Aaron44126

This was pretty cool. LTT got their hands on a Framework Laptop 16. No actual new information regarding specs or anything, but there's a good look at a GPU module, including the "GPU side" of the connector to the mainboard and direct confirmation that they've used Dell's DGFF connectors, the same used in Dell Precision and Alienware systems (with a different pinout). Also at around 7:14 you can see him swapping out the different input deck modules, pretty nifty how they seem to magnetically just snap in.

Steam is ending support for Windows 7/8/8.1 at the end of the year. https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/4784-4F2B-1321-800A

Yeah, I want to say this was added to Windows 10 in maybe 2017 or 2018. I haven't used PuTTY in years. For a while it was an optional feature that you had to go manually enable in Settings, but I guess at some point they started turning it on by default. (...You can run an SSH server as well, if you so care to.)

Called Dell this morning to get an update on the heatsink. (Wanted to wait until regular business hours, figuring that even though they have 24/7 support people on hand, the people who can dig into parts inventory are not generally working on the weekend.) I was told that on March 21, the ETA on their end was bumped back to April 7. This came after an earlier bump back to April 1. I can't see those update on the ticket; for me it is still showing March 24. He suggested that I give it another week to make sure that they haven't pushed it back anymore, and that if it keeps getting bumped back then I should put in for a system replacement. So, more waiting, and in the meantime... I've ordered a heatsink from a third-party supplier, and it should arrive next week; we'll see which one gets here first. (I'm hoping to avoid going in for a system replacement yet.)

Go to BIOS setup (tap "F2" while the system is showing the Dell logo at boot). Can you reproduce the issue here? If so, it seems to be a hardware problem and not a software problem. Windows and system drivers are not loaded at this point. Also, you can try this. Power the system off fully. Turn it on while holding the "D" key on the keyboard. This will start a display test (the screen will flash different colors) — if you see the issue here, yet another indication that it is a hardware problem. ...Assuming that it is a hardware problem, you could try to reseat the display cable but I rather doubt that will fix anything. Most likely, the entire display will have to be replaced. Dell should have directions to replace the display assembly at dell.com/support. For example, here is the one for XPS 13 9310 2-in-1 but you'll want to find the one for your specific model. The problem will be finding a replacement display assembly. Dell will probably sell you one for an inflated amount, but you can also check eBay, PartsPeople, and other aftermarket sites to see if they have one cheaper. Also at dell.com/support, if you put in your machine's service tag you should be able to pull the parts list. Having the Dell part number for the display assembly might make it easier to search for a replacement.

Supposedly the open source Twitter algorithm is going to drop later this week, but it looks like some source code was already made available ..... Twitter says source code was leaked on GitHub, now it’s trying to find the culprit https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/27/23657928/twitter-source-code-leak-github

...I'm sorting of doubting that they're going to hit their ETA? 😕 Next-day service is the best.

Yeah, I saw that the framework motherboard can also be used standalone. They even have 3D printed cases you can download from their official GitHub. Can imagine giving it a second life as a home server or something after upgrading the laptop… I just bought a new laptop last year, and I’ve been a Precision guy for a long time, but… the more I think about this, the more I’m not seeing anything other than a Framework as my “next” one assuming that they continue on a similar trajectory and don’t die off as a company by then. (I wonder if they’d do an 18”, though…)

I watched that very same one last year before picking up the Precision 7770. On-die ECC seems to be there because memory is getting so dense that they expect some faults, and "hopefully" the internal ECC will prevent that from being an issue. You can still get 128GB ECC on other manufacturers' systems that support four DIMM slots (HP, Lenovo) but there are other potential compromises with those systems. I'd assume ECC CAMM modules will show up, eventually, since that appears to be the way the world is moving...

Just one other thing, I happened to notice that the Framework Laptop 16 with dGPU appears to have a USB-C port on the back. The version with no dGPU installed does not. I wonder if you can (or must) plug in to the back to power it, which would end the requirement that one of the "expansion card" slots must be used for charging.......

So, the whole pinout spec is public. I know there was a leaked pinout of the DGFF connectors floating around at some point. I wonder if it matches up... https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionBay/blob/main/PCB Reference Design/FW_EXPANSION_BAY_PCB_0.pdf https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionBay/tree/main/Electrical [Edit] At a glance, it looks like there are at least some pins for things like powering/monitoring the fans in the expansion bay, which wouldn't have been applicable to Dell's implementation. Despite the connectors looking the same, they are very different. The right one appears to be for PCIe (eight lanes), while the left one is for "everything else".

