A friend of mine just shared mnt with me and I instantly fell in love with the notebook, will probably buy one in the future, to use with linux, mostly due to the keyboard.
I have always been an user of thinkpad//more “open” per si to say so as notebook, so kudos to this project.
but I was a little bit worried about the performance of the chip, the reform and reform next. Here next I have a benchmark results:
Considering it, I’m currently using a m2 air ( which I do not exactly enjoy ), would the performance of the Reform allow me to use the notebook extensively, or would you guys say it is a bit limit in comparison to others? if that’s the case and it’s modular we will still be able to upgrade the processors to better modules/cards right ?
I mainly code backend stuff, watch some videos, and even play some games ( only dota 2 ) in the lowest spec//requirements.
anyway, looking forward for this brand/projects related to it.
This chart is a little misleading because it doesn’t address different workloads. Putting the RK3588 up against the extremely impressive per-watt N100 (which I use daily as a desktop machine with an ultrawide monitor):
N100 wins on single core performance
RK3588 wins on parallel tasks and when running many simultaneous CPU-bound tasks due to more cores
RK3588 wins with running multiple VMs again due to more cores
Memory capacity is tied at least in available boards I’ve seen
N100 has more cache so it would win in tasks that can leverage this
RK3588 wins on power and temperature
N100 wins on GPU tasks
So in the end it’s a complex tradeoff.
If you haven’t used an N100 or RK3588, either is perfectly acceptable for your kind of workload. I am able to simultaneously run multiple browsers, a Windows VM, an email client, and an IDE on these CPUs without hitting a significant slowdown. Compilation is not as whiz-bang fast as a 32 core beast but it’s fast enough unless you’re rebuilding the whole kernel multiple times a day. Most games run fine and so does CAD software, but if you start to really push the limits then you are going to notice on a passively cooled CPU; it will throttle if you try hard enough.
MNT has continued to put out adapters for new modules for the first Reform model even after the launch of the Pocket Reform. I’m assuming this will continue but I can’t speak for them. They seem to have an ethos that would lead them to continue supporting old models with module upgrades for as long as it’s economically viable to do so. And given the open source nature of the supporting hardware, even if they stop making adapters then there is nothing stopping the community from building our own. The adapters are much simpler than the host boards or modules, so this shouldn’t be an insurmountable barrier.
so you do have a Reform ?
I have not seen anything related with fan if we want to add it ( even tough they shared that it’s not needed due to the aluminium case working as a cooler ), in hotter environments ( tropical places, beaches ) I don’t think it will be quite enough.
so if Rockchip launches a new chip we will be able to replace just that part too ?
I assume that there is no dota 2 for ARM? I think you can only run it under Linux with Wine/Proton? Getting it to run on the Reform might not only be challenging because you are running Linux, not only because you have to emulate x86 but also because the GPU will be very weak in comparison to your current macbook. I don’t know if Dota can run on a GPU as limited in the ARM SoMs in the Reform? If you want Dota 2 to run, this might be a deal breaker but maybe somebody has found a way to make it work?
I have a Pocket Reform. Heat can be an issue under heavy use, but I have ordered a custom aluminum backplate thanks to the work of people in the community (see recent forum threads). Others have reported that it significantly lowers temperatures under load, so I am optimistic. AFAIK this issue only affects the Pocket Reform, which uses a PCB backplate.
You can’t just replace the CPU, as most/all modern mobile CPUs are soldered on. You need a “system on module” which is a small integrated package containing the CPU, RAM, and support chips. An example that currently works with the Reform is the Raspberry Pi CM4. You then connect your SoM to a compatible adapter board, which plugs into the main host board. This approach allows the Reform family to support many different types of SoM connectors. (Unfortunately there isn’t really a standard for these, so connectors vary widely between manufacturers.) I am hoping that MNT will release a CM5 adapter at some point, as the Pi’s popularity means that many manufacturers have copied the CM4 form factor. We already have a CM4-compatible adapter, but It’s likely that manufacturers will do the same thing with the CM5, creating a sort of pseudo-standard.
Short version: when a suitable replacement CPU appears, it’s likely that at least one integrator will release a SoM with the new chip which works in one of the existing Reform adapters. If not, either MNT or the community can design an adapter that allows the new board to work.
On macOS on Apple Silicon you’ve got the Rosetta system that does dynamic binary translation from x86_64 to arm64 so the likelihood is that Dota is in fact compiled for x86_64 and you’d have to put some effort in to getting it to work under Linux on an arm64 machine using box64 or similar. There’s no guarantee it will work! Check out the reform gaming thread!
