I’m curious about when we might see the next AMD refresh for the Framework Laptop 13. The current top-spec option is the Ryzen 7 7840U, which was introduced in early 2023 and started shipping in Q3 2023. Given AMD’s latest offerings and Framework’s history of timely updates, soon we might expect to see a new mainboard featuring AMD’s newer CPUs, like those from the Ryzen 8040 series or the upcoming Ryzen 9000 series.

  • Ryzen 7 7840U:
    • Architecture: Zen 4
    • Cores/Threads: 8/16
    • Base/Boost Clock: 3.3 GHz / 5.1 GHz
    • TDP: 15-28W
    • Integrated GPU: Radeon 780M

Potential New CPUs:

  • Ryzen 8040 Series: Higher base and boost clocks, improved power efficiency, and enhanced RDNA 2 or RDNA 3 integrated graphics.
  • Ryzen 9000 Series: Zen 5 architecture, up to 16 cores and 32 threads, improved AI processing capabilities, and better power efficiency.

Framework has consistently updated its laptops with the latest Intel and AMD CPUs, so it seems we might be due for a refresh soon.

What are your expectations for the next AMD mainboard refresh?

  • @[email protected]
    1•4 months ago

    DDR5 is supported up to 5600 MT/s (that’s as high as JEDEC spec currently goes for DDR5 SODIMMs afaik) while I’ve seen Ryzen AI notebooks using LPDDR5X with 7500 MT/s. Latency should also be lower on LPDDR5X as it can be physically closer to the CPU.

    There are some performance comparisons on older Ryzen CPUs/APUs showing that the iGPU benefits a lot from faster LPDDR compared to DDR.

      • @[email protected]
        2•4 months ago

        We have yet to see what other AI 300 SKUs support when they release then I guess, and I usually take whatever LTT says with a big grain of salt. That being said, Linus might have some insider information because of his Framework investment. Framework will very likely know by now what their next mainboard supports in terms of memory.

        It’s a weird timeline. CAMM2 modules are basically right around the corner, and Intel’s Core Ultra 2 only supports on-chip memory, and now AI 300 seemingly only supports soldered memory? This is all a bit weird to me.

        I’d be fine transitioning to CAMM2 modules and making SODIMM obsolete, but a Framework mainboard with soldered on memory wouldn’t sit right with me.