It has been roughly one month since I started using my Framework Laptop 13 DIY Edition (AMD Ryzen™ 7040 Series) with Arch Linux. The following post is about my experiences.
Getting Started – Assembly
It was a bit like early Christmas when my Framework 13 arrived. Since I chose the DIY edition I knew I would have to assemble some of it. The package made a solid impression and everything was neatly packed.
With the DIY edition you receive the device partly preassembled. That means you have to insert storage and memory and thus the keyboard is not attached. Because of the keyboard not being pre-mounted, the bezel is also not attached yet and you have to attach it.
The assembly is quite simple, since the installation locations are marked. If you are unsure about anything I strongly recommend following the manufacturer’s guides.
Weak Spot
When I started attaching the bezel, I noticed that it would not fit fully on the bottom right corner. This also is the corner where the screen cables are located. The space is very narrow and you have to make sure that the cables are perfectly flat and fitting in order to attach the bezel correctly. Apart from that, everything went well.
Arch Linux
I used archinstall again to see how far I get. I chose the AMD graphics drivers and everything worked as expected and still does. I only had to install bluez-utils in order to get Bluetooth to work.
Conclusion
I like the keyboard with clearly separated keys and the screen ratio of 3:2, since code happens in the vertical dimension. The laptop is new and I can go a whole workday without charging (if I do not participate in lots of video calls 😉 ). The weak spot is something I stumbled upon during the assembly but so far I have no hardware issues and I open and close the laptop 4-6 times a day with an average usage of 6 days per week.
Regarding the pricing (I chose a 1TB SSD and 64GB memory) I think you can get a comparable setup for a cheaper price. But running on Arch (with Gnome) I wanted an option without extra dedicated GPU, because I had trouble with it in the past. In addition to this I like the company’s attitude towards repair and sustainability.
The Framework 13 is the so far best match for me being a lightweight device, that combines a simple design with the hardware specs I need as a fullstack web developer.
