What is the opinion here on this forum about the MNT Reform laptop? Jeff Geerling says about it’s repairability: “But going along with the theme of repairability, everything about this laptop, from the motherboard to the trackball module, is open source hardware. That means there are schematics, 3D CAD files, pretty much every little detail is available for download” Is it in terms of repairability a better option than a Framework laptop? In general, the MNT Reform seems to be rarely mentioned in reviews or in the tech press. Is it worth it?
3 Likes
if you don’t feel like learning bow to 3D print and read the schematics and such, Framework would probably be your best bet.
1 Like
The Reform is great, but it sacrifices too much (thinness, x86, webcam, etc.) to be a consumer laptop. If you’re aiming for maximum privacy, transparency and repairability it is the best option, but you have to expect fiddling, an even more subpar performance and missing standard features (which is actually intentional for privacy).
1 Like
As with phones, I never really understood why thinnes is important. Devices that are (too) thin are in general less repairable, will have in general more issues with structural integrity, will have more cooling issues and will in general have less battery capacity. Performance with a laptop is nowadays only an issue for gamers (wich I am not).
But you are not the standard consumer, you will forego some convenience and looks. Most people want a slim laptop for convenience (it fits in bags better), similarly they want built-in cameras and microphones (maybe with a switch) again for convenience. They also want to be able to use all their software without hassle and be able to just buy the thing.
If you are ok with that loss of convenience, great, but you are the exception, so more mainstream stuff will not waste their time on you.