Framework’s Franken-Laptop Is Back with Big Chip Upgrades and Familiar Frustrations

Why It Matters

The refresh proves that a modular, repair‑focused laptop can compete with mainstream gaming machines on GPU performance, challenging the industry’s sealed‑design norm, but the steep upgrade cost and lingering reliability flaws may limit broader adoption.

Summary

Framework unveiled the 2025 refresh of its Laptop 16, adding AMD Ryzen AI 7‑350/7‑370 CPUs, Wi‑Fi 7, a redesigned heatsink, a 240 W USB‑C charger and a new 1080p webcam, all sold as upgrade modules for existing owners. The headline upgrade is a user‑replaceable Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics module, delivering 64% higher GPU benchmark scores and 36‑50% more gaming frames per second versus the prior AMD Radeon RX 7700S. The base 16‑inch model starts at $1,799, while the RTX 5070 upgrade plus required 240 W charger and display firmware update costs roughly $1,557‑$1,857, essentially the price of a new laptop. Despite the performance leap, the laptop still suffers from BSOD crashes, lid flex, uneven spacers and a non‑updatable display that forces owners to buy a new panel to enable G‑Sync, keeping the overall experience “Franken‑laptop”‑like.