And here's a hands-on article regarding Microsoft's iOS support in the Phone Link app. https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/24/23654672/microsoft-phone-link-hands-on-imessage-ios ...Basically, as I expected, they are making the best of the limited Bluetooth messaging interface that the iPhone has, and it "works" but comes with a fair amount of limitations. They don't seem to have any "special access" to do a more advanced integration. It doesn't keep message history, which is unfortunate. I understand that they can't "fetch" message history from the phone, but they should at least be able to save everything that your PC has "seen" or sent? Maybe they are worried that it would be confusing with time gaps in the history from when your phone was out of range of the PC. It does seem to have a reasonable experience taking or placing phone calls from your PC, but that's a lot less interesting to me.

Yeah, you can swap out the mainboard to replace the CPU. See: https://frame.work/marketplace/mainboards Honestly the prices aren’t that bad. $1000+ for the top model might be a bit steep, but the idea of upgrading your laptop a piece at a time rather than all at once sure is interesting, you can just buy pieces as you need them.... And it looks like you can get a pretty good discount if you are willing to run a generation or two behind. You can check around, in addition to regular stuff like memory modules and NVMe drives, they also have like a fingerprint reader module and a whole display panel that you can buy. Everything also has directions on how to do the replacement. The 16” version is adding room for six "expansion cards" instead of four, the “expansion bay” system (swappable back part of the system where the dGPU goes) and modules for the “input deck” (palmrest/keyboard area) which can actually be swapped around while the system is running. [Edit] I also love that the EC code is open source and you can muck with it, and that manual fan control doesn't seem too complicated (as a guy who prefers to be in control of how the fans work…). [Edit 2] Add some links. [Edit 3] Man I love the configuration page! If you pick DIY then you are free to leave out the memory modules, storage, and OS with the assumption that you'll just "bring your own" components. Really want to see the full specs for the 16" model...

Yes, I saw that too, it does look an awful lot like the original DGFF. I think they have posted specs for everything on GitHub; I don't know if they could have copied it directly from Dell if there was any sort of patent attached to it. (For extended conversation on Framework Laptop 16, let's do it on the Framework Laptop thread...)

Holy cow, just now realizing that RTX 5000 Ada is actually an option in the Precision 5680. That could indeed be a factor, that would be a lot of board space for the dGPU and associated components. But. RTX 5000 Ada on a system that only has 130W PSU? What's the point? 😕 Maybe the spec sheet is wrong about the power supply too. I took a look at the spec sheet. They don't show the motherboard, but they do show one of those breakdown images where you can sort of see the motherboard shape and component positions, as well as the shape of the heatsink/cooler. I don't see anything that looks like SODIMM memory modules.

Spec sheets are public. https://www.delltechnologies.com/asset/en-us/products/workstations/technical-support/precision-3480-spec-sheet.pdf https://www.delltechnologies.com/asset/en-us/products/workstations/technical-support/precision-3580-spec-sheet.pdf https://www.delltechnologies.com/asset/en-us/products/workstations/technical-support/precision-3581-spec-sheet.pdf https://www.delltechnologies.com/asset/en-us/products/workstations/technical-support/precision-5480-spec-sheet.pdf https://www.delltechnologies.com/asset/en-us/products/workstations/technical-support/precision-5680-spec-sheet.pdf https://www.delltechnologies.com/asset/en-us/products/workstations/technical-support/precision-7680-spec-sheet.pdf https://www.delltechnologies.com/asset/en-us/products/workstations/technical-support/precision-7780-spec-sheet.pdf Spec sheet indicates that it is 90W or 130W, depending on configuration. As for SODIMM, XPS 15/17 systems still use SODIMM so I don't see why Precision 5680 couldn't ...?

Not a Dell thing, but I have to point to the Framework Laptop 16 announcement, which also happened today. I know a lot of us wish for modular graphics to return to laptops, and they're onto something here. [Edit] Disagree. While I personally would never get such a low-resolution display at this point, there are people who want/need 100% display scaling, especially in business environments with apps that haven't transitioned well to high-DPI, so it makes sense that such an option is available. As for whether there should be an "in-between" option, I can see that but I wonder if they think they'd sell enough of each type to consider offering two different high-DPI panels.

