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Between that and the potential $300 CPU upgrade you’ll want to get (the AMD Ryzen 9 HX 370), the laptop will start at $2,449, and it only goes up once you add other components like memory and storage. To put things in perspective, the extremely high-end Razer Blade 16 with the RTX 5070 costs around $2,300 (although it frequently goes on sale below $2,000). With the Framework Laptop 16, you pay extra to be able to exchange parts in the future.
Fortunately, you get solid gaming performance in return. This is enough to give you the ability to play some games at native resolution, such as Cyberpunk 2077. The frame rates you see above were all tested at the highest graphics preset without enabling scaling or ray tracing, so you can get higher frame rates by removing the settings. I like that there is enough performance to allow players to choose smoother gameplay or sharper visuals depending on the game and play style. Of the games I tested, Dark myth: Wukong was the only title that could not run properly at maximum graphics settings. The RTX 5070 only has 8GB of VRAM, which is its biggest shortcoming among AAA titles, unlike the desktop GPU of the same name, which has 12GB.
The tradeoff to adding a discrete graphics card is battery life, although it’s not as bad as you might think. Despite similarly powerful graphics, the Framework Laptop 16 still offers about 25% better battery life than cheaper gaming laptops. In my testing, it lasted almost nine hours of local video playback. This will equate to a lot less in a real-world workload: I was getting closer to five hours in my typical day job. One of the unique advantages of the system is that you can always remove the graphics module if you want to get a few extra hours of battery life while traveling and don’t plan to play games.
One of the impressive things about the Framework Laptop 16 is that it runs entirely on USB-C power. The 240-watt GaN charger is no bigger than a standard charger, but it can power the entire system, graphics included. Just be sure to use both sides of the included charger to get the full performance.
Framework laptops were designed and engineered before the recent changes in laptop prices. You can now buy a really good laptop for $650, even less during big sales. Unfortunately, Framework’s prices don’t tend to change, and the company doesn’t sell through third-party retailers. But there’s an audience for a repairable, durable, and now more powerful laptop whether you want it run linux or Windows. Just be prepared to pay a premium.
