The Framework Desktop made me fall for small type issue PCs

Framework has constructed a reputation for itself by taking the locked down world of laptops and making them modular, upgradable, and repairable. So it’s shocking — and possibly even controversial — the way in which that Framework has approached its first desktop: it’s made a PC that’s truly much less modular than most.

Don’t fear; this isn’t a Mac Mini state of affairs, the place mere mortals should not meant to the touch the innards of such a superb little laptop. However it’s not a standard small type issue PC, both.

The Framework Desktop is impressively small for what it gives. It’s across the measurement of a pair hardcover novels standing in your desk. Its black-and-silver case is simply giant sufficient to suit a mini-ITX motherboard, a cooler, and an influence provide — plus two modular entrance ports and a customizable array of 21 plastic tiles on the entrance panel, only for enjoyable. And its AMD Strix Halo APU is surprisingly highly effective. Even the bottom configuration is able to respectable gaming body charges at 2.5K decision, and the highest-end spec, with a extra highly effective processor and 128GB of shared reminiscence, is sufficient to run beefy native giant language fashions like Llama 3.3 70B.

Sure, you should purchase or construct an even bigger, extra highly effective small-form-factor desktop, and it’ll truly be extra upgradeable than the Framework. And should you simply desire a tiny desktop for the fundamentals, there are many manufacturers providing cheaper prebuilts. However none of them are fairly just like the Framework Desktop. It’s a easy, compact laptop that’s adequate for critical gaming or content material creation and doesn’t include a shred of bloatware. It’s extremely simple to assemble (you don’t even have to use thermal paste), competently highly effective, and its design is endearing and unmistakably Framework.

Configurations and construct high quality

The Framework Desktop’s mainboard is constructed round AMD’s Strix Halo APU: a single, beefy chip that incorporates each CPU and graphics cores. The bottom config begins with a Ryzen AI Max 385 chip (8 CPU cores, 32 graphics cores) and 32GB of shared RAM for $1,099. The Max Plus 395 fashions (16 CPU cores, 40 graphics cores) include 64GB or 128GB of RAM for $1,599 and $1,999, respectively. At every degree, that worth will get you the mainboard with a preinstalled cooler and Wi-Fi module, the case, and a 400W FlexATX energy provide.

Including an influence wire, Cooler Grasp CPU fan, two modular entrance growth playing cards, a Home windows license, a 512GB SSD, and the requisite front-panel tiles, will run you no less than $287 extra. In fact, you may spend additional for extra storage (which you need to, given the size of modern games), a higher-end fan like a Noctua, or further front-panel playing cards. Other than Framework’s proprietary hot-swappable growth playing cards, you may supply all these parts your self if you have already got them or discover them cheaper elsewhere.

Our $1,600-ish assessment unit got here with the Ryzen AI Max 385 mainboard, two 1TB SSDs, a base fan, optionally available carry deal with (“coming quickly”), translucent aspect panel, Home windows 11 Professional, an influence wire, and a wide range of growth playing cards and enjoyable tiles for the entrance. Framework additionally despatched the Max Plus 395 mainboard with 128GB of RAM (which will also be bought individually for $1,699 to place into your personal Mini-ITX case) and a 3rd 1TB SSD, so I may benchmark the higher-spec config and take a look at the DIY improve.

Like Framework’s DIY Editions for its Laptop 13 and Laptop 12, the Desktop is {a partially} prebuilt affair. You’re simply putting in the fan, as much as two NVMe SSDs, two entrance growth playing cards, entrance panel tiles, and attaching the carry deal with (which I believe is a must-buy for the enjoyable of it, although it’s not but obtainable for order, and Framework has but to verify its worth). The OS set up will doubtless take you longer than the preliminary {hardware} setup.

Construct high quality is top-notch throughout, and the shell and inside body of the case are intuitively designed. It’s simply large enough to carry the motherboard and energy provide, with the 120mm CPU fan pulling in air by the perforated aspect panel and over the APU cooler’s giant radiator, from which it exhausts from the rear panel. There’s additionally a spot for a 80mm fan beneath the entrance magnetic cowl, should you favor a little bit extra optimistic airflow.

