Linux on the AMD Framework, TESTED!

I have been running EndeavourOS with KDE Plasma on all of my computers (They are not dead until dead as a door nail!!) since 2019 when Endeavour first came out and in testing before that, and was on Antergos with Plasma before Endeavour.

Manjaro was a hassle back then and still is now, and why so many Manjaro users switched to EndeavourOS (way closer to pure Arch). I never liked XFCE, because it's "Light weight" is for a lack of features and functionality and that's where KDE Plasma shines, and still is not a resource hog by any means.

Hi CJ. I use linux fulltime and am currently on a Framework 12 (Intel). I first subscribed to your channel back when I ordered it actually. I just switched my home PC from NVIDIA to AMD gpu and it was very worth it. At least on hyprland, everything just worked so I want to go AMD on my laptop as well.

That being said, I have a question: Do you know If I can upgrade my framework 12 to the AMD mainbaord? I feel like it should be possible given the framework philosophy but I couldn't find anything about it online.

The battery life doesn't really compensate the huge and constant issues with ubuntu. I can do all the whoops it take to eliminate snaps and replace them with flatpaks, but i could never recommend it to anyone considering how much tinkering it needs to function properly

Did you install the hardware decoding and encoding drivers on fedora? I also wonder if you used regular packages on all distros or if you used snaps on ubuntu as It's the default packaging there

I don't understand this video. The Kernel is the issue. If you run an old kernel then the hardware won't work right. I think the better video would be to see if you could get the distro to work with a newer kernel as a new user.

Great video! I was looking for something like this!

Nice warping effects at the beginning. DaVinci Resolve yes? On a Linux OS? 😊

For consistency sake definitely should have run GNOME across all distros. Your fractional scaling issue on XFCE is a known problem without tweaks, whereas GNOME & KDE have good support for it (barring Fedora needing a tweak because 'Just Fedora Things'). Rather than the RJ-45 jack, I'd probably recommend a USB-A or USB-C to Ethernet adapter instead. The wifi issues are most likely a result of picking distros with older kernels to pair with newer hardware, I'd never recommend that for a new user. That's just a guess as ISO versions used for install media aren't listed for EndeavorOS & Manjaro.

Criticisms aside, still an informative video for newbies launching head-first. Points are concisely explained and elaboration given when needed, have a like man.

2024 and linux is still having issues with various wifi modules. You just can't make this stuff up.

I like my FW AMD. I've had several with issues. NixOS was my smoothest experience. Worst to best: Gentoo, PopOS, Mint, Artix then NixOS. The bottom two, my favorite, not working that well Gentoo was painful. I could only get a tty running. No GUI really.

Where did you go to set up the fingerprint reader for endeavouros?

There is an interesting thing with Fedora - it struggles with hardware acceleration of H265, AV1 and even H264 out of the box. Why so? It doesn't ship these codecs because RedHat doesnt and Fedora is just a testing polygon for RedHat Enterprise. To improve Fedora performance in this test, i'd reccomend to enable these codecs only if they were easily accessible, but no, there is a difficulty with it(

Awesome video! This is really useful as a linux enthusiast that's been eyeing Framework for a while. Thanks a ton!

The Wi-Fi issue makes this laptop a no go. 99% of everything we do is online adjacent

I wasn't expecting the ax210 to be at the top of the list for Linux. I had major issues getting that specific model working on Linux about a year ago. Thanks for video, have you tried Debian bookworm? That's the OS I want to try first.

Did switching out to the Intel AX210 fix the WiFi on the other distributions??

You should have probably mentioned that....

Glowies won, foss is dead, airgap is dead.

Sounds like intel is the way to go for now? Sounds disappointing. The WiFi disassociating is a major pain it seems. I’m sure it could be fixed but I don’t see any other YTers covering this topic to expect an update when it does. Can someone reply to this comment if they find that FW has fixed this on AMD + Linux even months later? lol thanks in advance (I really want the AMD model for the battery life and performance)

This was a great video. I was debating about my next laptop for Linux/OpenSuSE and I was not sure about what models to pick. I was thinking about the AMD model here you have but now I am not sure, I was also looking closely at a Thinkpad x1 which has good Linux support as well.

