The Framework Desktop made me fall for small form factor PCs

Framework has built a name for itself by taking the locked down world of laptops and making them modular, upgradable, and repairable. So it’s surprising — and maybe even controversial — the way that Framework has approached its first desktop: it’s made a PC that’s actually less modular than most.

Don’t worry; this isn’t a Mac Mini situation, where mere mortals are not meant to touch the innards of such a brilliant little computer. But it’s not a traditional small form factor PC, either.

The Framework Desktop is impressively small for what it offers. It’s around the size of a couple hardcover novels standing on your desk. Its black-and-silver case is just large enough to fit a mini-ITX motherboard, a cooler, and a power supply — plus two modular front ports and a customizable array of 21 plastic tiles on the front panel, just for fun. And its AMD Strix Halo APU is surprisingly powerful. Even the base configuration is capable of respectable gaming frame rates at 2.5K resolution, and the highest-end spec, with a more powerful processor and 128GB of shared memory, is enough to run beefy local large language models like Llama 3.3 70B.

Yes, you can buy or build a bigger, more powerful small-form-factor desktop, and it’ll actually be more upgradeable than the Framework. And if you just want a tiny desktop for the basics, there are plenty of brands offering cheaper prebuilts. But none of them are quite like the Framework Desktop. It’s a simple, compact computer that’s good enough for serious gaming or content creation and doesn’t come with a shred of bloatware. It’s incredibly easy to assemble (you don’t even have to apply thermal paste), competently powerful, and its design is endearing and unmistakably Framework.

Configurations and build quality

The Framework Desktop’s mainboard is built around AMD’s Strix Halo APU: a single, beefy chip that contains both CPU and graphics cores. The base config starts with a Ryzen AI Max 385 chip (8 CPU cores, 32 graphics cores) and 32GB of shared RAM for $1,099. The Max Plus 395 models (16 CPU cores, 40 graphics cores) come with 64GB or 128GB of RAM for $1,599 and $1,999, respectively. At each level, that price gets you the mainboard with a preinstalled cooler and Wi-Fi module, the case, and a 400W FlexATX power supply.

Adding a power cord, Cooler Master CPU fan, two modular front expansion cards, a Windows license, a 512GB SSD, and the requisite front-panel tiles, will run you at least $287 more. Of course, you can spend extra for more storage (which you should, given the size of modern games), a higher-end fan like a Noctua, or additional front-panel cards. Aside from Framework’s proprietary hot-swappable expansion cards, you can source all those components yourself if you already have them or find them cheaper elsewhere.

Our $1,600-ish review unit came with the Ryzen AI Max 385 mainboard, two 1TB SSDs, a base fan, optional carry handle (“coming soon”), translucent side panel, Windows 11 Pro, a power cord, and a variety of expansion cards and fun tiles for the front. Framework also sent the Max Plus 395 mainboard with 128GB of RAM (which can also be purchased separately for $1,699 to put into your own Mini-ITX case) and a third 1TB SSD, so I could benchmark the higher-spec config and try the DIY upgrade.

Like Framework’s DIY Editions for its Laptop 13 and Laptop 12, the Desktop is a partially prebuilt affair. You’re just installing the fan, up to two NVMe SSDs, two front expansion cards, front panel tiles, and attaching the carry handle (which I think is a must-buy for the fun of it, though it’s not yet available for order, and Framework has yet to confirm its price). The OS install will likely take you longer than the initial hardware setup.

Build quality is top-notch all around, and the shell and inner frame of the case are intuitively designed. It’s just big enough to hold the motherboard and power supply, with the 120mm CPU fan pulling in air through the perforated side panel and over the APU cooler’s large radiator, from which it exhausts from the rear panel. There’s also a spot for a 80mm fan under the front magnetic cover, if you favor a little more positive airflow.

The outer panels are plastic, but they’re securely fit with easily unlockable clips — just remove the top panel’s thumb screws and everything else easily unlocks by hand. The decorative front is attached magnetically, and its 21 interchangeable tiles easily pop out for simple rearranging. Inside the chassis, the included screwdriver with Torx and Philips heads are all you need to install / change out the fan, SSDs, and mainboard.

Framework’s step-by-step guide on swapping out mainboards was not available to me during our review period, but I figured it out on my own and changed from a 385 to the 395 in a little under an hour. That’s how well put together and logical the desktop’s chassis design is: if you’ve worked on PCs before (even if, like me, the last time you built one was 2013), then you can easily putz around and find your way. It was simple to remove the clearly labeled screws securing the board and top rail of the chassis frame. The CPU cooler and even the rear I/O shield are attached to the mainboard, so they all come out together. The only moment that gave me pause was realizing the Wi-Fi module mounted to the rear of the board — which I had to swap from one mainboard to the other — needed a fresh thermal pad, but luckily I had some extras from an old SSD enclosure.

Ryzen AI Max 385 / Max Plus 395 benchmark performance

I first tested the Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 APU in the Asus ROG Flow Z13. This is the chip that proved to me integrated graphics aren’t just a laughingstock — it could even hold its own in 2.5K gaming. But that was on a tablet, and this is a desktop PC, with a 400W power supply and much better cooling, and that makes a difference. The Framework Desktop’s lower-end 385 chip came close to or even beat the higher-end 395 chip in the ROG Flow Z13. Both its 385 and 395 chips bested the ROG Flow tablet in various game benchmarks, like Black Myth: Wukong and Cyberpunk 2077, despite the Asus still managing to take them in a few single-core tests like Geekbench and Cinebench.

