# Framework Desktop

93 Hacker News commenters recommended Framework Desktop and 26 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 12 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 0.25 years (9 owners). It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** A compact, low-power mini PC with up to 128GB of shared memory for running large local AI models on Linux, though critics say memory bandwidth limits LLM speed.

## Why people recommend it

- Runs large local AI models (4 comments): "I use it exclusively as a server for LLM inference - first more for research but have been using it for coding now that there are sufficiently capable models that run on. For that I’m very happy." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49021303)) "I can comfortably run many even bigger oss models locally. You can dedicate 112GB to the GPU and it runs Linux perfectly." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46370626)) "I have a freedom of using a large library of various models and I can fit a lot in 128gb." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48262489))
- Lower price for its memory (4 comments): "you can still get a framework Max+ 395 with 128GB RAM for ~$2,459 USD. They have not increased the price for it yet." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46802970)) "You can get a Framework Desktop with similar bandwidth for less than a third of the price" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45882771)) "the 128GB desktop mainboard being a bargain while their prices remain low rings true" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46246474))
- Works well with Linux (3 comments): "I can comfortably run many even bigger oss models locally. You can dedicate 112GB to the GPU and it runs Linux perfectly." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46370626)) "it works flawlessly so far with Debian 13 install including (shock!) suspend working without issue" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46098757)) "it's straightforward at least on Linux to have the GPU dynamically grab memory as needed" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47853630))
- Compact and low power (3 comments): "This thing compiles the linux kernel in 62 seconds. And it uses less power than my current machine to do it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47458008)) "It is noticeable faster, but what's better: the whole computer is tiny and sips energy." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46063492)) "A desktop computer in a compact form factor that can run AI workloads though is a much rarer thing." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49022495))

## What people warn about

- Memory bandwidth limits LLM speed (4 comments): "Mac, DGX Spark, and a Framework Desktop / Ryzen AI Max 395 (ie Strix Halo) will not give you great performance running LLMs." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48620914)) "Given that memory bandwidth remains the same I don't think it's worth buying if you have the 1st gen framework desktop." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49020828)) "Until memory bandwidth significantly improves I just can't see myself wanting to use all that memory." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49020303))
- Noisy power supply (2 comments): "my Framework Desktop definitely has the PSU noise issue, and it doesn't seem correlated to system load" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47265317)) "This case is cute and well built but it does have strange quirks, see also the noisy PSU" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47260321))
- Soldered RAM and proprietary board (2 comments): "it's still a shame Framework opted for a proprietary motherboard instead of mini-ITX with a socket CPU and GPU" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49020383)) "Shipping products with soldered RAM and CPU goes against that ethos." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49021870))
- High price for performance (2 comments): "50% more RAM is not worth about 5% more performance for 3 times the price" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49910752)) "the Framework Desktop is indeed still at the (pretty inflated) price" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46416037))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Apple Mac mini](https://hackerapproved.com/p/mac-mini.md): 390 recommend
- [NVIDIA DGX Spark](https://hackerapproved.com/p/nvidia-dgx-spark.md): 170 recommend
- [AMD Strix Halo](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amd-strix-halo.md): 130 recommend
- [Intel NUC](https://hackerapproved.com/p/intel-nuc.md): 42 recommend
- [Beelink mini PC](https://hackerapproved.com/p/beelink-mini-pc.md): 24 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Framework+Desktop+AMD+Ryzen+AI+Max%2B+395&tag=YOURTAG-20) (affiliate link)
- [Official site](https://frame.work/desktop)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Framework Desktop", https://hackerapproved.com/p/framework-desktop/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).