Framework Laptop 13 (12th Gen Intel) upgrades
CPU is not socketed: Alder Lake-P chips (i5-1240P / i7-1260P / i7-1280P) are BGA-soldered to the mainboard, so there is no CPU slot. The upgrade unit is the whole mainboard (user-swappable; 12th Gen upgrade kits were sold to 11th Gen owners) - swapping CPU means swapping mainboard. DIY Edition excludes RAM, SSD, OS and often the power adapter ($49 extra); refurbished units ship with Wi-Fi and a US/CA adapter but no RAM/storage/Expansion Cards/OS. 4 modular Expansion Card bays (USB-A/C, HDMI, DP, Ethernet, SD, MicroSD, audio) expand ports. After a mainboard swap, install the 12th Gen driver bundle and latest BIOS and re-activate Windows if applicable.
Upgrade guide → What fits, step by step, and official documents.
- 2x DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM sockets (64 GB max): 2 × DDR4 / SSD SO-DIMM · up to 64 GB total · 3200 MT/s
- 1x M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe SSD slot (M-key): SSD M.2 2280 (NVMe)
Slot map
2x DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM sockets (64 GB max) 2 × DDR4 / SSD SO-DIMM · up to 64 GB total · 3200 MT/s
DDR4 only; DDR5 modules do not fit these sockets (current Framework pages quoting DDR5/96 GB refer to newer models). Buy 2 matched sticks for dual channel (single stick downgrades GPU to 'UHD Graphics'); with one module it goes in the right socket labelled 'Channel 0'. First boot after a RAM change takes 1-2 minutes of memory training - keep it plugged in and wait. DIY Edition ships without RAM.
No compatible offers right now.
1x M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe SSD slot (M-key) SSD M.2 2280 (NVMe)
2280 length only; 2230/2242 drives need an adapter bracket (that's a Framework Laptop 16 feature). NVMe only - no SATA or 2.5" bay, no internal card reader. Both PCIe 3.0 and 4.0 NVMe drives work; no manufacturer-required minimum generation and no documented capacity cap (validated drives up to 8 TB). The SSD screw is retained in the socket; seat the drive at ~20 deg then press flat. Storage Expansion Cards (250 GB/1 TB) are slow USB devices, not second internal SSDs.
No compatible offers right now.