Is the Lemur better or Framework 13 a better fit for gaming?
I’m not triple a gaming, but playing up to like, Skyrim would be nice.
EDIT: Thanks for the replies everyone! I read them all and upvoted you all because they were truly helpful.
Looks like FW is the clear winner! I also use GIS software for work stuff/self teaching and so graphics capabilities are pretty important for me.
Thanks again everyone, y’all are the best!
If all you want to do is game, why not get a Steam Deck?
Framework is upgradeable. The S76 isn’t.
I was on System 76 for two laptops. The most recent one, a Lemur, started to fall apart: the plastic hinge just started coming off in chunks, and the clamshell began to split. Customer service was terrible: they tried to get me to agree to charges without explaining what they were going to charge me for. When I pressed them (which took repeated emails) they finally admitted they wanted to send me a part for me to do a replacement without any instructions, and which they advised people not to do. Very scammy vibes. I picked up a Framework instead and have been really enjoying it, though I can’t really speak to the gaming portion I’m afraid. I’d just say avoid System 76.
Framework is better hardware, having physically touched both S76 and Framework laptops.
I had both, Framework hands down.
Fw.
Bought the 1st Gen, it had issues with power management, but I pulled the board and put it in one of their cases and threw in a 7840u, it’s a monster and just slays.
Their new Gen has discrete GPUs as an option if you have more money than sense.
My brother bought a Framework 16 recently with the discrete GPU on my recommendation and it was not silly pricing. Mobile workstations with discrete graphics and comparable specs in that size class were all $2000USD or more and the Framework was maybe 15% higher. Well worth it for the intentional repairability and upgradability.
I have a 16 with a discrete GPU. Couldn’t recommend it more. It does sound like a rocket ship sometimes, but performs like a midrange tower, which is exactly what I wanted.
I haven’t used any Framework systems, so I can’t really give a proper comparison. I have owned two S76 laptops, a now-ancient Lemur Pro I bought back in 2017, and just recently, a Pangolin I just picked up a few weeks ago. I haven’t really had a chance to put the Pangolin through its paces, but it does have AMD-based 3-d acceleration built in. The old Lemur (and the new lemurs) only have basic Intel graphics.
I was able to use my old Lemur for some very light gaming. I think last time I was traveling, I was able to play Football Manager and Fallout Shelter quite successfully, but Lord of the Rings Online was just a bit beyond its capabilities. I would assume that Skyrim would definitely be beyond the Lemur’s reach.
It looks like the F13 does have some amount of built-in 3d acceleration, so just looking at specs I would expect it to do better than the Lemur. Lemur’s got a slightly larger display, but neither are very big. The rest of the specs look like they can vary quite broadly depending on your order so that makes the rest a bit hard to compare fairly.
Like I said, I’ve never even seen a Framework laptop in person, so I can’t give a hands-on comparison. I can say that I’ve been very pleased with my experience with System 76. If you’re looking at S76, consider the Pangolin. It’s only a little bit larger than the Lemur, the price is pretty close, and it comes with more capabilities.
edit-to-add: Whatever you pick, I hope you will come back and tell us how it turned out.
You sound like me lol. I had a lemur first snd upgraded to a pangolin a few years ago. I do a lot of gaming on my pangolin, but mostly indie games. Per Aspera, parkitect, firewatch, stuff like that. It will play Valheim but it’s a little choppy on low.
I expect the latest version of the pangolin would run better. Not only is it a much improved APU, it looks like it has vastly improved cooling.
Can’t speak to the build quality of System76, but my FW is built like a goddamn tank.