RISC-V laptops: DeepComputing’s open-source revolution

1. The Dawn of Open Silicon: Dissecting the RISC-V laptops Era

The personal computing landscape, for decades defined by the rigid duopoly of x86 (Intel, AMD) and the licensed dominion of ARM (Apple, Qualcomm), stands at the precipice of a foundational shift. The emergence of RISC-V laptops is not merely an iterative hardware release; it is the physical manifestation of a philosophical revolution in how computing architectures are designed, licensed, and consumed.

At the forefront of this movement is the DeepComputing DC-ROMA series and the groundbreaking collaboration with Framework Computer, devices that promise to give Linux users a native open-source hardware platform free from the proprietary constraints of legacy instruction sets. This report provides an exhaustive, expert-level analysis of this nascent ecosystem, exploring the technical specifications, the software readiness of the RISC-V Linux laptop, and the geopolitical and technical rivalry of RISC-V vs Loongson.

1.1 The Architectural Stagnation and the RISC-V Antidote

To understand the gravity of the DeepComputing RISC-V laptop launch, one must first appreciate the stagnation of the incumbent architectures. The x86 architecture, while powerful, carries forty years of legacy bloat and a closed ecosystem controlled by two entities. ARM, while efficient, operates on a licensing model that restricts who can design chips and how. RISC-V (Reduced Instruction Set Computer V) breaks this paradigm by offering a royalty-free, open standard Instruction Set Architecture (ISA). It moves the standard from the proprietary domain to the community domain, much like Linux did for operating systems in the 1990s.

The DC-ROMA RISC-V laptop is the first attempt to package this “freedom of silicon” into a consumer-viable mobile form factor. It targets a specific but influential demographic: the RISC-V notebook for developers. These are the kernel hackers, compiler engineers, and security researchers who need to port the world’s software to this new architecture. The release of the DC-ROMA Laptop II and the Framework RISC-V Mainboard signals that the hardware is finally catching up to the software’s ambition, moving from simple microcontrollers to complex, multi-core application processors capable of running a full desktop operating system.   

1.2 Defining the Modern RISC-V laptops

A “laptop” in the RISC-V context is currently a distinct class of device compared to a MacBook Air or a Dell XPS. It is a development vehicle. The RISC-V laptop review landscape is dominated by discussions of compilation times, UART debugging headers, and bootloader compatibility rather than frame rates in AAA games or Adobe Premiere render times. The open-source RISC-V laptop is designed to break the “chicken and egg” cycle: developers wouldn’t port software because there was no hardware, and hardware vendors wouldn’t build laptops because there was no software. DeepComputing has stepped in to force the issue, providing the physical hardware necessary to catalyze the ecosystem.   

The implications of this shift are profound. If successful, RISC-V laptops could democratize access to custom silicon, allowing smaller players to build specialized computing devices without the prohibitive licensing costs of ARM. It also offers a neutral ground in the tech trade wars, a factor that has accelerated its adoption in markets seeking technological sovereignty. This report will dissect whether the current generation—the SpacemiT K1 and StarFive JH7110—can live up to this massive potential or if they remain niche curiosities for the devoted few.

If you’re more into futuristic dual-screen or foldable ultrabooks than experimental RISC-V laptops, you’ll probably love our comparison of Lenovo’s premium Yoga Book 9i and Huawei’s MateBook Fold. Check it here: https://laptopchina.tech/lenovo-yoga-book-9i-vs-huawei-matebook-fold/ We break down displays, performance, thermals, battery life, and everyday usability for real-world buyers before you choose anything.

2. DeepComputing DC-ROMA RISC-V laptops II: The Hardware Flagship

The DeepComputing RISC-V laptop lineup has evolved rapidly. The second generation, the DC-ROMA RISC-V Laptop II, represents a massive leap forward in build quality, performance, and specification, addressing many of the criticisms leveled at early prototypes. It is positioned as the first “premium” RISC-V Linux laptop, utilizing an all-metal chassis and a significantly more capable System-on-Chip (SoC).   

