What Happened

In 2023, I a new laptop that should hopefully a while. While looking at my options, I was seduced by Framework’s promise of a repairable and upgradable laptop that supports Linux out-of-the-box without weird driver issues, option to assemble the laptop myself1 I want separately2, .

Naturally, I reached out to Framework support, unplug the laptop, let the battery drain, afterwards, hoping the laptop would recover by itself. Unfortunately, , and after giving Framework a bunch of information, they informed 1-year warranty has expired, I have no option but to purchase a new Framework motherboard, $500.

A quick search revealed that many people had issues with BIOS flashes with this specific BIOS update on the Framework forums, warranty, and on a different thread, people have been having similar issues with BIOS flashing in general 2025. To my knowledge, Framework has never acknowledged offered any indication that the problem was fixed, so buying a new motherboard would simply be playing Russian roulette if I ever wanted to update , spending CA$500+ through .

Thus, I opted against buying a new motherboard and embarked upon a journey myself. I documented this journey in excruciating detail so that hopefully, by following along, you’ll understand exactly similar problems.

Why It Matters

As such, my options are effectively limited to the 13” thin-and-light laptops without a discrete GPU. , performance department, so I decided .

There were a plethora of 13” thin-and- laptops , but since I didn’t laptop right away, I figured I something new.

, Framework was a relative newcomer on the laptop scene, promising a repairable and upgradable experience, along with swappable ports. I rather locked manufacturer decided laptop, and I wanted more upgradability also. It definitely helped -party support and no requirement to run patched kernels or anything .

Furthermore, Framework was a very big proponent repair movement, and I strongly believe that laptops should be repairable, like desktops, thrown away after a minor problem, so I also wanted to support .

What Comes Next

So I looked premium for Framework, ’t actually expensive once I edition, sourced , and skipped the pointless Windows licence. With another laptop brand, I either lowest upgrade 32 1 I wanted, or pay a premium for the manufacturer .

So I decided -ordered a Framework laptop, and it finally arrived a few months anticipation. I simply slotted , connected , screwed it in, installed the bezels, . It honestly felt a bit anti-climactic for a DIY laptop. I a Debian netinst USB drive, and I .

, I actually had a relatively nice experience, 5 7640U with Radeon 760M Graphics was still plenty I needed the laptop to do. There was definitely upgrade, though I could, in theory.

I’ updates on Framework through fwupdmgr update, annoyance of rebooting the laptop and waiting like ten minutes updater to finish flashing, nothing happened.

From: Framework <support@frame.work> Subject: Software update for your Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen™ 7040 Series) - BIOS 3.20

We have a BIOS update for your Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen™ 7040 Series). We recommend always installing the latest version drivers system secure, stable, and running at high performance.

current BIOS version, details on the updates, and always get access to the latest software on the Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen 7040 Series) downloads page.

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