Framework laptop builds in Prestwich, Manchester
I've built and repaired a lot of computers over the years, mostly because it's a tonne cheaper than buying something off the shelf with an expensive maintenance contract attached, and partly because I actually enjoy it. Desktops are easy enough for anyone willing to follow a YouTube video; the bit that's always been awkward is laptops, because they're often built like they were never meant to be opened - soldered-in memory, glued-in batteries, cables that snap if you breathe on them, screens that need an hour of careful work to swap out.
The result is that a perfectly good laptop with one broken component gets binned and replaced, which is both a waste of money and the reason there's a small mountain of dead laptops in landfill somewhere.
Framework are a company that have decided to do something about this. They make laptops that are properly modular - every component is designed to be replaced - and they sell the spare parts at reasonable prices on their own site. You can swap the memory, the SSD, the screen, the keyboard, the battery, the mainboard, even the ports, with a screwdriver they include in the box.
I can help you build one
If you're in Prestwich or Manchester and thinking about a new laptop, the Framework "DIY edition" is worth a look. It arrives as a kit - you fit your own memory and SSD, install an operating system, and you're done. The whole process is well-documented and not particularly hard, but having somebody who's done it a fair few times sat next to you the first time round is the kind of thing that turns "this might be a stressful afternoon" into "this is actually fun".
What you get out of it
The money side is the easiest one to point at. Because you're sourcing the memory and SSD yourself, you can shop around - sales, second-hand parts, whatever - and end up paying significantly less than the bundled prices Framework or anyone else offers. Hundreds of pounds saved is normal rather than exceptional.
Beyond the money, you'll have seen the inside of your laptop, which means the next time something needs replacing - a broken screen, a dead battery, a new mainboard a few years down the line - you'll know exactly what to do, because it's the same process. Most people are surprised at how straightforward it is once they've actually done it.
And to be honest, building one is a nice afternoon out. It's a bit like Lego, you learn a bit about how your computer works as you go, and you end up with something that's yours in a way that a sealed-up MacBook never quite is.
Customising the build
Framework laptops are unusually configurable. As well as the obvious things (screen size, processor, RAM, storage), you pick your own ports - USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, DisplayPort, Ethernet, MicroSD - and you can swap them around later if your needs change. The bezels around the screen come in a handful of colours (black, grey, orange, green, purple, transparent) and they snap on and off magnetically.
For the operating system I'll usually suggest Ubuntu Linux, which is the easiest option for anyone coming from Windows or Mac. NixOS is on the table if you want something more advanced. I can install Windows if you really want to, but I'd rather you didn't. Boo.
We can sit down somewhere in Prestwich and go through the Framework store together to spec the exact machine you need - student-proof basic, mobile gaming, development workstation, whatever shape your life is.
Framework laptops for business fleets
For a business in Manchester running a fleet of laptops, Frameworks make a lot of sense compared to the usual Dell or HP contracts. If you keep a small stock of common parts on a shelf - screens, keyboards, batteries, mainboards - your IT person can fix things in-house in minutes instead of shipping the laptop away for two weeks. A broken screen costs about £179 to replace yourself, versus £500-plus through Dell ProSupport.
There's also a nice trick where if you standardise on one Framework model across the fleet, components from a dead laptop become spare parts for the rest. The arithmetic on extended warranties stops looking sensible pretty quickly once you've worked through it. I can help you set up the initial fleet and walk your team through the repair workflow.
Get in touch
If you'd like a hand building your first Framework laptop, fill in the form below.