2.1 Industrial Design and Chassis Construction

DeepComputing has moved away from the plastic shells of early development boards to a chassis that mimics modern ultrabooks.

• Materials: The DC-ROMA II features an all-metal casing. This is not purely cosmetic; metal chassis function as large passive heatsinks, which is critical for these low-power RISC-V chips that often run fanless or with minimal active cooling. The improved heat dissipation ensures sustained performance during long compile jobs, a primary use case for this device.   
• Dimensions: The device measures 32.3cm in length, 20.9cm in width, and has a Z-height (thickness) of just 1.7cm. This sub-20mm thickness places it firmly in the thin-and-light category, making it portable enough for developers traveling to conferences like RISC-V Summit or FOSDEM.   
• Weight: At 1.36kg (approximately 3 lbs), it is lighter than many 14-inch commercial laptops, enhancing its appeal as a secondary travel device for coding on the go.   
• Display: The laptop utilizes a 14.0-inch IPS panel with a standard 1920×1080 (FHD) resolution running at 60Hz. While not high-refresh-rate or 4K, the choice of IPS (In-Plane Switching) over TN (Twisted Nematic) is crucial for developer ergonomics, offering better viewing angles and color accuracy for reading code and documentation.   

2.2 The SpacemiT K1 SoC: A Vector-Powered Core

The heart of the DC-ROMA II is the SpacemiT Key Stone K1 SoC. This chip is arguably the most significant differentiator between the DC-ROMA II and its competitors (including the Framework Mainboard).

• Core Architecture: The K1 features an octa-core (8-core) CPU based on the SpacemiT X60 architecture. Doubling the core count from the previous generation’s quad-core (4-core) designs is vital for parallelized workloads like make -j8 during software compilation.   
• Clock Speed: The cores are clocked up to 2.0GHz. While significantly lower than x86 turbo frequencies, the consistent 2.0GHz across 8 cores provides a respectable throughput for integer workloads.   
• Efficiency: SpacemiT claims the X60 core delivers 30% higher single-core performance than the ARM Cortex-A55, the industry standard “little” core used in billions of smartphones. Furthermore, it achieves this while consuming 20-40% less power, contributing to the laptop’s rated battery life of up to 8 hours.   

2.3 Connectivity and the Developer Interface

A defining feature of a RISC-V notebook for developers is the inclusion of hardware debugging interfaces that are typically stripped from consumer laptops.

• The Developer Header: The DC-ROMA II includes a customized 8-pin development interface accessible to the user. This header exposes I2C, UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter), and PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signals.
  • Significance: For kernel developers, UART access is the “Holy Grail.” It allows them to view the raw kernel boot console (printk output) before the graphics driver initializes. If a new kernel panics during boot, a standard laptop shows a black screen; the DC-ROMA II sends the error log out the serial port, allowing the developer to debug the crash. This feature alone justifies the purchase for low-level systems engineers.
• Standard I/O: The device supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, ensuring modern wireless connectivity standards are met, which is often a pain point in early dev boards. Storage options include M.2 NVMe SSDs up to 1TB, a massive upgrade over the SD-card reliance of single-board computers (SBCs).   

2.4 DeepComputing’s Strategic Role

DeepComputing acts not just as a manufacturer but as an ecosystem integrator. By partnering with Canonical to ship RISC-V laptops Ubuntu images officially, they are reducing the friction for adoption. The DC-ROMA II is the flagship vessel for this software work, providing a stable, standardized platform that software vendors can target. Unlike the fragmented SBC market where every board needs a custom Device Tree Blob (DTB) and kernel patch set, the DC-ROMA II aims to support standard UEFI booting, bringing the open-source RISC-V laptops experience closer to the “it just works” expectation of the PC world.   

Want something more fun than tinkering with RISC-V laptops? Check our guide to Windows handheld gaming PCs from Chinese brands like AYANEO, GPD and OneXPlayer: https://laptopchina.tech/handheld-gaming-pc-windows-chinese-brands/ We compare performance, cooling, battery life and ergonomics, so you can pick the best portable console for your gaming style on the go today.

