Framework made a modular desktop PC with gaming chops

Framework, the company known for its laptops made with with modular componentry and hot-swappable ports (including a fully-featured modular gaming laptop), is getting into the desktop game. The Framework Desktop is Mini-ITX machine built in a 4.5 L case, aimed directly at the hearts of small-form-factor enthusiasts. Starting at $1,099, the Desktop features a AMD Ryzen AI Max chip that offers promising gaming performance (with integrated graphics, no less), but I’m really all about that case.

Framework’s Desktop case is customizable, both in terms of the two expansion ports that you can install on its front (supporting modules like DisplayPort, 3.5mm audio, microSD, Ethernet, and more) as well as the 21 eye-catching tiles that you can arrange to find the look you’re after. You can get a handle for the Desktop, letting you carry it around.

In terms of hardware inside of the case, Framework’s Mainboard (which is available on its own for $799, if you already have a Mini-ITX case that you like) is unusual for a desktop motherboard. That’s because it’s essentially a laptop board. It doesn’t have a PCIe 4.0 slot with 16 lanes for a dedicated GPU. Both the $1,099 and $1,999 versions of the Desktop have AMD Ryzen AI Max chips with integrated graphics. The high-end Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 in the $1,999 machine can enable “1440p or higher gaming on the heaviest titles,” according to Framework, but I’d expect less from the AI Max 385 in the cheaper configuration.

Also, the Desktop’s RAM is soldered on, a move done to enable “the massive 256 GB/s memory bandwidth that Ryzen AI Max delivers,” according to Framework. So, while some components in this machine are modular, the Mainboard has very little that you can change post-purchase — much like a Apple Mac Pro desktop, but significantly cheaper.

Framework’s Desktop supports Windows 11, along with Linux, plus Bazzite, the OS used on Windows handheld PCs as a stand-in for SteamOS until Valve officially supports more devices beyond its Steam Deck.

In other Framework news, it announced a revised version of its Laptop 13 with AMD’s new Ryzen AI 300 Series processors, which the company touts as being great for gaming. The machine starts at $899 and boasts several improvements over the previous version of the Laptop 13, though notably, the Mainboard for this new revision (available by itself for $449) can be installed in Laptop 13 models going back to 2021. Simply swapping out the board is a great way to get more out of your pre-existing machine.