In the Framework, the higher-end chip was 16 percent faster on average in gaming benchmarks than the lower end one. I don’t think that justifies spending an additional $500 if you’re interested in the Framework mainly as a small gaming rig. The top-end Strix Halo chip is billed by Framework as offering RTX 4070 laptop-level graphics performance without the need for a discrete GPU, and that bears out against our Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 tests from last year — which ran the RTX 4060, one rung below the 4070. Both the 385 and 395 Desktop mainboards handily beat The Verge’s perennial darling of a gaming laptop. The 385 falls just shy of matching the newer 2025 version of the Zephyrus G14 with an RTX 5060, while the 395 still edges it out. Impressive.

When it comes to actually playing games, you can expect solid frame rates at 2.5K (2560 x 1440 or 1600) resolution at low-to-medium settings, depending on the game. Your indies and live service games like Fortnite that work on most anything should run easily at high frame rates. I played a bunch of Elden Ring Nightreign on the Framework, and it ran just fine. FromSoftware games are not the best optimized titles, but I could play on the 385 mainboard with medium settings at 2560 x 1440 and stay in the 50fps range. Playing it on the 395 allowed a crisper 4K resolution at medium for a similar 50-or-slightly-below fps — or I could keep it at 2.5K and maintain the game’s 60fps ceiling.

I assumed indie breakout Peak would play great even at max settings at 4K, but I underestimated the resource demands of its big mountain. I had to keep Peak’s cartoony graphics set to medium, as well, but that ensured my comedic in-game falls were running well above 70fps to 80fps at 4K resolution. On the 395, I could push to high settings for about the same.

Outside of gaming, the Framework Desktop in any of its mainboard configurations is more than capable for everyday productivity stuff and my usual work. The fan often goes whisper quiet when multitasking across simple mixed-use tasks like messaging apps, working in a document, and listening to music or streaming a YouTube video with a bunch of Chrome tabs open. You’ll hear it spin up for some short stretches, but it quickly quiets back down until you’re doing something more intensive. And I’ve yet to encounter any thermal throttling that impacts performance. As much as I love laptops, a compact and quiet desktop that’s flush with ports is such a treat, especially when I can choose those front ports.

The Framework is also a solid mini workstation for creative apps. Both the 385 and 395 chips beat out the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 in our Premiere Pro 4K video export test. And the 395 board trailed the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Pro chip by just 21 seconds. The 395 and all that RAM spoiled me a bit when importing 60-megapixel RAW photos into Lightroom Classic. It zipped through that import and a quick light-touch edit without any noticeable slowdown — though the fan was quite audible.

The Framework Desktop vs. alternatives

I mentioned earlier that the Framework Desktop is actually less modular than most desktops. That has its benefits and its drawbacks. It uses a standard mini-ITX motherboard form factor, but because it uses a mobile APU with integrated memory, you can’t upgrade the chip or RAM without replacing the whole board. And you can’t upgrade the graphics, either; there’s no PCIe x16 slot, and while there’s an PCIe x4 connector, the default case doesn’t give you any room to use it.

The Strix Halo chip in the Framework Desktop is as good as integrated graphics get right now. If you want better gaming performance in a small form factor, you’ll need to get a traditional mini-ITX motherboard and find a 10- or 15-liter case that fits a desktop GPU and processor. But accommodating that GPU and a desktop CPU is a pain in the ass, from component selection to cable management to cooling. It’s no wonder that many owners give up and leave off side panels or just say “eff it” and cut holes in cases — they’ve even made a subreddit to commiserate.

With the Framework Desktop, you give up some of that potential in exchange for a desktop that’s dead simple to build and maintain. But it’s a truism that you can get more power for less money if you go bigger.

Even prebuilts in the $1,000 range rocking a low-to-mid 50-series desktop card are going to beat the Framework Desktop in games. Just look at this stormtrooper of an HP Omen 16L with an RTX 5060 Ti as an example. A 16-liter case is decently compact, and if you’re just looking for an affordable turn-key gaming machine, it’s likely a-ok. But 16L is more than three times the 4.5L Framework Desktop. And many prebuilt machines are notorious for cutting corners or having limitations to what further upgrades you can put into them.

When it comes to desktops the size of the Framework or smaller, you’re in Asus NUC and Mac Mini territory. There are also thin clients, like the Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny, but they are more enterprise-focused, with modest specs. And several other small-form-factor Strix Halo desktops are beginning to crop up. HP already has its Z2 Mini G1a that’s smaller than the Framework, and Corsair recently announced an upcoming AI Workstation 300, but none of these are upgradeable like the Framework Desktop.

The Framework Desktop is an adorably fun PC that makes building and owning a small form factor computer dead easy. Sure, it can’t stack up to the performance of full-size builds, small form factor gaming PCs with discrete GPUs, or prebuilts in the same price range. However, it’s a unique alternative if you want a tiny PC for lighter / 2.5K gaming, media creation, or running local AI models. Like a lot of Framework stuff, it’s slightly niche, there’s nothing else quite like it, and though it’s affordable-ish, you’re still paying a bit of a premium compared to more conventional alternatives.

Having such a tiny thing sit on my desk and deliver solid gaming performance got me to start rethinking my neverending pursuit of higher graphical fidelity. Do I really need to endure the constant fan noise of a gaming laptop or worry about a power-hungry GPU in a full-size desktop adding to my monthly electricity bill? Maybe a fun little machine that delivers good enough graphics is, well, good enough.

Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge