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Framework , the company that is well known for its modular , repairable laptop , just released its first screen background computer . It ’s a modest background PC that punches above its weightiness .
The most interesting part is what ’s inside the twist . Framework is one of the first companies to use AMD ’s recently announced Strix Halo architecture , also known as the Ryzen AI Max processors . It ’s an all - in - one processing unit that promise some serious carrying into action .
In other intelligence , Framework just designed a microcomputer for two case of customer : people look for an extremely small play PC , or people who desire to run tumid language mannikin on their own computers .
From the outside , the Framework Desktop expect more like a toy than a serious computer . It is a small 4.5L information processing system construct around a mini - ITX mainboard , which makes it small than a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X.
It has a customizable front panel with 21 standardized plastic straight tiles . When you grease one’s palms a Framework Desktop on the company ’s web site , you could choose tile color and patterns to create your own front panel .
In addition to the common embrasure that you unremarkably get with a mini - ITX mainboard , you ’ll find out Framework ’s iconic expansion calling card at the bottom of the machine — two at the front , and two at the back . you could pick out between a wide reach of modules , such as USB - degree centigrade or USB - A port , a earpiece jack , an South Dakota card reader , or even a storage expansion wag .
The internals are quite unproblematic : There ’s the mainboard with AMD ’s accelerated processing unit , a devotee , a heat sinkhole , a power supply , and two M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slot for storage .
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AMD ’s Strix Halo APU is solder to the mainboard . Framework offer up two dissimilar configurations — the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 . The top contour comes with 16 CPU cores , 40 graphics centre , and 80 Mbit of stash , while the entry - point configuration come with 8 central processor heart , 32 nontextual matter cores , and 40 MB of cache .
But where ’s the RAM ? That ’s sure enough going to be the most dissentious intention selection since Framework offers 32 GB to 128 GB of soldered - in read/write memory . You wo n’t be capable to buy more RAM or upgrade it down the route .
“ There is one place we did have to step away from PC average , though , which is on retentivity . To activate the monolithic 256GB / s memory bandwidth that Ryzen AI Max delivers , the LPDDR5x is soldered , ” Framework CEO Nirav Patelwroteon the company ’s blog .
“ We spent calendar month working with AMD to research ways around this , but finally determined that it was n’t technically workable to land modular memory at high throughput with the 256 - bit memory bus , ” he add .
Nevertheless , having as much as 128 GB of incorporated memory unlock many possibility when it comes to expectant words fashion model . Llama 3.3 70B can hightail it without any hiccup using Ollama , llama.cpp , and other assailable reference dick for local AI work load .
Other undecided - free weight models from Mistral , Nous , Hermes , or DeepSeek should also extend very well . Framework also sell the mainboard without a case . For illustration , the caller has built a mini - rack with four Framework Desktop mainboards draw in parallel for AI examination .
The base model of the Framework Desktop starts at $ 1,099 , while the top - close version price $ 1,999 . Like other Framework computers , the company promises support for Windows as well as democratic Linux distributions such as Ubuntu , Fedora , or its gaming - focus full cousin Bazzite .
Preorders are open now , but shipments will only start in other Q3 2025 .
