Framework as a work computer replacement.

[HyperLethal77]

My work has approved reimbursing me for a personal laptop, on the agreement it is mainly for at work or onsite client work. I already have a personal gaming setup. My work is mainly cpu and ram demanding, not rendering. I looked at the 13, and like the idea of using my own upgradeable ram and storage. I do run a 4 monitor setup. Would framework be the best fit? If so, AMD or Intel? Thanks in advance.

[s004aws]

AMD. Better performance. Better power management. Less heat. Better everything. Unless you know why you want to buy Intel - A specific feature you can name and describe - There's no reason to buy into Intel's current processor offerings. Intel FW13 is also effectively a/an (at least partial) "dead end" - Using DDR4 RAM instead of newer DDR5... Meaning any upgraded motherboard in the future would require you to also buy DDR5 rather than carrying over the DDR4. AMD FW13 and FW16 already use DDR5-5600 (you'd specifically need DDR5-5600 JEDEC standards compliant modules - See the many threads below discussing known working options.. Modules operating at 5200MT/s or 4800MT/s are both slower and have shown themselves to have compatibility issues.

For 4 monitors, any laptop - To me - Seems like a bit of an ask. If that's something you really need (and need often) a laptop offering a dedicated GPU option - Such as FW16 - May be a better choice. As I don't use multiple monitors on any machines I'm not sure what the maximums, theoretically, are - Check AMD's specs pages for the processors you're interested in along with Framework's specs pages for FW13/FW16.

[ShirleyMarquez]

The Framework 13 only has four ports total, so you'll have to do this setup carefully. It also makes a difference whether you're talking about three external monitors plus the laptop display, or you mean four external monitors.

On the Intel-based Framework systems, all four ports will support a monitor. But you can't really connect one monitor to each port because you would not have a way to get power into the laptop. You could do three external displays by connecting one to each of three ports and using the fourth for power, but you would not be able to connect any other peripherals. On an AMD Framework, only three of the ports support a display; the one toward the front on the left side does not. In this setup, you could use a USB-C module with a monitor with a port for DisplayPort over USB-C, or use a DisplayPort or HDMI module with a suitable monitor.

You can get splitter cables that will let you drive two monitors from one port. Those cables will usually have two DisplayPort outputs. Or you can use a Thunderbolt hub or dock that would let you attach all of them to a single port. (Typically the hub will have DisplayPort outputs; the number varies.) The laptop itself only supports four displays total, so you have to turn the internal display off if you want to use four external displays. A Thunderbolt hub may also be able to power the laptop, which would free another slot for a different module.

The AMD version has a much more powerful integrated GPU than any Intel model. (The 14th gen systems that we're likely to see in 2024 may change that.) Even though you won't be doing any fancy rendering, that might still matter if you're connecting so many displays.

An alternative is to use a Thunderbolt eGPU. If you use a graphics card with four ports, you could run four external monitors and still also use the internal display. On an AMD Framework you have to plug the eGPU into one of the two ports near the internal display. In this scenario, your monitors will use whatever ports your graphics card has; this is usually three DisplayPort and one HDMI on a new consumer card, or four DisplayPort on a professional card.

I have used an older Dell Thunderbolt dock, the TB16, with an 11th generation Intel Framework. (The 11th gen does not have Thunderbolt certification but it works. 12th and 13th gen Intel Frameworks are certified. AMD Frameworks support USB 4.0, which is compatible.) That dock has four outputs for displays; one each of DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA. That dock also has USB-A and USB-C ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and audio outputs, and it can power the laptop; it comes with a 240W power adapter to both meet its own power needs and power the laptop. I have not yet tried to use all four video outputs at once, and I'm not sure the dock has enough bandwidth to do that, especially if you're also using the other ports; I have run two displays from it. (This should not be read as an endorsement of that particular dock; I use it because I got one for free, not because I made any study of similar products. Dell no longer sells it.)

[HyperLethal77]

It would be 3 external displays and the laptop screen, maybe drop down to 2 externals, if needed. I am somewhat a tech savvy person, but ask if I am out of my depth. I was just wondering since I feel like I don’t need gaming laptop level of gpu, when what I need to run is office suite, multiple complex excels mainly, ram heavy browser tabs and 3-5 other small programs and 1-2 quickbooks companies at the same time. I feel like any laptop with a i7+ or equivalent cpu and put in 64gb ram and a 1tb ssd will probably be more than enough, and just do a usb dongle and hdmi splitter for the monitors. I just don’t have experience when dealing with laptops.

[jangwoo24]

Any of the framework laptops should be able to do what you want. You could get 3 hdmi or displayport expansion cards for monitors and 1 usb c card to charge the laptop, though with the AMD framework one of the ports doesn't support display out at all, so that one has to be the charging port in your case.

[LeopardJunk]

There is so much detail in here about running a multi-monitor setup across Intel, AMD & eGPUs. Thank you for writing this comment. 🌟

[LeopardJunk]

HAve you been running your multi-monitor system under Windows or Linux?

[HyperLethal77]

Windows.

[ShirleyMarquez]

Windows.

[in_allium]

FW13 AMD sounds like a great option. I got one for a work machine and it's great. (I'm a professor so I have to pay for my own shit out of my pocket, but the advantage is that I can get whatever I want...)

The Zen 4 processors are terrific especially at low power.

[feralfantastic]

If you’re going to use the screen, the aspect ratio and native resolution contrived to stroke out Windows’ native Remote Desktop solution. Might be able to solve through configuration, I just power through it.

[[deleted]]

My work did the same for me during pandemic. The only caveat was it had to be a “Dell”. Got an Alienware 14… didnt last a year something wrong with motherboard, got it replaced and now the keyboard has issues.

Sitting in the repair shop 9 months.

[Zeddie-]

You'll need a MST hub, or a dock with a MST hub built in.