One thing that the Framework Laptop does better than some of the other best laptops is the way that you can upgrade it. Sure, there are a lot of great upgradeable laptops, but Framework does it best since you can upgrade the main board, strip the laptop down to its bare parts, and swap out components following online guides very easily. Gaming on the Framework Laptop 13, though, is a complicated situation. None of the current Framework Laptop models are good for gaming, as they don't have a GPU. The future Framework Laptop 16 will have that option, but its release date is quite a while away.
Why the Framework Laptop 13 isn't good for gaming
The Framework Laptop 13 isn't good for gaming because it lacks a dedicated GPU. The Framework Laptop 13 with Intel CPU has integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics. These integrated graphics are built into the CPU, so the performance isn't the best. While you launch and play games, your laptop will use both the CPU and integrated graphics at the same time, causing poor frame rates in games. For a better gaming experience you can connect an external GPU, which has a dedicated graphics card, to your laptop over the USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port. We suggested one for you below.
Sonnet eGPU Breakaway Box 750ex
This is a stylish GPU enclosure. It has 750W PSU and can provide 475W to your GPU during peak loads (375W continuous), plus 100W to your laptop.
On the other side of things, the Framework Laptop 13 with AMD CPU also has integrated graphics. This version, though, has much better performance for light gaming thanks to the advancements in AMD's Zen 4 CPU architecture. The chips are build on the 4nm process, so they're high performance, and efficient, handling up to 28W of performance. The chips also have AMD Radeon 700M integrated graphics, which is based on RDNA-3 technology, with 8 compute units, or 12 compute units on models with the Ryzen 7 CPU. You can check our review of the HP Dragonfly Pro review for more on what to expect from these new graphics.
The Framework Laptop 16 is coming
Right now, the best way to game on the Framework Laptop 13 is if you buy the model with AMD CPU. Even then, you're not going to get the same frames and gameplay experience as you might on a system with a dedicated GPU. So, we suggest waiting for the Framework Laptop 16, should you want a Framework Laptop with better gaming performance. It's coming later this year, and will be a fully reconfigurable system with modular, upgradeable graphics. A lot about the system is unknown right now, but you can follow the Framework blog for updates.
Framework Laptop 13
- Operating System
- None, Windows 11 Home, Windows 11 Pro
- CPU
- Intel 13th-gen P-series, AMD Ryzen 7040 series
- GPU
- Intel UHD or Iris Xe graphics, Radeon 700M Graphics
- Storage
- Up to 4TB PCIe 4.0 SSD
- Battery
- 55Wh or 61Wh
- Display (Size, Resolution)
- 13.5-inch IPS 3:2, 2256x1504 resolution, 100% sRGB, 400 nits
The Framework Laptop 13 is one of the most modular laptops you can buy in 2023. You can swap out all the components right down to the mainboard. New on this year's model is the option for 13th-generation Intel CPUs, along with AMD Ryzen processors for the first time.