Framework’s first tiny Desktop beautifully straddles the line between cute and badass

Framework, the modular machine company, has conscionable announced its first desktop PC, which is thing it perfectly did not request to do — but I’m gladsome it did.

Partly because the world needs much mini 4.5-liter mini-ITX PCs, partially because it uses AMD’s astir powerful APU ever (Strix Halo) pinch immoderate existent gaming chops and up to 128GB of unified LPDDR5x memory… and partially because it looks for illustration this.

Yes, you tin create your ain beforehand sheet retired of 21 interchangeable (and freely 3D printable) tiles, prime your ain 2 beforehand I/O ports, and yes that’s a standard-size mini-ITX motherboard below, on pinch a civilization thermal strategy co-developed by Cooler Master and Noctua pinch modular 120mm fans, a semi-custom 400W Flex ATX powerfulness proviso co-developed by FSP, a full batch of seemingly perfect-length cables for a comparatively cable-light system, your prime of achromatic aliases translucent broadside panels… and, astatine left, an optional LAN statement transportation handle!

Just don’t look for immoderate representation slots — it’s soldered. “We spent months moving pinch AMD to research ways astir this but yet wished that it wasn’t technically feasible to onshore modular representation astatine precocious throughput pinch the 256-bit representation bus,” writes Framework.

Below, find a person look astatine Framework’s desktop motherboard and cooling; you only get a PCIe x4 port, not PCIe x8 aliases x16, and nary bequest connectors for illustration SATA, but it’s much loaded than the image lets on: Framework says it’s sewage onboard 5Gbps Ethernet, 2 USB4, 2 DisplayPort, 1 HDMI, not 1 but 2 M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slots for up to 16TB of storage, and a Wi-Fi 7 module, positive what look to beryllium 2 full-size USB-A ports and a headphone jack (at the rear).

Here’s a small spot of the build process, arsenic told by the images Framework sent us:

And here’s immoderate amended images of the Framework Desktop mainboard’s I/O, successful a rack-mounted, daisy-chained configuration that the institution expects immoderate AI enthusiasts mightiness threat up — acknowledgment to the section AI chops and 128GB of representation connected the highest-end Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 Plus config.

“With Framework Desktop, you tin tally giant, tin models for illustration Llama 3.3 70B Q6 astatine real-time conversational velocity correct connected your desk,” the institution claims, adding “With USB4 and 5Gbit Ethernet networking, you tin link aggregate systems aliases Mainboards to tally moreover larger models for illustration the afloat DeepSeek R1 671B.”

Framework CEO Nirav Patel says it was besides designed pinch LANs successful mind — though pinch a spot little bulk than the monolithic CRT moniotrs and desktops of old.

What benignant of gaming chops mightiness it really have? My workfellow Antonio has seen successful his clip with the Asus Z13 gaming tablet that Strix Halo is astir about the capacity of an Nvidia RTX 4060 mobile chip. AMD gaming designer leader Frank Azor was besides present pinch immoderate 1080p benchmarks astatine precocious settings; it apparently can’t rather play the astir demanding games (like Black Myth Wukong and Starfield) astatine complete 60fps astatine autochthonal solution pinch everything turned up, but the declare is that moreover 1440p astatine 60fps is imaginable pinch AMD’s FSR upscaling.

Even if you’re not getting your money’s worthy retired of AI, though, the prices connected these desktops don’t look each that outlandish. While a desktop pinch a 16 CPU cores, 40 graphics cores, 80MB of cache of the 395 Plus chip, and 128GB of representation will costs $1,999 — not including bring-your-own retention and OS — you tin prime 1 pinch 8 CPU cores, 32 graphics cores, 40MB of cache and 32GB of representation for $1,099. There’s besides an 395 Plus pinch conscionable 64GB of RAM for $1,599. Or, you tin bargain a mainboard unsocial for $799 if you supply your ain mini-ITX lawsuit and powerfulness supply, too.

If you are looking for the astir powerful mini-PC, Patel suggested the $1,999 exemplary compares favorably to an Apple Mac Studio, which tin costs complete doubly arsenic overmuch for the aforesaid 128GB of RAM.