The Framework Desktop Inspires Some Thoughts
This morning I received an email about the Framework Desktop. After hearing Cory Doctorow wax poetic about the Framework laptop, I joined their mailing list. I was not aware of their effort to build a desktop. I’m somewhat in the market for a new desktop. That is, if I still believe in a two-computer solution.
Establishing Context
It has been my habit to have a desktop as my primary computer, with a laptop in a lesser role. There are a number of reasons for this. Where in the past I used a pair of 24” displays running 1080P, I now find I prefer a single, large display. My desk currently sports a 27” Samsung 4K monitor.
My past habit of dealing with live streaming video benefited tremendously from a dedicated GPU. My preferred tool set (vMix) is specifically written to take advantage of nVidia GPUs. Since I don’t usually undertake streaming projects from a laptop, an integrated GPU has been enough for mobile situations.
After a couple of decades carrying company issued (heavyweight) laptops, in 2013 I bought a Lenovo X1 Carbon with my own money. And another (gen 7) in 2019 when the first was too old to be useful. I admire it’s form factor. It’s absolutely ideal for use on-the-go, but it cannot replace my desktop.
The Airtop-PC
My current desktop is a vintage Airtop-PC from Compulab. It’s a splendid device in every way. But it is definitely getting old. It has several SATA drives internally installed, both in 2.5 inch and NGFF form factors. It (just) predates NVMe storage.
It’s equipped with an Intel i7-5775C CPU. That’s about seven generations back from the state-of-the-art. Also, an nVidia GTX 750 Ti, that’s also many generations removed from the front lines of technological progress.
Though aged, my Airtop-PC has one thing going for it that no other serious desktop has…it’s completely fanless. The case itself is an array of heat pipes and metal. No moving parts at all. Dead silent. And I LOVE that.
Apparently, I’m not alone in this. There are places where you need a powerful PC that doesn’t make any noise. In fact, there’s a company out there selling them specifically into the audio production market.
Yet my beloved Airtop-PC simply cannot go on forever. In fact, it doesn’t support Windows 11, and Windows 10 support is endling later this year. So, I’m keeping a watchful eye out for a suitable replacement.
The Framework Desktop
I think that Framework is an innovative company. I would consider a Framework 13 for my next laptop. That is, if it’s competitive with the current generation of X1 Carbon.
Looking at the Framework desktop, I see it has a form factor (4.5L) similar to my Airtop. It has a standard mini-ATX motherboard. That’s perhaps an improvement over the Airtop’s proprietary motherboard. Although, it appears they have engineered a proprietary heatsink.
The storage options are adequate; 2x NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 2280. The Airtop also manages to include support for 4 x 2.5 inch SATA drives as well.
The customizable IO modules (Expansion Cards?) are a nice touch. There are two ports located in the front. They come in several flavors:
- USB 3.2 A-type
- USB 3.2 C-type
- Micro SD/UFS card reader
- SD/UFS card reader
- SSD from 250 GB to 2 TB
- 2.5 G Ethernet
- 3.5mm combo audio
That’s nice. I guess. I might prefer a couple more. Framework laptops support four modules.
It offers only the AMD embedded GPU. No PCIe x16. So no option for a dedicated GPU. That’s sub-optimal.
There’s a single PCIe x4 slot that’s not externally exposed in the default case. In theory that might support an e-GPU. In general, e-GPUs are a problem. Whether connected via Oculink or TB4, they only support the equivalent of PCIe x4. That’s nowhere near the performance of a real 16x slot.
The fact that the front panel is customizable via a collection of 21 plastic tiles is cute, but not in any way useful. It’s marketing.
Here’s an intro to the Framework Desktop from the Verge. Also, an Ars Technica overview.
Not Cool
I think Framework missed the biggest opportunity of all. They’ve adopted the tired old strategy of cooling with fan-forced air. There’s a 120mm fan for the mainboard cooling and another fan built into the power supply.
Fans are a problem. They make noise. They draw in dust & dirt. Eventually, they fail. In the end, they’re a source of long-term reliability problems. But fans are cheap. Even good fans from Noctua.
Summary
The lack of a dedicated GPU and use of fans for cooling make the Framework Desktop a step backward from the Airtop. Noteworthy, but not yet compelling.
The last generation of the Airtop (Airtop3) is available, sporting a 9th generation Intel i7-9900K CPU. That’s still several generations back from the front line. In truth, if I could get a deal on an Airtop3, I’d probably buy one.
Until then, I remain, as ever, on the lookout for a unicorn.