This is ostensibly more of a workstation/dev thing. The integrated GPU is more or less like a very power efficient laptop 4070/4080 with unlimited VRAM, depending on which APU you pick, and the CPU is very fast, with desktop Ryzen CCDs but double the memory bandwidth of what even an 9800 X3D has. In that sense, it’s a steal compared to Nvidia DIGITs or an Apple M4 Max, and Mini PC makers alternatives haven’t really solidified yet.
I think Framework knows they can’t compete with a $900 Walmart laptop and the crazy bulk pricing/corner cutting they do, nor can they price/engineer things (with the same bulk discounts) at the higher end like a ROG Z13/G14.
So… this kinda makes sense to me. They filled a gap where OEMs are enshittifying things, which feels very framework to me.
The integrated GPU is more or less like a very power efficient laptop 4070/4080 with unlimited VRAM
I’d love to see some benchmarks comparing the two. I don’t believe that this integrated GPU is able to hold a candle to a laptop’s 4070, but I’d love to be proven wrong. It also looks, per the words of the article, the CPU with performance comparable to a “mid-range” laptop GPU (think xx60s) will cost $2000. Literally paying twice the fucking price as a laptop with a 4070. This is a complete scam.
As far as CPU speed goes, couldn’t people simply choose whatever CPU they want when building their computer without paying the “framework tax”? Are you trying to claim there’s something “special” about this CPU like the PS3’s cell processor?
Are you trying to claim there’s something “special” about this CPU like the PS3’s cell processor?
There is. It’s a 16-core desktop CPU kinda like Ryzen, but hooked up to an IO die with very fast (8533MHz) quad channel memory. It’s more like a small, power efficient threadripper CPU, if you want to look at it that way, and that is a $2K+ platform.
But that IO die has a 40 CU GPU (compared to 12 CUs for the previous highest end IGP, or 8 for the Steam Deck), so yeah, somewhere in the ballpark of a 4070, or (to be more accurate than my previous guess) the 4060 at the lower end of SKUs.
But the real appeal isn’t “magic”: its like an Apple M Pro or Mac, a decent GPU hooked up to a huge pool of reasonably fast VRAM without having to pay freaking $4000+ for a Quadro or A100. Workstation people are going crazy over this thing.
I’d buy it at the drop of a hat for workstation stuff. I also have some friends who want one as a home server, since it’s so powerful but power efficient, and more modular/repairable than some Chinese mini PC.
For $2000, you and your friends could be getting better hardware.
I’m sorry, this is a product for suckers. Anyone who buys this has more money than sense. It’s just a fact of life.
It’s okay if you don’t realize this now, but hopefully one day you will. It’s alright to be wrong and taken for a ride. We’ve all been there, including me. It’s part of why I’m so keen on identifying bullshit like this now; I’ve seen it before and will continue to see it again.
I’m sorry, this is a product for suckers. Anyone who buys this has more money than sense. It’s just a fact of life.
There’s literally no better hardware. If I want 48Gb+ vram for $2000, it’s literally a bank of ancient, power sucking Tesla P40s or this… there’s nothing else because Nvidia/AMD price gouge everything else. Heck, the used 24GB 3090 I bought has skyrocketed in price. I’d still be paying l$1500+ for a bare minimum 3090 system now.
I’d love to be wrong, but the GPU market is totally fucked.
This is ostensibly more of a workstation/dev thing. The integrated GPU is more or less like a very power efficient laptop 4070/4080 with unlimited VRAM, depending on which APU you pick, and the CPU is very fast, with desktop Ryzen CCDs but double the memory bandwidth of what even an 9800 X3D has. In that sense, it’s a steal compared to Nvidia DIGITs or an Apple M4 Max, and Mini PC makers alternatives haven’t really solidified yet.
I think Framework knows they can’t compete with a $900 Walmart laptop and the crazy bulk pricing/corner cutting they do, nor can they price/engineer things (with the same bulk discounts) at the higher end like a ROG Z13/G14.
So… this kinda makes sense to me. They filled a gap where OEMs are enshittifying things, which feels very framework to me.
I’d love to see some benchmarks comparing the two. I don’t believe that this integrated GPU is able to hold a candle to a laptop’s 4070, but I’d love to be proven wrong. It also looks, per the words of the article, the CPU with performance comparable to a “mid-range” laptop GPU (think xx60s) will cost $2000. Literally paying twice the fucking price as a laptop with a 4070. This is a complete scam.
As far as CPU speed goes, couldn’t people simply choose whatever CPU they want when building their computer without paying the “framework tax”? Are you trying to claim there’s something “special” about this CPU like the PS3’s cell processor?
There is. It’s a 16-core desktop CPU kinda like Ryzen, but hooked up to an IO die with very fast (8533MHz) quad channel memory. It’s more like a small, power efficient threadripper CPU, if you want to look at it that way, and that is a $2K+ platform.
But that IO die has a 40 CU GPU (compared to 12 CUs for the previous highest end IGP, or 8 for the Steam Deck), so yeah, somewhere in the ballpark of a 4070, or (to be more accurate than my previous guess) the 4060 at the lower end of SKUs.
But the real appeal isn’t “magic”: its like an Apple M Pro or Mac, a decent GPU hooked up to a huge pool of reasonably fast VRAM without having to pay freaking $4000+ for a Quadro or A100. Workstation people are going crazy over this thing.
I’d buy it at the drop of a hat for workstation stuff. I also have some friends who want one as a home server, since it’s so powerful but power efficient, and more modular/repairable than some Chinese mini PC.
For $2000, you and your friends could be getting better hardware.
I’m sorry, this is a product for suckers. Anyone who buys this has more money than sense. It’s just a fact of life.
It’s okay if you don’t realize this now, but hopefully one day you will. It’s alright to be wrong and taken for a ride. We’ve all been there, including me. It’s part of why I’m so keen on identifying bullshit like this now; I’ve seen it before and will continue to see it again.
There’s literally no better hardware. If I want 48Gb+ vram for $2000, it’s literally a bank of ancient, power sucking Tesla P40s or this… there’s nothing else because Nvidia/AMD price gouge everything else. Heck, the used 24GB 3090 I bought has skyrocketed in price. I’d still be paying l$1500+ for a bare minimum 3090 system now.
I’d love to be wrong, but the GPU market is totally fucked.