this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2023
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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u01AbiCn_Nw mental outlaw video:

hi everyone, i was planning on getting a new laptop cheaply for about 500ish but then i stumbled upon this near-totally modular laptop rhat starts out at above 1000 bucks. do you think the cheaper laptop in the long run is just a false economy and i should go for the framework or what? if you want to ask questions go ahead but im mainly concerned about the longterm financials (and how well it will keep up over time)

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

how do the modular slots get inputted? if i wanted a usb a one is it a usb a to c converter and if so wojld i need to buy a usb c slot?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

all of the modular slots connect by USB C at the front.

you can see what they look like here:
https://frame.work/gb/en/marketplace/expansion-cards

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I believe the slots are all USB-C, since they’d need to be the fastest currently possible connector to properly support all the others.

If you wanted a USB-A slot you just need to buy the USB-A module.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

since they’d need to be the fastest

"USB C" only describes the connector and has nothing to do with speed.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes and no. USB-C is "the faster connector" compared to USB-A 3 because it supports faster protocols like USB 4 and even Thunderbolt 5. USB-A does not. It tops out at USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (gawd what an awful naming scheme) with 20Gbps and even that’s rare. The newer, faster protocols with 40Gbps (USB4) or even 120Gbps (TB5) need the USB-C connector.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It supports faster protocols, yes. But "USB-C" on it's own just defines the plug and the socket, and nothing more. That the hardware supports faster protocols does not mean that it can be used to describe a faster connection.

It's nitpicking, but it is important nitpicking 🙃

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The point here, for those downvoting this post, is that if you go out and buy something "with USB-C" it could for example only support the Low Speed rate of USB 1.0 (that's all of 1.5Mbps, only good for stuff like mice and keyboards) and still be absolutelly legitimatelly be listed for sale as "having USB-C" because that's just the connector format.

(Actually it's even worse, as there is a charge only mode for that connector which does not require supporting any USB data modes at all)

There is indeed a connection between the connector (pun not intended) and the maximum speeds supported (but not necessarily present) because USB-C adds additional data lines not present in USB-A or any of the USB-B connectors, which allow higher data throughtput, but the connection is only in the direction of "higher speeds require USB-C", not "USB-C implies higher speeds".

All this to say that, IMHO, the previoua poster is right in calling attention to the difference.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah I’m aware but you cannot support the fastest speeds without the additional contacts a type C port provides; unless they went with a proprietary port they wouldn’t be able to do the faster USB speeds.

So while type C doesn’t mean fast by itself, it does allow the capability to carry just about anything.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

but if i wanted a usb c slot it'd be best not to even buy one and just use the ones built in already

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

you can do that but I would recommend against it. it might put strain on that port and if it breaks or is damaged you won't be able to use that slot for anything else

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

Plus the built in USB c slots are recessed underneath which might be a pain to plug and unplug things.