Thermals and energy consumption are almost always improving between generations. It's hard for me to think of 13th generation as old. Maybe I'm getting old!

Meanwhile the HX370 is still warm from the oven and already in the FW13, linux drivers aren't even ready yet with compatibility complaints aplenty. Not to mention the FW Desktop with the AI Max which was the first launch of that chipset worldwide.

Here's there's no choice to be made other than not using the chips. And unfortunately (although there are some benefits), it's probably not going to be just a few generations but a trend for high end processors going forward.

That brings me to my second point: if the wifi chip's what's holding you back there's nothing stopping you from replacing it.

I suspect it's actually quite difficult to build an entirely modular laptop to work with several operating systems while supporting the latest components, and be void of any driver issues.

I have a beefy desktop, but if I replace my laptop I think it will probably be a thinkpad.

Tldr it might be more of a firefox problem than a framework problem.

Based on https://frame.work/linux Ubuntu 24.04 is the minimum supported version for the older AMD F13's, so I'd suggest updating and then reaching out to Framework if the problem persists on a supported distro.

Disabling this feature mostly works, but results in poor performance for some graphics heavy websites.

I also had a lot of issues with my AMD framework laptop and ended up reverting back to a older Intel Framework laptop. Top issues with the AMD laptop were the realtek wireless, and random AMD (integrated) GPU glitches. Intel hardware continues to be absolutely top tier for Linux support.

Many of the knocks against it (small size, cheap plastic case, small battery) work in its favor by keeping it light enough to use as a tablet. The battery, RAM, and SSD are all serviceable. I see them on eBay frequently for as little as $20-40 each in lots or $50-70 standalone.

The 10" Lenovo Duet Chromebook tablets are a close second but don't age as well and can't be realistically repaired or upgraded.

The regular surface devices (and ipads and android tablets) that are tablet-devices first with flimsy detachable keyboards are fine if you have a table to set them on, but difficult to use on your lap, and often have a mediocre typing experience.

And, on the flip side, you get devices like this where the keyboard stays attached and folds around behind the screen. It can be good for certain use cases, but it's clearly meant to be a laptop first, and it's "tablet mode" is inevitably going to be more cumbersome than a "real" tablet.

I doubt there's any perfect solution, TBH.

Yes, Framework is more expensive....the first time. But from then on (and for the 13, this is now 3 or 4 generations I believe), buying a new mainboard with a latest gen chip is going to be the cheapest you can get those specs for. Yeah, a used laptop might still be cheaper, but it won't be the same specs, and if used is what you want, you can probably get a used mainboard from the last gen that someone else is upgrading from for even cheaper.

Unless you are someone who thrashes their laptops so hard that you expect to need to replace not just the mainboard, but also the screen, keyboard and chasis, then framework represents by far the cheapest way to keep getting new laptop specs into the future.

I'm not even someone who upgrades laptops very often (every 5 years or so, historically), and even on that schedule, and I still thing that long term it will be cheaper. If you are someone who upgrades more often, then it makes an even bigger difference.

Again, to be clear, I think there are very valid reasons that a Framework might not be the right laptop for someone. I just thing that thinking about the one-time purchase price of the entire laptop is completely missing the entire point of Framework.

For starters, they've always gone with soldered RAM for both physical size and performance reasons (RAM speed matters more with integrated graphics, and soldered RAM can go faster that socketed RAM.)

Additionally, I don't think there's enough space for a reasonable number of ports via expansion cards. Even in the larger 8-inch-screen models, I think 4 expansion slots would be very difficult, whereas the current 7-inch models have 5-8 ports. (I think some of the MicroPC models had a handful of fixed ports + one modular expansion slot, so maybe they could change that one to a framework-compatible design?)

To their credit, GPD has offered motherboard upgrades in the past when a refreshed design is otherwise compatible. But there are often changes in ports or layout or cooling design that make that impossible.