for the newer ones), allowing you to install the expansion card modules wherever you want them without worrying about the particulars.
Framework also says the rear ports enter a "high-power mode" when USB-A modules are connected to them, which can reduce battery life.
But some modules are better fits for specific ports, and you'll have to be a bit more careful about where you put things if you want the best performance and battery life.
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