It’s funny, I’ve had this laptop post laying in my draft bin for about half a year now. Apparently that was long enough for the AI industry to completely fuck the consumer electronics market, making most of what I had written null and void.

I’m glad I bought this laptop when I did because two months later just the SSD and RAM I put in there went on to eclipse the value of the DIY laptop kit itself.

It’s a Framework 13, a user-serviceable/ user-first laptop, built around the concept of right to repair and e-waste reduction.

I’m really quite happy with it. It’s a relief to know that regardless of what breaks on this computer I’m always just a few button presses away from ordering replacement parts that I myself can install with just a screwdriver.

The four ports are also swappable so you can carry exactly the ports you need with you without having to pack a dongle. It also breaks the inexpensive expansion card instead of the port on your motherboard in the event of a cable snag.