The outer panels are plastic, however they’re securely match with simply unlockable clips — simply take away the highest panel’s thumb screws and all the things else simply unlocks by hand. The ornamental entrance is hooked up magnetically, and its 21 interchangeable tiles simply come out for easy rearranging. Contained in the chassis, the included screwdriver with Torx and Philips heads are all you want to set up / change out the fan, SSDs, and mainboard.

Framework’s step-by-step information on swapping out mainboards was not obtainable to me throughout our assessment interval, however I figured it out by myself and altered from a 385 to the 395 in a little bit beneath an hour. That’s how effectively put collectively and logical the desktop’s chassis design is: should you’ve labored on PCs earlier than (even when, like me, the final time you constructed one was 2013), then you may simply putz round and discover your method. It was easy to take away the clearly labeled screws securing the board and high rail of the chassis body. The CPU cooler and even the rear I/O protect are hooked up to the mainboard, so all of them come out collectively. The one second that gave me pause was realizing the Wi-Fi module mounted to the rear of the board — which I needed to swap from one mainboard to the opposite — wanted a recent thermal pad, however fortunately I had some extras from an previous SSD enclosure.

Ryzen AI Max 385 / Max Plus 395 benchmark efficiency

I first examined the Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 APU within the Asus ROG Flow Z13. That is the chip that proved to me built-in graphics aren’t only a laughingstock — it may even maintain its personal in 2.5K gaming. However that was on a pill, and it is a desktop PC, with a 400W energy provide and a lot better cooling, and that makes a distinction. The Framework Desktop’s lower-end 385 chip got here near and even beat the higher-end 395 chip within the ROG Circulate Z13. Each its 385 and 395 chips bested the ROG Circulate pill in numerous recreation benchmarks, like Black Delusion: Wukong and Cyberpunk 2077, regardless of the Asus nonetheless managing to take them in just a few single-core checks like Geekbench and Cinebench.

Within the Framework, the higher-end chip was 16 % quicker on common in gaming benchmarks than the decrease finish one. I don’t assume that justifies spending a further $500 should you’re within the Framework primarily as a small gaming rig. The highest-end Strix Halo chip is billed by Framework as providing RTX 4070 laptop-level graphics efficiency with out the necessity for a discrete GPU, and that bears out in opposition to our Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 checks from final 12 months — which ran the RTX 4060, one rung under the 4070. Each the 385 and 395 Desktop mainboards handily beat The Verge’s perennial darling of a gaming laptop computer. The 385 falls simply shy of matching the newer 2025 model of the Zephyrus G14 with an RTX 5060, whereas the 395 nonetheless edges it out. Spectacular.

On the subject of truly enjoying video games, you may count on strong body charges at 2.5K (2560 x 1440 or 1600) decision at low-to-medium settings, relying on the sport. Your indies and reside service video games like Fortnite that work on most something ought to run simply at excessive body charges. I performed a bunch of Elden Ring Nightreign on the Framework, and it ran simply positive. FromSoftware video games should not one of the best optimized titles, however I may play on the 385 mainboard with medium settings at 2560 x 1440 and keep within the 50fps vary. Taking part in it on the 395 allowed a crisper 4K decision at medium for the same 50-or-slightly-below fps — or I may preserve it at 2.5K and keep the sport’s 60fps ceiling.

I assumed indie breakout Peak would play nice even at max settings at 4K, however I underestimated the useful resource calls for of its huge mountain. I needed to preserve Peak’s cartoony graphics set to medium, as effectively, however that ensured my comedic in-game falls have been operating effectively above 70fps to 80fps at 4K decision. On the 395, I may push to excessive settings for about the identical.

