Framework’s first major laptop upgrade lets you swap the brains of your system

Framework launched last year with the promise of building laptops that you can upgrade yourself with just a screwdriver and a little patience. Now, 12 months after launch, the company is releasing the first batch of upgrade kits to keep those machines up to date. That’s a good start, as the outfit makes good on its commitment to creating a modular, repairable machine and giving current users any future tweaks to the system. After almost quickly swapping out a first-generation motherboard to replace it, I can say we’re approaching a whole new era for computing.

To show how easy it is to upgrade, the Framework sent its 2021 era model, which is equipped with an 11th generation Intel Core chip. In the package, but in a separate box, is a generation Intel Core chip. The brand new 12th (Alder Lake) is attached to the motherboard. Simply put, the idea is that you can pull out the mainboard containing the CPU and I/O, while preserving pretty much everything else. Existing RAM, SSDs, WiFi cards, batteries, audio devices, monitors, etc., can all be reused until they fail or need an upgrade.

Upgrading or replacing any components within the framework of the Framework requires you to use a Torx T5 screwdriver (included in the box). Naturally, replacing the motherboard is the most involved upgrade you can make as it requires you to disassemble everything else to get access to it. Thankfully, the Framework generates iFixit style instructions for you to follow, and every component is color-coded or labeled. And there’s a QR code on each unit that links to instructional videos and support pages to get you where you need to be.

Company announced earlier this year that it will offer a trio of new motherboard options that cater to different budgets. $499 gets you a 12th generation i5-1240P, while $699 gets you a i7-1260P. If you have always wanted to live on the cutting edge and have plenty of money, you can choose the Core i7-1280P for $1,049. That’s steep, but the argument is that buying a brand new laptop will cost you more. That said, I don’t expect users to go crazy over these yearly upgrades, but more than likely look for a new motherboard every two or three years to stay up to date.

For the upgrade process, I don’t necessarily a handle, but there are a few things worth flagging. If you come here as a novice, it will take you longer than the 15 minutes promised in the how-to guide. You’ll get faster with practice, but I think these tutorials need to be a bit more teen-friendly for inexperienced amateurs. Similarly, I’m not a huge fan of the ZIF connector, which requires you to gently slide the ribbon cable no larger than your fingernail for the necessary fixation. Especially since they’re small, and I worry that an ill-timed sneeze will cost you $699 of your own money.

At the same time, the Framework is launching two other products that demonstrate its commitment to listening to users and ensuring that OG buyers are not left behind. The first is that the company is releasing its first new expansion card, which is a 2.5 gigabit Ethernet adapter. In a word, this is great, as removing the standard all-metal body for a clear plastic shell makes it look like one of those special edition Game Boys from the ’90s. The cyberpunk aesthetic also helps mask the fact that, to accommodate the Ethernet port itself, it’s significantly larger than the rest of the expansion cards – it sticks out next to your laptop, but according to in a wonderful way.

That was quite helpful during my installation, as the missing WiFi driver (thanks, Microsoft) meant I couldn’t connect to the Internet after the first upgrade. (This has since been resolved, but one of the pitfalls of testing hardware long before it goes public.) Being able to close the Ethernet port and connect it to my network to solve the problem is a godsend. Not to mention that, like all the spare expansion cards the company offers, it’s another step towards making the laptop more like a Swiss Army knife.

And then the top cover. Now, I don’t have many complaints about the amount of flex in the machine when it came out last year. But the Framework engineers were not satisfied and so redesigned the display case to be CNC machined from a solid block of aluminum. It adds some extra rigidity to the frame and is available as standard on all newly released Framework laptops, as well as packaged in motherboard replacement kits. Yet again, instead of leaving existing customers with no desire for a new CPU, you can also buy a standalone top cover for $89, and if the company can keep its commitment to always bringing those Buy current along, then earn a devoted and loving fan base.

Finally, with the upgrade complete, it’s just a matter of what users do with the now-removed mainboard. The framework is offering users open source plans to build desktop-style cases for boards to encourage reuse, and hobbyists have used them as the basis for their own super fun mod projects. For example, GitHub Penk users built Motherboard terminals looks like it fell off after a copy of Fall out. If I don’t have to send all this back, and I have any skill at building things, I’m pretty sure I’m trying to build something super cool myself.

And perhaps that’s another gift the Framework can go on to give – the notion that users should feel empowered to get their hands dirty after being told that their machine has been limited for too long.