Please try with lubuntu, mint and LocOs. Greetings!

I never had Wifi problems in Ubuntu. The fact the tested laptop Wifi had problems but Windows didn't, doesn't mean there's a problem with Wifi support in general in Linux. I'm sure there are Wifi devices not working by default in Windows without specific drivers or thinkering. Laptops will never be a reference of performance. Sometimes the specs of CPUs (etc) are very nice on paper, but the OSes need to limit hardware a lot to be able to save battery. Sometimes the HW is even limited by the BIOS/Motherboard.

Better than Thinkpad

Got my Framework laptops back in '21 (11gen) for me and my wife and ran MX21 KDE edition on them from day 1 - only thing that didn't work was the FP reader. Upgraded mine to the new Ryzen board with AMD wireless, running MX23 KDE edition -- runs perfect, FP reader included. I have none of the wireless issues mentioned in the video. The new Ryzen board runs much cooler and quieter, with better battery life, I couldn't be happier.

please test pop_os too next time!! though it's not officially supported, their power management daemon is like black magic

Really nice test, I've been thinking about buying a Framework but they don't ship to my country yet. But I want to put my money in companies that do things I like, and their right to repair and open hardware policies are something I stand behind.
It is true that Linux compatibility is still not ideal, but it is getting better than a few years ago. It's only because Spyware (Or like some like to call it, Windows) is preinstalled on most machines and people don't really care to seek for alternatives that Linux has a miniscule market share on Desktop systems. We need to educate people on the fact that Windows is stepping on our privacy and doesn't care about it's users.

GO NAVY, BEAT ARMY! Sorry dude, retired Navy Chief and gotta bust the balls out of the gate :P ;)
Thanks for this video as I've been seriously considering a Framework 16 laptop with dedicated GPU, and I'd be dual-booting Win10Pro and Nobara Linux. This video definitely shows both the promises and some limitations. Thanks again and have a great day!

Wonder if it is a WPA3 incompatability/bug?

Thanks!

Wait, you can upgrade the damn CPU ??

I'm thinking the experience with Linux Mint would be similar if not the same as Ubuntu. Been messing around with Mint for a few years after trying several other distros. I'm intrigued by these laptops, addresses my main concern about other laptops and why I tend to avoid them, although I have had a Lenovo since 2013 and it's been pretty good.

can u do an arch install or a gentoo install? :)

Ey, Linux Format! One of my fav magazines from the UK.

I'm sad that the state of linux on laptops is still so bad. I'm willing to put up with compromises on my $300 thinkpad, but not my new $1500+ laptop. Sadly if you want a stable unix that runs reliably it's still mac os :(

Linux simply Rocks, I use RichARCH btw. With it I was able to get Arch Linux up and running simply and quickly with kickstart like automation features.

Damn, and i was thinking of buying a framework too, "Linux friendly" isn't enough for me to buy into a product that prides itself on its "openness", they easily could have chosen more Linux friendly hardware that still would have worked just as good on windows and simply chose not to, i like their philosophy, but ill just buy a tuxedo or other Linux laptop manufacturer's product, or at least until they decide to get a clue

I recently switched to Tumbleweed KDE with Plasma 6 because I have got a new laptop. What a great experience! Everything worked out of the box and I got even updates for the firmware and bios directly in KDE. I was never using KDE that much but it's really impressive and very stable so far!😊

Could the difference in power drain be due to windows streaming av1 video vs linux streaming vp9 or MPEG in Firefox?

will it run entpeise systems like openindiana?

He talks a bit like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Does the webcam work?

Does anyone know what laptop riser is used in the video?

Im new to this and curious to know if debian is possible on the framework 16 ryzen 7940HS

I am a legally blind software engineer and your review was very helpful and well explained. None of the nerdiness nonsense, just plain simple easy to understand experiences.

Last year, when I purchased my Framekwork 13 with Intel 13th Gen, and it had never seen a Windows install. I installed Linux Mint on it at first, but found the scaling to be weird. Did a bit of searching, discovered Garuda Linux, and installed it onto my Framework. The scaling features on Garuda are great, and it's been the OS of choice for my laptop since!

Buy the new 2.8k display! And you have a nice 2x scaling factor. No need for fractional scaling anymore!