What's new in Framework Laptop 16 2025?
The new RTX 5070 GPU is the best hardware update Framework has introduced this year.
Andrew Cunningham
The new RTX 5070 GPU is the best hardware update Framework has introduced this year.
Andrew Cunningham
The Framework says that the new GPU module (below) and second-generation versions of the Radeon RX 7700S GPU have a different fan and cooling design than the old GPU module (above).
Andrew Cunningham
The Framework says that the new GPU module (below) and second-generation versions of the Radeon RX 7700S GPU have a different fan and cooling design than the old GPU module (above).
Andrew Cunningham
The new RTX 5070 GPU is the best hardware update Framework has introduced this year.
Andrew Cunningham
The Framework says that the new GPU module (below) and second-generation versions of the Radeon RX 7700S GPU have a different fan and cooling design than the old GPU module (above).
Andrew Cunningham
An upgraded motherboard and new graphics module form the basis of this year's Laptop 16 update. The motherboard moves from AMD Ryzen 7040 series processors to AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chips. These are the same processors that Framework supplied in laptop 13 earlier this yearalthough they should run a little faster on the Laptop 16 due to the larger heatsink and dual-fan cooling system.
Along with upgrading Zen 4-based CPU cores to Zen 5 cores, the Ryzen AI series includes an updated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) that's fast enough to earn Microsoft's acclaim. Copilot+ PC Label. These PCs have access to some of Windows 11's unique artificial intelligence and machine learning features (yes, Revokebut not only Recall) that are processed locally and not in the cloud. If you don't care about these features, you can just ignore them, but if you do, this is the first version of the Laptop 16 to support them.
Most of the other specs and features of the new motherboard are very similar to the first generation version; There are two SO-DIMM slots for DDR5-5600 memory up to 96 GB, one M.2 2280 slot for the main system SSD and one M.2 2230 slot for an additional SSD. Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth connectivity is provided by an AMD RZ717 Wi-Fi card, which, at least in theory, can be replaced with something faster if desired.
The more interesting upgrade, however, may be the GeForce RTX 5070 GPU. For the first time, the Framework offers an Nvidia product—all other GPUs are made by either Intel or AMD—and this gives the new 16 laptop access to Nvidia technologies like DLSS and CUDA, as well as significantly improved performance in games with ray-traced lighting effects.
However, those hoping for truly high-end graphics for the 16 laptop will have to wait. The laptop version of the RTX 5070 is actually the same chip as the desktop version of the RTX 5060: a $300 graphics card with 8GB of RAM. Even though it adds 16 to the laptop, it still won't let you get anywhere near 4K resolution in most modern games, and for some it may even struggle to take full advantage of the internal 165Hz 1600p screen. Professional workloads (including AI workloads) that require more graphics memory won't be able to handle the mobile 5070 either.
