Hi, im searching for a new Laptop and i was tempted to buy the framework 13… BUT…
Usually i would search for a used or refurbished Laptop to give it a second life u know. And after it broke down in like 4-6 years usually, i would buy a new used one again.
So my first question is: Is the framework 13 really worth my money for the repairability and upgradability in comparison?
My prefered Laptops are the Surface like ones 2in1 with a stand and detachable keyboard…
But im okay with it to switch to a normal laptop Formfactor.
I would prefere 16:9 or 16:10 for multimedia but im used to a 3:2 so it would be kinda okay for me to stick with it.
How good can i implement linux on some surface like laptop?
I switched from win10 to linux Mint on my desktop this year. But i think im going to switch to another distro, because i need the ASHA-protocoll as fast as possible. Maybe not that important on my desktop but definetly on my next Laptop.
Someone switched from surface like laptop to FW13?
Im not a coder. More like a gamer with og cheat codes in gtaSA on a cracked Version of the game, which runs in deamon-tools as an ISO, lol.
Main use would be Multimedia and some gaming, if possible.
Another use would be AI… but as far as i know linux doesnt support the build in NPU of the FW13 yet. Maybe ai tinker in a few years then?
And im something like a crypto bro i would say. So how good are crypto tools implemented in linux? Some cold wallet support for exampel.
Which distro would serve my needs the most?
Is there a better choice for me than FW13 ?
So all in all im hopelessly lost and cant decide shit ^^
My only hope is to ask some Linux OGs to help me out on dis.
plz halp.
Yes. Especially if you want to game and dabble in local ML (which the 13 is unfortunately not great for, its NPU is too small and old to ever be useful).
But what’s your budget, approximately?
My budget is something like 2k €, maybe more if it worth to save some more money for.
Oh, and one more thing. There’s a sizable linux community specifically built around Asus ROG laptops. Look up ‘linux rog’ and you will find associated gitlabs and a Discord specifically built up around them. It’s still a fantastic resource for my 2020 G14.
The Z13 is especially good for linux, as it has discrete-gpu-class performance on the IGP, so you don’t have to fuss with a dual GPU setup on linux (which can be a tremendous headache, especially with Nvidia cards).
As for a distro, I adore CachyOS for ML stuff, and its well suited for gaming. But its really down to your personal experience and taste.
Ah, crap, you’re in Europe.
So basically the only laptop worth anything for AI is one with the new Strix Halo AMD chips, and the closest to what you want is the Asus Z13: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-ROG-Flow-Z13-GZ302EA-Convertible-Review-AMD-s-Strix-Halo-GPU-is-neck-and-neck-with-the-RTX-4070-Laptop.963266.0.html
https://shop.asus.com/us/rog/90nr0jy1-m00670-rog-flow-z13-2025.html?config=90NR0JY1-M00670
Specifically the 128GB version if you can save up, or at least the 64GB version. While most laptops are useless for ML, this one utterly blows my desktop out of the water: it’s like an of magnitude better than the Frameowrk 13 at that.
Even more importantly, LLM devs are targeting the Strix Halo chips, so they will be well supported. You can spin up a vllm, exllama or llama.cpp-rocm image on them right now, whereas you will struggle to get things up and running on most laptops older IGPs.
Coincidentally, you won’t find anything 13" that can game better either. Its a surface-like tablet too, and franky its cooling is way better than a Framework 13. It’s perfect!
…Problem is, I don’t know if you can even get it in Europe. But historically, I know Asus laptops tend to be proportionally more expensive than they are in the US for some reason, so even if you can, I’m afraid the 64GB/128GB versions would be cost prohibitive.
I only found asus rog z13 flow with 32GB here sadly.
I considered this one (https://store.minisforum.com/products/minisforum-v3) earlier but 16GB is not good at all.
I heard of a new competitor to the z13 flow, but cant remember the name.
I have the minisforum v3 with 32GB RAM and I am super happy with it. Seems to be unavailable in their store but you might want to check amazon etc. The device has really good price to performamce and it held up well so far.
There is a 14" HP laptop with the same chip:
https://www.ultrabookreview.com/70442-amd-strix-halo-laptops/
And a handheld, heh: https://gpdstore.net/gpd-handheld-gaming-pcs/gpd-win-5/
There may be more.
TBH, it may be prudent to wait a month or two for more “AI Max” chips to show up in laptops. It’s pretty new; Asus is just super early with it like they usually are.
Okay, i think you convinced me to wait a few months and see what will pop up on the market with this new chipset.
Yep.
FYI, rumors suggest the AI Max/Strix Halo successor won’t be coming out till H2 2027, aka nearly 2028 (as Strix Halo techically launched in January this year, but as you can see takes time to actually make it into laptops):
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Detailed-AMD-Medusa-Halo-and-Medusa-Halo-Mini-APUs-leak-claims-up-to-26-Zen-6-cores-and-next-gen-RDNA-5-iGPUs.1093912.0.html
Anyway, what I’m saying is it won’t go obsolete anytime soon, and it will be quite strong for many years to come if you get one.