Framework actually did it: I upgraded a laptop’s entire GPU in just three minutes

On Tuesday, I told you how the modular computer company Framework was finally fulfilling its promise of the “holy grail for gamers” — a laptop with modular, swappable discrete graphics cards so easy to swap, practically anyone can do it at home. The first futureproof gaming laptop, perhaps?

Today, I can confirm the system actually works. I traveled to Framework’s San Francisco offices to be the first journalist to upgrade an entire laptop graphics card, with my own hands, in just three minutes — including the time it took to reboot. I yanked an AMD Radeon RX 7700S video card out of the machine and plugged in a brand-new mobile Nvidia RTX 5070, with just six screws and using the pen-shaped screwdriver that comes included with the machine.

@vergeFramework did it: a laptop where end users can actually upgrade its GPU, and that GPU upgrade actually exists. You can even go from AMD to Nvidia. And before you tell me “MXM did it first,” watch me walk through the process with the Framework Laptop 16. When were laptop upgrades ever this easy? Just don’t expect top performance or a low price: you’re looking at $699 for an RTX 5070 8GB. #todayimtoyingwith #framework #laptop #diy #nvidia

♬ original sound – The Verge

And because seeing is believing, I filmed the whole thing to show you how quick and easy it was. (Hey veteran PC builders: this looks easier than MXM modules, right?)

This is the proof point we’ve been waiting for. It’s one thing to build a laptop that can swap its graphics card, and another thing entirely to actually get both Nvidia and AMD to actually deliver upgrades that fit.

Source: The Verge

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