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We were fans of the Framework laptop when we reviewed it last year. This was partly because the modular design prioritizes repairability and upgradeability, while most other laptops don’t. But we also liked it because you didn’t have to make huge compromises to achieve that repairability — the Framework laptop is lightweight and has a quality screen, keyboard, and touchpad, which helps it with big, thin, and light Laptops like the Dell XPS 13 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon.
An upgradeable laptop is only worth it if you can Update However, it is possible, and Framework is making it possible as of today: the company is introducing a new iteration of the Framework laptop’s motherboard that uses 12th Gen Intel CPUs. A brand new 12th Gen Framework laptop starts at $1,049 for a Core i5-equipped base model or $819 for a build-it-yourself kit with no memory or storage. These products are available to pre-order today and will begin shipping in July.
The 12th Gen Core processors use Intel’s latest Alder Lake CPU architecture, which combines powerful P cores and highly efficient E cores to maximize performance under heavy loads and reduce power consumption when your computer is mostly idle. The base Core i5-1240P CPU includes four P-cores and eight E-cores, a large increase in core count compared to 11th Gen quad-core CPUs. The Core i7-1260P upgrade has the same CPU core counts with increased clock speeds and a small increase in integrated GPU performance, while the top-of-the-line Core i7-1280P option offers six P-cores and eight E-cores.
The rest of the Framework laptop’s hardware remains mostly the same, although there are a few additional upgrades to be aware of. One is a 2.5Gbps Ethernet expansion card, the first wired LAN module available for the laptop. The card is based on Realtek’s RTL8156 chipset and will be available “later this year”.
The company is also releasing a redesigned version of its top cover, made with a new CNC manufacturing process that “significantly improves[es] Stiffness.” The new top cover will be the default option for all future Framework laptops, although you can purchase a new top cover for your existing Framework laptop for $89.
For existing Framework laptop owners, a 12th Gen motherboard with the i5-1240P starts at $449, while an “upgrade kit” that includes both the motherboard and the redesigned top cover starts at $538. dollars begins. This is the same price you would pay for both components individually; there is no discount when buying board and top cover together. The i7-1260P motherboard is $699 ($788 for an upgrade kit), and the i7-1280P motherboard is $1,049 ($1,138 for an upgrade kit). Getting the two additional P cores of the i7-1280P will cost you something.
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The 11th generation of the Framework laptop also remains as an entry-level option until sold out, starting at $679 for a Core i5-1135G7-based DIY edition and $899 for an assembled system. The company has created a new product comparison site to make it easier to find out what you’re getting.
While many PCs run the Framework Windows, the company boasts that the 12th generation version of its laptop is “continuing[s] to focus on solid Linux support.” Framework recommends Fedora 36 because it “works fantastic out of the box” and fully supports the Framework laptop’s new CPUs, its Wi-Fi card, and its fingerprint reader. You need to be careful when installing other Linux distributions – they require Linux kernel version 5.17.6 or newer to fully support Alder Lake’s hybrid CPU architecture, and include prominent, actively maintained distributions like Ubuntu 22.04 this kernel version not by default This problem will go away for most Linux distributions in the next few months, but for now you may need to update the kernel manually to get the best possible Linux experience on the framework laptop.
If you already own a Framework laptop and want to upgrade, the company recently released 3D printable case templates for the laptop’s motherboard. This makes it possible to turn an old 11th Gen Framework motherboard into a mini desktop PC.
