The Framework 16 thread

[AmanoJyaku]

Let's discuss our experiences with the Framework 16!

Got tips? Share them!

Got a problem? Maybe we can help!

Are we all suffering with the problem? Let's contact Framework!

 

[matt_veksler]

My 16 has been the most effortless laptop I’ve ever worked with, and I used to part time as a ThinkPad field tech in college (T22, T30, and T4x series). I only had 3 minor wrinkles:

• The stock Mediatek/AMD RZ616 WiFi card lagged clients on whatever Netgear mesh node the laptop picked to pair with. Swapped it for Intel AX210 non-vPro for $10, problem solved.
• It’s hard to find luggage for the config with the discrete GPU. I wound up ordering a slipcase from CushCase in the UK.
• The cooling fans are louder than I expected - this one is on me, because I use BeQuiet fans in all my desktop builds. On the balance, I’ll take the louder noise and better longevity.

 

[AmanoJyaku]

I've had my 16 for about a month, and have been satisfied so far.

Purchase
I suggest getting the DIY Edition, as I saved money buying RAM elsewhere ($220 vs $400, 64GiB).

Setup
Even if you get the DIY Edition, it's mostly pre-assembled (boo!). The only problem I had was assembling the touchpad: I think the 16 shares the same touchpad with the 13, because there are spacers to make it fit. It took me two days, and 5-10 attempts, before I got all three lined up properly. I think it's a matter of poor design; reshaping the pieces helped them fit. The build quality is equal to that of any other vendor I've experienced, the laptop is pretty solid.

I went with Win11, installed from the Media Creation Tool. Win11 doesn't have the drivers for the network card, and this will prevent installation. The way to bypass this is to open the Command Prompt with Shift + F10, type "OOBE\BYPASSNRO", press Enter, then reboot. It will proceed to the network installation page, but presents a new option: "I don’t have internet". Select that and you're all set.

Firmware and drivers were straightforward, so whatever problems existed appear to be dealt with. No BSODs, either.

Use
Battery life is OK, around 4-6 hours of light usage. Battery drain while asleep is a problem, but Windows deals with this by putting the system into hibernation.

When putting the system to sleep, I find it's best to unplug the power first. Unplugging the power wakes my system up.

While asleep, the system appears to leave bluetooth and wireless connections on (probably due to Windows Modern Standby).

The system is generally quiet, as long as you aren't using the dGPU. When gaming, you;re better off wearing headphones, the fans are loud, and there are no fan controls. I recommend buying the expansion bay with the dGPU, if you plan on using the dGPU sparingly.

The power cord is very much appreciated. Instead of a brick at the plug end, it's just a plug. No worries about blocking other plugs, and this makes it easier to reach less accessable outlets.

 

[serafean]

I recommend buying the expansion bay with the dGPU, if you plan on using the dGPU sparingly.

What do you mean? Don't use the dGPU too often? I'm on the fence between 13" and 16", the possibility of the dGPU being the fence posts.

 

[AmanoJyaku]

What do you mean? Don't use the dGPU too often? I'm on the fence between 13" and 16", the possibility of the dGPU being the fence posts.

Your choice between the 13" or 16" should be based on your graphical needs. Are you gaming? Get the 16" and the dGPU.

Not gaming? Then you can probably skip the dGPU. From there, it's up to you to choose between the 13" or 16".


If you get the 16" and the dGPU, will the dGPU be used daily for gaming? If so, you probably don't need the expansion bay.

On the other hand, if you game rarely, with days or weeks in between sessions, I'd get the expansion bay.


Of course, all of this assumes one moves around with their laptop. Stationary laptops don't need to save on weight and size.

 

[AmanoJyaku]

A made a few tweaks, and now the fans are largely silent while gaming. I believe it was setting Windows' refresh rate 60Hz.

I also installed the Radeon driver suite from AMD, and turned off every feature in Adrenaline. 60FPS is more than enough for me.

A major problem we've all had is short run time, and I was hoping my tweaks would help. Not much, I'm afraid, and that's because the power draw is neither the GPU nor the fans. It's the CPU, which is set to 45W. Long-life CPUs are around 15W. Every laptop I've seen with the 7840HS or 7940HS all have short run times. For example, a review of the 2023 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 with 7940HS:

~5-6 hours – text editing in Google Drive, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON
~6-7 hours – FHD fullscreen video on Youtube in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON
~5 hours – Netflix 4K HDR fullscreen in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON
~3-4 hours – browsing in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON
~sub 1 hour – Gaming – Witcher 3, Performance Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON, no fps limit

~3-4 hours browsing in Firefox is about what I get, and up to 6 if I stick to Visual Studio.

 

[Paladin]

Personally I figure that is mostly fine. If you are going to be sitting and playing a game, browsing or coding for multiple hours, it should be pretty reasonable to plug in a power cable. For me, batteries on a laptop are for when I am moving around while working (working on equipment and testing networks etc.) or for keeping things in sleep mode when moving between work stations where I can plug in, quick trips between offices etc.

 

[Qyygle]

A made a few tweaks, and now the fans are largely silent while gaming. I believe it was setting Windows' refresh rate 60Hz.

I also installed the Radeon driver suite from AMD, and turned off every feature in Adrenaline. 60FPS is more than enough for me.

A major problem we've all had is short run time, and I was hoping my tweaks would help. Not much, I'm afraid, and that's because the power draw is neither the GPU nor the fans. It's the CPU, which is set to 45W. Long-life CPUs are around 15W. Every laptop I've seen with the 7840HS or 7940HS all have short run times. For example, a review of the 2023 Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 with 7940HS:

~5-6 hours – text editing in Google Drive, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON
~6-7 hours – FHD fullscreen video on Youtube in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON
~5 hours – Netflix 4K HDR fullscreen in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON
~3-4 hours – browsing in Edge, Silent Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON
~sub 1 hour – Gaming – Witcher 3, Performance Mode, screen at 50%, WiFi ON, no fps limit

~3-4 hours browsing in Firefox is about what I get, and up to 6 if I stick to Visual Studio.

Have you tried using the AMD Whisper mode in the Adrenaline software? I found when setting it to allow 40-60 fps, fan noise during gaming went down to near zero in a lot of cases. Doesn't work well in certain games, probably not great for intense FPS's, but for most games I play it's fine.

For the CPU power tweaking, I've found this works well:
https://github.com/JamesCJ60/Universal-x86-Tuning-Utility/releases
They released presets for the 16, but you can edit all the settings you want in custom profiles.