Exterior of gaming, the Framework Desktop in any of its mainboard configurations is greater than succesful for on a regular basis productiveness stuff and my regular work. The fan usually goes whisper quiet when multitasking throughout easy mixed-use duties like messaging apps, working in a doc, and listening to music or streaming a YouTube video with a bunch of Chrome tabs open. You’ll hear it spin up for some brief stretches, but it surely rapidly quiets again down till you’re doing one thing extra intensive. And I’ve but to come across any thermal throttling that impacts efficiency. As a lot as I like laptops, a compact and quiet desktop that’s flush with ports is such a deal with, particularly after I can select these entrance ports.

The Framework can be a strong mini workstation for inventive apps. Each the 385 and 395 chips beat out the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 in our Premiere Professional 4K video export take a look at. And the 395 board trailed the 16-inch MacBook Professional with M4 Professional chip by simply 21 seconds. The 395 and all that RAM spoiled me a bit when importing 60-megapixel RAW images into Lightroom Basic. It zipped by that import and a fast light-touch edit with none noticeable slowdown — although the fan was fairly audible.

The Framework Desktop vs. options

I discussed earlier that the Framework Desktop is definitely much less modular than most desktops. That has its advantages and its drawbacks. It makes use of an ordinary mini-ITX motherboard type issue, however as a result of it makes use of a cellular APU with built-in reminiscence, you may’t improve the chip or RAM with out changing the entire board. And you may’t improve the graphics, both; there’s no PCIe x16 slot, and whereas there’s an PCIe x4 connector, the default case doesn’t provide you with any room to make use of it.

The Strix Halo chip within the Framework Desktop is pretty much as good as built-in graphics get proper now. If you need higher gaming efficiency in a small type issue, you’ll must get a standard mini-ITX motherboard and discover a 10- or 15-liter case that matches a desktop GPU and processor. However accommodating that GPU and a desktop CPU is a pain in the ass, from part choice to cable administration to cooling. It’s no surprise that many house owners surrender and depart off aspect panels or simply say “eff it” and minimize holes in circumstances — they’ve even made a subreddit to commiserate.

With the Framework Desktop, you surrender a few of that potential in alternate for a desktop that’s useless easy to construct and keep. However it’s a truism that you could get extra energy for much less cash should you go greater.

Even prebuilts within the $1,000 vary rocking a low-to-mid 50-series desktop card are going to beat the Framework Desktop in video games. Simply take a look at this stormtrooper of an HP Omen 16L with an RTX 5060 Ti for instance. A 16-liter case is decently compact, and should you’re simply searching for an reasonably priced turn-key gaming machine, it’s doubtless a-ok. However 16L is greater than thrice the 4.5L Framework Desktop. And lots of prebuilt machines are notorious for cutting corners or having limitations to what additional upgrades you may put into them.

On the subject of desktops the dimensions of the Framework or smaller, you’re in Asus NUC and Mac Mini territory. There are additionally skinny purchasers, just like the Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny, however they’re extra enterprise-focused, with modest specs. And several other different small-form-factor Strix Halo desktops are starting to crop up. HP already has its Z2 Mini G1a that’s smaller than the Framework, and Corsair recently announced an upcoming AI Workstation 300, however none of those are upgradeable just like the Framework Desktop.

The Framework Desktop is an adorably enjoyable PC that makes constructing and proudly owning a small type issue laptop useless simple. Positive, it might’t stack as much as the efficiency of full-size builds, small type issue gaming PCs with discrete GPUs, or prebuilts in the identical worth vary. Nonetheless, it’s a singular different in order for you a tiny PC for lighter / 2.5K gaming, media creation, or operating native AI fashions. Like loads of Framework stuff, it’s barely area of interest, there’s nothing else fairly prefer it, and although it’s affordable-ish, you’re nonetheless paying a little bit of a premium in comparison with extra standard options.

Having such a tiny factor sit on my desk and ship strong gaming efficiency bought me to begin rethinking my neverending pursuit of upper graphical constancy. Do I actually need to endure the fixed fan noise of a gaming laptop computer or fear a few power-hungry GPU in a full-size desktop including to my month-to-month electrical energy invoice? Perhaps a enjoyable little machine that delivers adequate graphics is, effectively, adequate.

Images by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge