Framework laptops are very Linux friendly and the Framework 13 Pro is no exception. I won't go into details about the build quality as there are plenty of people online giving their reviews in detail so I'll just quickly say that build quality feels very good. It feels a bit more solid then the Framework 13 but also heavier.
Hardware Spec
- Intel® Core™ Ultra Series 3 - Ultra X7 358H:
- 4 performance cores (1.9 GHz - 4.8 GHz Turbo) ,
- 8 efficient cores (1.5GHz - 3.5GHz Turbo),
- 4 lower power efficient cores (1.5 GHz - 3.3 GHz Turbo),
- 16 threads
- 18MB Cache
- 15W-80W (Framework doesn't reach max power draw)
- Intel Arc B390 GPU
- 50 NPU
- 74Wh Battery
- 2.8K Touchscreen Display
- Crucial 32GB DDR5-7500 PC5-60000 Single Channel Laptop Memory Module (CT32G75C2LP5X)
- WD SN850X 2 TB M.2 PCIe Gen4 NVMe
Install Cinnamon
With Fedora 44 everything worked out-of-the-box. Simply install Fedora normally from a USB stick and it is ready to use. I installed the Cinnamon spin on it. To install Cinnamon after another desktop environment (Gnome, KDE, etc):
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
sudo dnf install @cinnamon-desktopPower and Performance Fix
While I did not notice any immediate problems with power or performance, I also didn't do any bench marking. However, others have noticed that it runs slower or might have some stability problems waking from suspend that has been attributed to the power management. There were issues with the Framework 13 on AMD processors with Fedora's Tuned power management and many have recommended switching back to power-profile-daemon.- https://www.phoronix.com/review/fedora-pantherlake-thermald-tuned
- https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/tuned-ppd-worsens-performance-and-efficiency-vs-power-profiles-daemon/199402/14
- https://github.com/redhat-performance/tuned/issues/873
- https://community.frame.work/t/fedora-44-on-the-framework-laptop-13-pro/83106/16
- https://community.frame.work/t/tracking-ppd-v-tlp-for-amd-ryzen-7040/39423
To properly switch back to to power-profiles-daemon:
sudo dnf swap tuned-ppd power-profiles-daemon
Fingerprint Login
Fedora recognized the finger print sensor immediately so no extra work. Cinnamon doesn't have a GUI to setup your biometric, so it has to be done on the command line:
fprintd-enroll
Once the fingerprint is registered, you can login with it.
Expansion Cards
One thing I did notice on the Framework 13 and also on the 13 Pro is that the expansion cards sometimes don't always lock in. Pulling out the HDMI connection might also pull out the card itself.
