Framework Desktop hands-on: a possible new direction for gaming desktops

is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget. Framework’s mission is to “fix consumer electronics, one category at a time” by making them modular, repairable, and upgradable. It’s the only laptop maker to ever truly succeed at that “upgradable” part. But desktop PCs are already modular, so why is Framework making one? At first, I thought it saw a unique opportunity to make a cute yet badass tiny gaming PC with AMD’s unusual Strix Halo processor and decided to shoot its shot. As you’ll read below, I’m excited by the result. But I also have another idea I’ll share with you afterward. Let’s start with the gadget part: yes, the tiny 4.5-liter gaming desktop that Framework announced yesterday is just as cool in person as it was in Framework’s photos, and yes, it can game. At first, I wasn’t sure we’d be able to meaningfully try that last part. Almost all the Framework Desktops ... Read full article.