The fan Framework installed on the Zen4 motherboard appears to be the same as on the Intel versions of the laptop, but during testing the AMD processor seemed to get quite warm. We measure how much noise the cooling produces using a Larson Davis 831C sound meter. The meter is equipped with a 378A04 microphone, which has a preamplifier. The microphone has a noise floor of 5.5dB(A). Due to unavoidable ambient noise, the noise floor of our noise-free room is approximately 12dB(A). If we take a safe margin, we can perform consistent measurements from 14dB(A). We measure the sound pressure at a distance of 50cm, at an angle of 45 degrees.
If the load is low, for example because you are browsing the web, you will not hear the fan. If you increase the load slightly, which we simulate with the help of PCMark, the cooling quickly becomes noisy, more so than with other laptops. Even when running an even heavier workload, such as a render in Blender, the fan is very clearly audible.
Battery test
We ran the battery test using the new 61Wh battery and the Zen4 version lasted about twelve hours while browsing. Not a bad score, but the Intel version lasts an hour longer in the same test. Funny enough, the AMD version is much more efficient when you increase the load. In the PCMark 10 battery test, we not only achieved a battery life that was half an hour longer than the Framework with i7-1360P processor, but the Zen4 version also achieved a higher score and was therefore faster.
Conclusion
The Ryzen 7 7840U included in the Framework Laptop is the first Zen4 processor with a U suffix, meaning it falls into the 15W category. The performance is not disappointing and the chip can compete with the fastest P processors from Intel, which officially fall into the 28W category. Intel is starting to lag behind, especially when it comes to graphics power. The Xe GPU has been around since the eleventh generation of Core and was introduced in 2020. AMD’s 780M uses the RDNA3 architecture. This is only a year old and is also in the Z1 Extreme, which is used in gaming handhelds.
In terms of efficiency, the Zen4 processor also seems smoother than Intel’s thirteenth generation. In the PCMark battery test, the AMD variant is faster, with a longer battery life. At full load, the cooling appears to have some difficulty dissipating heat and the fan is noisier on the AMD Framework than on the Intels.
So Zen4 performs well in the Framework Laptop, but let’s not pretend that it leaves a gaping gap with Intel. Graphically, AMD is a step further, but in the other benchmarks Intel and then AMD are the fastest. If you’re considering an upgrade to your existing Framework Laptop, perhaps the first question should be whether you want to use the DDR4 memory again, as Zen4 only eats DDR5.
The new motherboard will cost you 510 euros if you go for the version with Ryzen 5, or 800 euros for the version with Ryzen 7. That is the same price as the Framework motherboard with Intel’s 1360P processor and if you specifically compare those two motherboards. In most cases, AMD wins on speed. If that’s what you’re going for, then it might be time to switch from Intel to AMD.