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I’m not sure which I’m most excited about, the idea of a whole new kind of Framework machine, or the fact the company is actually going to make available a Strix Halo motherboard for us to tinker with. On the one hand, a small form factor Framework Desktop is a cute idea, though it is bringing the upgradeable, repairable ethos of its Framework 13 laptops to an area that admittedly is already pretty well served on that front.
But on the other… Strix Halo! We’ve been super-excited about this AMD-built beast of an APU prospect. It’s a proper Zen 4 chiplet processor, with up to 16 cores and up to 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units (CUs). It’s that last point that has our PC gaming hearts a-flutter because the Radeon 8060S is an integrated GPU beyond our wildest dreams.
Okay, maybe not our wildest dreams, given what AMD has created with the likes of the PlayStation 5’s chip, but still the sort of integrated graphics core which could give entry-level discrete GPUs an existential crisis.
Its problem, however, is one of both price and packaging. Right now, it’s being presented as a laptop processor. Or, even worse, in a monstrously expensive gaming tablet, in the form of the Asus ROG Flow Z13. It’s our experience with this bizarre device, and its slightly hobbled chip, that had us more convinced than ever that the Ryzen AI Max chips would look their best within a small form factor PC plugged into the mains.
And, as if it’s been listening to Jacob, Framework is set to deliver. Its Framework Desktop is a 4.5 liter machine which will ship with a mini-ITX standard motherboard inside it, rocking one of the new Ryzen AI Max processors. Being a desktop system allows Framework to jam the full 120 W of power through it, with 140 W of optional boosted grunt should you want to go all out.
There will be different options available from launch, with the bottom-end Ryzen AI Max 385 system starting at $1,099, going up to a beefy Ryzen AI Max+ 395 version—with a full 128 GB LPDDR5x—for $1,999. So yes, not exactly affordable then, but that is what we’re going to have to get used to with Strix Halo; it won’t have been a cheap chip to make.
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Though it is Framework, and it is all about customization, the memory is still going to be soldered onto the board whether you like it or not. “We spent months working with AMD to explore ways around this,” says Framework on the subject, “but ultimately determined that it wasn’t technically feasible to land modular memory at high throughput with the 256-bit memory bus. Because the memory is non-upgradeable, we’re being deliberate in making memory pricing more reasonable than you might find with other brands.”
You still get to customize your desktop, though, with Framework retaining the modular Expansion Card system to allow you to change up how you want your machine’s front panel to operate. And you can also have translucent side panels, too, because who doesn’t want to go retro Gameboy chic?
But, surely, desktops are already customizable, modular, and upgradeable? Framework does, in fact, address that point head-on: “They are,” notes Framework in its recent blog post. “We want to make this space as accessible as we possibly can by building a desktop that is simultaneously small and simple and incredibly powerful and customizable.”
It’s not really the customization that gets me with this announcement, though. One of the key things that does is that Framework isn’t just selling these DIY bundles—with case and cooling and memory and storage—you can also just opt to buy the mini-ITX Ryzen AI Max motherboard (with its soldered RAM) on its own. That way you can just bung it into that wee SFF case you have hanging around, or build it into your TV stand if you’re handy with a Dremel.
Pre-orders will open up from now, with expected delivery around the middle of the year. Framework is saying “early Q3” which should mean July/August. And I honestly cannot wait to see how these shape up, because I really want to play with a Strix Halo in desktop form.
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Kurt Indovina
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