Note this requires taking some steps to allow Windows to boot. https://www.nbrchive.net/forum.notebookreview.com/threads/precision-7560-7760-owners-thread.836381/page-64.html#post-11112315

Framework today announced a 16" upgradeable laptop, with modular discrete graphics. (This just got a whole lot more interesting to me.) Optional numeric keypad. Optional RGB keyboard. dGPUs require an "expansion bay" which makes the laptop stick out behind the screen a little bit. (This is not an uncommon design for gaming laptops.) You can remove it and use integrated graphics only. The expansion bay can also be used for things other than a dGPU. They teased a dual NVMe enclosure that can fit there. The expansion bay can be variable depth and includes the dGPU cooling, so they can handle future GPUs that require different layouts — it's not like MXM where the board had to be laid out exactly the same from one generation to the next for an upgrade to "fit". Taking orders in the spring but no shipments until "late 2023". Looks like their blog is down right now but here's a video (see 39:55), and an Ars Technica article. (I love that they had the "courage" to poke at Apple regarding the headphone jack module...) They also announced an AMD option for the 13" lineup. I haven't looked super closely, but it looks like you could switch to AMD just by swapping out the motherboard of one of their existing 13" laptops. They have AMD motherboards available to preorder right now. [Edit] Blog post is live. https://frame.work/blog/introducing-the-framework-laptop-16-and-both-intel-and-amd-powered-framework-laptop-13 https://frame.work/blog/introducing-the-framework-laptop-16 I'd like to see details like, which dGPUs will be available, and I'd love to see support for at least two NVMe drives on one of their 16" motherboards...

Dell Precision 5680 — Available May 18 Note the SmartCard slot. This appears to be an original Precision design (like 5470 last year), not an XPS derivative. [Edit] Here's a Dell announcement. The 5000 series lineup is Precision 5480 and 5680.

The support material is showing that they are offering RTX 3500 Ada, and RTX 3000 Ada is not an option. They probably got it wrong on the order page ...? NVIDIA's brilliant naming conventions don't help with this.

I've done some poking on what needs to be done to self-host the iMessage bridge, and even engaged the Beeper guys (prompt & detailed response, nice). Basically: Need a Mac running at least macOS 11. If you want iCloud "Advanced Data Protection" turned on, you'll need at least macOS 13.1. (I was forced to turn ADP off because the Beeper Mac running the bridge for me is only macOS 13.0.1.) You have to disable SIP on the Mac to get full functionality of the bridge. Some features like typing notifications and reactions only work if SIP is disabled. Disabling SIP opens some notable security holes so it's probably best to use a dedicated device for the bridge, not a Mac that you use for other stuff as well. Otherwise, basically you have to be comfortable doing some terminal & text config file stuff to get it set up (pretty typical of doing anything Linux/UNIX-y). OpenCore Legacy Patcher has nice directions & GUI stuff to help get older Macs running on the latest version of macOS. It looks like you should be in good shape if you have a Mac Mini 2012 model or newer. I have a 2010 model, so it has a few gotchas — broken GPU acceleration (doesn't seem like it will matter for this) and broken USB 1.1 support (can be worked around by attaching USB 1.1 devices to a USB 2 hub). I do have a newer Mac Mini as well, but it is used for "work" so I don't want to task it for this project.

New Precision 3000 & 7000 systems are live and available to order. U.S. links: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/workstations-isv-certified/precision-7680-workstation/spd/precision-16-7680-laptop/xctop7680usvp https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/workstations-isv-certified/precision-7780-workstation/spd/precision-17-7780-laptop/xctop7780usvp @Dell-Mano_G Are you available for some Q&A?

For the cloud-based setup (running iMessage through one of their Macs or virtual Macs), you have to provide your Apple ID and password as you say, respond to a 2FA prompt, and then if you want SMS to pass-through as well you have to go to your phone settings and turn on text message forwarding to their Mac. That's really it. I'm mildly uncomfortable about having one of their systems hooked up to my iCloud account (despite their security promises) so, if I do decide to continue using Beeper, at some point I will figure out the self-hosted option for the iMessage gateway. I do have a couple of Mac Minis that I could task with that job.

Hard lock again, one week later. So, it doesn't seem to be BIOS 1.20 at fault (unless something somehow stuck around after I rolled back to 1.19). I'm rolling back Ethernet, IME, and NVIDIA driver updates that I also performed last week.