RISC-V laptops

3. The Processor Wars: SpacemiT K1 vs. StarFive JH7110

The current RISC-V laptop market is effectively a duopoly of silicon between the SpacemiT K1 (used in the DC-ROMA II) and the StarFive JH7110 (used in the Framework Mainboard and early prototypes). Understanding the differences between these two chips is essential for any buyer, as they represent two different generations of the RISC-V specification.

3.1 StarFive JH7110: The Legacy Workhorse

The StarFive JH7110 was the first mass-produced, high-performance RISC-V SoC that made it into the hands of thousands of developers via the VisionFive 2 SBC.

• Architecture: It uses four SiFive U74 cores clocked at 1.5GHz. The U74 is an older core design, roughly equivalent to an ARM Cortex-A55 but without the years of micro-architectural optimization.   
• The Vector Problem: The JH7110 implements the RISC-V Vector (RVV) extension version 0.7.1. This is a draft specification that was never ratified. The final ratified standard is RVV 1.0.
  • Implication: Mainline compilers (GCC 13+, LLVM 16+) and Linux distributions (Fedora, Ubuntu) target RVV 1.0. They cannot generate code for RVV 0.7.1 without specific, non-standard flags. Consequently, most standard software runs on the JH7110 in “scalar only” mode, ignoring the vector unit entirely. This severely hampers performance in media encoding, cryptography, and complex math libraries.   
• Performance Profile: With only 4 cores at 1.5GHz and no usable vector acceleration in modern distros, the JH7110 struggles with desktop multitasking. It is a “pioneer” chip—vital for getting the ecosystem started, but showing its age in 2025.

3.2 SpacemiT K1: The Modern Standard

The SpacemiT K1 represents the “Generation 2” of RISC-V laptop silicon.

• RVA22 Compliance: The K1 is compliant with the RVA22 profile (RISC-V Application Profile 2022). This profile mandates specific extensions, including RVV 1.0.   
• RVV 1.0 Advantage: Because the K1 supports the ratified RVV 1.0 standard with a 256-bit vector width, it is compatible with the “default” build options of modern Linux distributions. When Fedora or Ubuntu compile the C standard library (glibc) with vector optimizations (memcpy, strcpy), the K1 can execute them natively. This results in a massive performance uplift for memory operations and string manipulation, which underpins almost every application.   
• SIMD Power: SpacemiT claims the K1 has double the SIMD parallel processing capability of ARM NEON. This makes it significantly more future-proof for tasks like on-device AI inference and software-based video decoding.   

3.3 The Core Count Disparity

The difference between 4 cores (JH7110) and 8 cores (K1) cannot be overstated for a RISC-V notebook for developers.

• Compilation: Software compilation is an “embarrassingly parallel” task. make can spawn a thread for every core. An 8-core K1 will compile a Linux kernel roughly twice as fast as a 4-core JH7110, all else being equal (and the K1 is faster per clock, widening the gap further).   
• Responsiveness: In a modern desktop environment (GNOME or KDE), background processes (indexing, updates, telemetry) consume CPU cycles. On a 4-core chip, a heavy background task can cause the UI to stutter. On an 8-core chip, the scheduler can move the UI thread to a free core, maintaining system responsiveness.

3.4 AI and NPU Integration

The K1 also integrates an “AI Fusion Computing Engine” rated at 2.0 TOPS (Trillions of Operations Per Second). While 2 TOPS is tiny compared to the 40+ TOPS of modern x86 “AI PCs,” it is infinite compared to the 0 TOPS of the JH7110 (which has no NPU).   

• Use Cases: This NPU allows developers to experiment with TinyML, audio processing (noise cancellation), and basic computer vision models directly on the laptop without bogging down the CPU. It positions the DC-ROMA RISC-V laptop as an entry-level edge AI development platform.

Synthesis: The SpacemiT K1 is not just a spec bump; it is an architectural correction. It fixes the fragmentation caused by the RVV 0.7.1 draft and provides the first "standard-compliant" high-performance RISC-V mobile experience.

