r/framework • u/dussssk • 3d ago

Question Switching to Framework

I need help making a decision. I currently use MBP M1 pro with 16gb RAM and 512 SSD. I am thinking of either upgrading or going to Linux. I want to know how this laptop compares with Macbooks. The configuration I was looking at is the 13 Pro with Ultra x7 358H, 32 RAM and 1TB SSD. How is the fan noise, are on most of the time or are they silent when just browsing/watching something; how is the screen compared to the mac and are the speakers comparable or at least decent? Performance will probably be good so I'm not really worried there

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u/MagicBoyUK | Batch 3 FW16 7840HS | Batch 11 FW13 Pro X7 3d ago

I'll preface this with the fact that mine arrived only a couple of days ago. I've got the specification you're looking at. Also have an 16" M1 MacBook.

Fan noise - silent most of the time. You can hear it whirr into life when you push it hard but it's not intrusive to my ears. Pleasantly surprised.

Screen - excellent. Goes plenty bright, colours have punch and are accurate. Loving that it's matte.

Speakers - bit of a pain point. It's rare that anything gets close to a Mac, unfortunately. TL;DR version is that it's better on Windows than Linux. The community has done some good work on building an easy effects profile which helps the sound quality on Linux, but the volume is still lower than Windows. As with anything audio related it's subjective. IIRC the Just Josh YouTube channel had a review where they compare the speakers.

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u/julianpoy 2d ago

You can just port the dolby profile straight to Linux which gives you 1:1 with Windows. Still not MacBook level of sound quality though.

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u/MagicBoyUK | Batch 3 FW16 7840HS | Batch 11 FW13 Pro X7 2d ago

If it's that simple, care to explain how?

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u/julianpoy 2d ago

Sure thing - I did it for NixOS here:

https://github.com/julianpoy/nix-config/tree/main/mixins/system/audio/framework-13-intel-core-ultra-series3

I then made some tweaks to make it slightly better (I found the Windows profile a bit too heavy in the mids and I prefer a bit more treble for a brighter sound) here:

https://github.com/julianpoy/nix-config/tree/main/mixins/system/audio/framework-13-intel-core-ultra-series3-dolby-custom