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NovaCustom – Framework Laptop alternative focusing on privacy

https://novacustom.com/
23•CHEF-KOCH•4h ago

Comments

necovek•4h ago
This seems to have nothing similar to what Framework laptop offers.

The main (only?) selling point for NovaCustom is open source coreboot firmware and disabling of Intel ME.

I'd like to see Framework laptop with these features, but those two features do not make a Framework alternative.

zamalek•2h ago
I took a poke around their website and it looks like you can purchase a motherboard. It seems this exists somewhere between the mainstream and Framework: a regular laptop with right to repair.

NVIDIA, though? We are still a good few months, or years, away from attempting to seriously use NVIDIA and Linux in the same sentence without looking like a complete idiot.

rpdillon•1h ago
I'm not sure what you're talking about here. I am a customer of System76 several times over. I just purchased a laptop for my 15-year-old that runs Pop_OS and has an NVIDIA card, and he has been doing both AI on it as well as high-end gaming, all is zero assistance from me in getting things set up. I also worked on self-driving cars and maintained fleets of hundreds of machines with H100s, all running Ubuntu.

I don't feel like a complete idiot, but now you're making me wonder. What's your experience been?

AlotOfReading•40m ago
My Linux system has a nasty little bug in the card audio ouput system that results in dropped audio when there's too much bus traffic. That's a direct result of Nvidia issues deep in the stack. And of course, Nvidia's automotive division is infuriating to work with.

Good Linux support though.

fsflover•1h ago
> The main (only?) selling point for NovaCustom is open source coreboot firmware and disabling of Intel ME.

Also it's officially certified to run Qubes OS.

horsellama•3h ago
finally a vendor that allows the customization of the super key

and also ships with nvidia gpu

I might have found a new laptop…

stavros•2h ago
Don't Frameworks ship with QMK now, allowing you to customize the entire keyboard at the hardware level?
horsellama•2h ago
oh yes, they do

but I meant the actual sticker on the keycap (very silly requirement, I know)

haiku2077•1h ago
Framework offers either a Windows logo or the Framework logo
umbra07•59m ago
16s do, but not the 13s.
cosmic_cheese•2h ago
I don’t mean to minimize the company’s role in their offerings, but are these rebadged Clevo/Tongfang/etc laptops? There’s a place for those but that would make NovaCustom more comparable to system76 or Tuxedo than Framework, which designs their own hardware.
Fire-Dragon-DoL•2h ago
I think system76 is now designing their own hardware too?
cosmic_cheese•2h ago
As far as I know, for models currently on sale that applies only to their desktops (which are cool, but considerably more niche since people interested in desktops are likely to build their own), with their laptops being Clevos.
Fire-Dragon-DoL•1h ago
Ah I see!
antif•33m ago
I’d wish custom development could be minimized and everyone instead assembled next generation systems using the best open, standardized, and reusable parts.. which then could be sourced or salvaged on almost any continent. Just a wish.
getcrunk•2h ago
Yea I don’t like trying to ride the frame work tailwinds, but wow modern hardware with modern nvidia gpu that supports core boot and heads? The only thing missing is a stellar company reputation that inspires trust
princevegeta89•2h ago
I don't understand... what is the privacy concern with Framework Laptops? All hardware used is transparent and replacable. Software is the user's choice, and many users go for Linux. It is as transparent as you can make an OS to be.

What am I missing here..?

SlowTao•2h ago
* puts on cynical hat * I suspect it is most just marketing. Privacy can help you sell even if it is no better than what a lot of people are doing.

Using open boot and a neutered Intel ME is a good start but nothing too unique nowadays.

Also at this point hardware privacy is all well and good but if you are going to dump stock Windows 11 on it, well it is called Windows for a reason, lets all your data out of one.

fsflover•1h ago
The problem is Intel Management Engine, which is disabled in NovaCustom.
ementally•30m ago
https://4fa2b80c.privsec-dev-2oz.pages.dev/posts/knowledge/l...

>Framework. vPro Enterprise Framework devices actually meet HSI level 4, but they unfortunately do not handle firmware updates properly. They have not shipped a single firmware for their 13th generation over a year since its release date, and over 6 months since the disclosure of LogoFail. While they do ship some updates for other devices, how they have been handling so far is not acceptable if you need a secure device.

speedgoose•2h ago
A maximum of 8GB vRAM in 2025 is quite limiting. You can only run the smallest large language models on those laptops.
SlowTao•2h ago
Maybe this laptop is not for you then. That's cool.

But if you don't need to run LLM's these will be fine.

speedgoose•1h ago
Yes I guess some could also be fine with a privacy focused mechanical typewriter.

When Apple and AMD sell very descent laptop hardware (M4 or Ryzen AI Max), I find the Intel/Nvidia combo with only 8GB a bit conservative.

mgerdts•2h ago
I’m confused how a premium priced laptop comes with an NVMe drive that uses host memory buffer (HMB) rather than having sufficient RAM on the drive. At Amazon, a better drive like a WD SN850x costs 25% less than the GOODRAM drive they include.
demarq•1h ago
This really has no bearing to the framework laptop. Great project though!
transpute•31m ago
Which laptop vendors have an option to fully disable Intel ME?

  - Clevo ODM laptops with coreboot (OEM: NovaCustom, Purism, System76)
  - Some (?) pricy Dell Rugged laptops, at purchase time 
  - Some (?) standard HP business laptops, via BIOS

A reverse-delta backup strategy – obvious idea or bad idea?

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