RISC-V laptops

If you are also exploring how AI tools, coding assistants and automation can supercharge your workflow on RISC-V laptops and other experimental hardware, take a look at our main hub: https://aiinovationhub.com/ — a central place for AI news, reviews, prompts and practical monetization ideas for developers, creators, freelancers and founders.

4. Framework RISC-V laptops: Modularity Meets Open ISA

The collaboration between DeepComputing and Framework Computer is arguably the most significant commercial validation of RISC-V to date. Framework, known for its repairable and modular laptops, has created a mechanism where users can swap their Intel or AMD mainboards for a Framework RISC-V laptop mainboard.   

4.1 The Concept: "Drop-in" Architecture Freedom

Framework's unique value proposition is the modular mainboard. The DeepComputing RISC-V Mainboard is designed to fit mechanically and electrically into the existing Framework Laptop 13 chassis.   

• The Upgrade Path: A user with an 11th Gen Intel Framework laptop from 2021 can purchase the RISC-V mainboard, open the chassis, and swap the boards. Instantly, the machine transforms from x86 to RISC-V. This reusability aligns perfectly with the sustainability goals of the open-hardware movement.
• The Chassis: Users who do not own a Framework laptop can buy the "Framework Laptop 13 Shell"—a chassis kit without a mainboard—specifically to build a RISC-V laptops for developers from scratch.   

4.2 Technical Limitations of the Framework Implementation

Despite the excitement, the Framework RISC-V implementation has significant technical limitations mandated by the choice of the StarFive JH7110 SoC and the constraints of the mainboard form factor.

• Soldered Memory: Unlike the Intel/AMD Framework mainboards which feature SODIMM slots for upgradable RAM, the RISC-V mainboard has 8GB of LPDDR4 memory soldered to the board. The JH7110's memory controller does not support SODIMMs efficiently, and LPDDR (Low Power DDR) is typically soldered. This limits the board's lifespan for memory-intensive applications.   
• Storage Bottlenecks: The JH7110 has limited PCIe lanes. While the DeepComputing board connects to the Framework's expansion cards, the primary boot storage is listed as eMMC or MicroSD. While some documentation hints at SSD support via adapters, the JH7110 cannot drive a high-speed Gen4 NVMe drive at full speed like the x86 boards can. This results in slower I/O performance, affecting boot times and application launch speeds.   
• Performance Delta: Framework is explicitly transparent that this is a "developer-focused board" and not a consumer product. The performance gap between an AMD Ryzen 7040 Framework board and the JH7110 board is immense (roughly 10x-20x difference in raw compute). It is intended for testing and porting, not for replacing a daily driver.   

4.3 The "Tinkerer's" Ecosystem

This product creates a unique "Tinkerer's" ecosystem. The Framework chassis provides a high-quality keyboard, trackpad, and screen (2256x1504 resolution). Driving this high-resolution 3:2 display with the modest JH7110 GPU is a challenge, but it offers a far superior Human Interface Device (HID) experience than a generic plastic shell or a bare SBC sitting on a desk. It legitimizes the open-source RISC-V laptop as a professional tool, even if the silicon inside is still maturing.   

RISC-V laptops

Already thinking about how your future RISC-V laptop will pair with a phone and earbuds from China? Dive into https://smartchina.io/ for reviews of Chinese smartphones, wearables and smart accessories, so your entire setup — from notebook to pocket tech — stays affordable, experimental and perfectly tuned for modern power users.

5. The Software Ecosystem: RISC-V laptops Ubuntu and Linux Support

Hardware is inert without software. The success of RISC-V laptops hinges entirely on the readiness of the Linux ecosystem. DeepComputing has aggressively pursued partnerships to ensure that the "software gap" is closed rapidly.

5.1 Canonical and Ubuntu: The Official Seal of Approval

The partnership with Canonical to ship RISC-V laptops Ubuntu (specifically Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and 23.10) is a watershed moment.   

