By TechCrunch | Created at 2025-02-26 12:08:51 | Updated at 2025-03-04 14:21:06
6 days ago
Framework, the company that is better known for its modular, repairable laptops, just released its first desktop computer. It’s a small desktop PC that punches above its weight.
The most interesting part is what’s inside the device. Framework is one of the first companies to use AMD’s recently announced Strix Halo architecture, also known as the Ryzen AI Max processors. It’s an all-in-one processing unit that promises some serious performance.
In other words, Framework just designed a PC for two types of customers: people looking for an extremely small gaming PC, or people who want to run large language models on their own computers.
From the outside, the Framework Desktop looks more like a toy than a serious computer. It is a small 4.5L computer built around a mini-ITX mainboard, which makes it smaller than a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X.
It has a customizable front panel with 21 interchangeable plastic square tiles. When you buy a Framework Desktop on the company’s website, you can select tile colors and patterns to create your own front panel.
In addition to the usual ports that you usually get with a mini-ITX mainboard, you’ll find Framework’s iconic expansion cards at the bottom of the device — two at the front, and two at the back. You can select between a wide range of modules, such as USB-C or USB-A ports, a headphone jack, an SD card reader, or even a storage expansion card.
Image Credits:FrameworkThe internals are quite simple: There’s the mainboard with AMD’s accelerated processing unit, a fan, a heat sink, a power supply, and two M.2 2280 NVMe SSD slots for storage.
AMD’s Strix Halo APU is soldered to the mainboard. Framework offers two different configurations — the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395. The top configuration comes with 16 CPU cores, 40 graphics cores, and 80MB of cache, while the entry-level configuration comes with 8 CPU cores, 32 graphics cores and 40MB of cache.
But where’s the RAM? That’s certainly going to be the most divisive design choice since Framework offers 32GB to 128GB of soldered-in RAM. You won’t be able to buy more RAM or upgrade it down the road.
“There is one place we did have to step away from PC norms though, which is on memory. To enable the massive 256GB/s memory bandwidth that Ryzen AI Max delivers, the LPDDR5x is soldered,” Framework CEO Nirav Patel wrote on the company’s blog.
“We spent months working with AMD to explore ways around this, but ultimately determined that it wasn’t technically feasible to land modular memory at high throughput with the 256-bit memory bus,” he added.
Nevertheless, having as much as 128GB of unified memory unlocks many possibilities when it comes to large language models. Llama 3.3 70B can run without any hiccup using Ollama, llama.cpp and other open-source tools for local AI workloads.
Other open-weight models from Mistral, Nous, Hermes or DeepSeek should also run fine. Framework also sells the mainboard without a case. For instance, the company has built a mini-rack with four Framework Desktop mainboards running in parallel for AI testing.
Image Credits:FrameworkThe base model of the Framework Desktop starts at $1,099, while the top-end version costs $1,999. Like other Framework computers, the company promises support for Windows as well as popular Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Fedora, or its gaming-focused cousin Bazzite.
Pre-orders are open now, but shipments will only start in early Q3 2025.
Romain Dillet is a Senior Reporter at TechCrunch. He has written over 3,000 articles on technology and tech startups and has established himself as an influential voice on the European tech scene. He has a deep background in startups, privacy, security, fintech, blockchain, mobile, social and media. With twelve years of experience at TechCrunch, he’s one of the familiar faces of the tech publication that obsessively covers Silicon Valley and the tech industry. In fact, his career started at TechCrunch when he was 21. Based in Paris, many people in the tech ecosystem consider him as the most knowledgeable tech journalist in town. Romain likes to spot important startups before anyone else. He was the first person to cover N26, Revolut and DigitalOcean. He has written scoops on large acquisitions from Apple, Microsoft and Snap. When he’s not writing, Romain is also a developer — he understands how the tech behind the tech works. He also has a deep historical knowledge of the computer industry for the past 50 years. He knows how to connect the dots between innovations and the effect on the fabric of our society. Romain graduated from Emlyon Business School, a leading French business school specialized in entrepreneurship. He has helped several non-profit organizations, such as StartHer, an organization that promotes education and empowerment of women in technology, and Techfugees, an organization that empowers displaced people with technology.