• Standardization: Ubuntu provides a "reference" experience. Users don't have to compile their own kernel or hunt for obscure patches on GitHub. They can run apt update and apt install just like on x86.
• PPA Support: The availability of Launchpad Personal Package Archives (PPAs) for RISC-V is growing. This allows developers to distribute pre-compiled binaries for their tools, bypassing the need for every user to compile from source.
• Download Availability: The DeepComputing mainboard is officially listed on the Ubuntu RISC-V download page. This "Tier 1" support status ensures that the board will receive security updates and kernel patches directly from Canonical's automated build infrastructure, providing a level of security assurance required for enterprise use.   

5.2 Fedora: The Upstream Pioneer

While Ubuntu provides stability, Fedora drives innovation. The Fedora RISC-V team (Fedora-V Force) has been instrumental in bootstrapping the architecture.

• RVA23 Readiness: Fedora is currently working on rebuilding its entire package repository for the RVA23 profile. This future-looking profile sets the baseline for the next generation of hardware. Fedora users on DeepComputing RISC-V laptops act as the vanguard, testing these new compiler flags and optimizations before they trickle down to other distributions.   
• Fedora Remix: DeepComputing is developing a "Fedora Remix" specifically for the Framework Mainboard. This remix likely bundles specific non-free firmware (for Wi-Fi or GPU) that Fedora's strict open-source policy might exclude from the main images, ensuring a "boot-and-go" experience for users.   

5.3 Specialized Distros: Bianbu OS

For the SpacemiT K1, a specialized Debian-based distribution called Bianbu OS exists.   

• Optimization: Bianbu OS is compiled specifically for the SpacemiT X60 core. Unlike generic Debian riscv64 which targets a generic baseline, Bianbu can enable specific optimizations for the K1's pipeline and cache structure.
• Window Management: It utilizes Wayland by default. Wayland is generally more efficient than the legacy X11 window system, which is crucial for the limited GPU performance of these chips. Early reports indicate that the desktop experience on Bianbu is smoother than on stock Ubuntu due to these targeted optimizations.

6. The Graphics Bottleneck: Imagination GPU and Open Source Drivers

The "Achilles' heel" of the current RISC-V Linux laptop generation is the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). Both the SpacemiT K1 and StarFive JH7110 utilize Imagination Technologies (PowerVR) B-Series GPUs (BXE-2-32 and BXE-4-32 respectively).   

6.1 The Closed-Source Legacy vs. Open Future

Imagination Technologies has historically been hostile to open-source drivers, requiring binary blobs (proprietary drivers) that interface with the Linux kernel. This clashes with the open philosophy of RISC-V.

• The Driver Gap: While an open-source driver project exists within the Mesa 3D graphics library (the pvr driver), it is still in experimental stages. It supports basic OpenGL ES but often lacks the performance or stability of the closed-source binary driver.   
• The "Softpipe" Reality: Many users report that out-of-the-box, these laptops default to llvmpipe or softpipe rendering. This means the CPU is doing all the graphical rendering work (drawing windows, rendering fonts, compositing the desktop).
  • Impact: On the 4-core JH7110, software rendering is painful, leading to tearing and stuttering UI. On the 8-core K1, the extra CPU power makes software rendering "tolerable" for basic tasks, masking the lack of GPU acceleration.

6.2 Video Playback and the VPU

Watching a 1080p YouTube video is a standard benchmark for a "usable" laptop.

• The Hardware: Both chips have dedicated Video Processing Units (VPUs) capable of decoding H.264 and H.265 video in hardware.   
• The Software Disconnect: To use this VPU in a web browser (Firefox/Chromium), the browser must support the V4L2 (Video for Linux 2) stateful decoder API or VA-API. Mainline browsers rarely support the specific VPU implementation of these niche RISC-V chips without extensive patching.
• The Result: Video playback often falls back to the CPU. The JH7110 struggles to play 1080p video smoothly on CPU alone. The K1, with its stronger CPU and vector units, can manage it better, but it is inefficient, draining battery and heating up the chassis. Fixing the "media pipeline"—connecting the VPU to the browser via open APIs—is the number one priority for the RISC-V laptop review community.   

7. RISC-V vs Loongson: The Geopolitical Silicon Rivalry

No analysis of the open-source RISC-V laptop market is complete without addressing the elephant in the room: Loongson. China acts as a major driver for non-x86 architectures, promoting both RISC-V and its indigenous LoongArch.

7.1 Loongson 3A6000: The Performance King (with a Catch)

The Loongson 3A6000 is a desktop/laptop processor based on the LoongArch ISA.

• Performance: In raw benchmarks, the Loongson 3A6000 destroys the current RISC-V laptop chips. It offers Instruction Per Clock (IPC) performance comparable to an Intel Core i3-10100 (10th Gen) or AMD Ryzen Zen 3 architecture. This makes it a "real" desktop replacement capable of heavy lifting.   
• The ISA: LoongArch is a proprietary ISA derived from MIPS but incompatible with it. It is controlled entirely by Loongson Technology. Unlike RISC-V, it is not a global open standard; it is a Chinese national standard.

7.2 The Ecosystem Divergence

The RISC-V vs Loongson battle is one of "Performance vs. Ecosystem."

• Loongson: Offers high performance today. However, its ecosystem is isolated. It relies on "Loongnix" (a fork of Linux) and binary translation (LBT) to run legacy Windows x86 applications. It is heavily sanctioned by the US and has little traction outside of Chinese government procurement (XinChuang).   
• RISC-V: Offers lower performance today (with the K1/JH7110), but has a massive global ecosystem. Google (Android), Qualcomm, NVIDIA, and European researchers are all contributing to the RISC-V software stack.
• Strategic Choice: For a global developer, the DeepComputing RISC-V laptop is the better investment. It aligns with a worldwide movement. Loongson is a technological cul-de-sac for anyone outside the Chinese domestic market. While the 3A6000 is faster, the DC-ROMA II connects the user to a global community of innovation.

8. Developer Workflows: Compilers, Docker, and IDEs

The primary persona for these devices is the developer. How does the RISC-V notebook for developers handle actual work?

8.1 Compilation Performance

Compiling code is the benchmark of truth.

• Kernel Builds: Compiling the Linux kernel on the StarFive JH7110 takes approximately 60 minutes. On the SpacemiT K1, thanks to 8 cores and higher clock speeds, estimates suggest this drops to around 35-40 minutes. While slower than a modern x86 workstation (5-10 minutes), it is fast enough for "coffee break" compilation cycles.   
• Toolchains: GCC 14 and LLVM 17 have full support for the K1's RVV 1.0 extensions. This allows developers to optimize their codebases for vectorization directly on the native hardware, validating performance gains that simulators (like QEMU) cannot accurately model.   

8.2 Docker and Containerization

Docker support is surprisingly robust, making the RISC-V laptop a viable portable server.

• Availability: Docker Hub now hosts official linux/riscv64 images for Alpine, Ubuntu, Debian, Python, Node.js, and Go.   
• Workflow: A developer can build a container on their powerful x86 server using docker buildx (cross-compilation) and then pull and run that container on the RISC-V laptop to test compatibility.
• Capacity: With 16GB of RAM on the high-end DC-ROMA II, the machine can comfortably run a stack of containers (e.g., a web server, a Redis cache, and a Postgres database) simultaneously.   

8.3 The IDE Dilemma: VS Code

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is the industry standard editor, but its support on RISC-V is nuanced.

• Official Builds: Microsoft does not yet provide official builds of VS Code for RISC-V Linux.   
• Community Builds: Developers rely on VSCodium or "Code - OSS" builds compiled by the community. These work well but may lack some proprietary Microsoft extensions (like the official Python extension or Remote Development pack).
• Remote - SSH: A popular workflow is to use the RISC-V laptop as a "headless" server. The developer runs VS Code on their MacBook or Windows PC and uses the "Remote - SSH" extension to connect to the RISC-V laptop. This offloads the heavy UI rendering to the powerful machine while executing the code/compiler on the RISC-V silicon.   

9. Performance Benchmarking and Real-World Usage

Synthesizing the data from various sources paints a realistic picture of the performance tier these laptops occupy.

9.2 Analysis of the Data

9.2 Analysis of the Data

• The "Pi 4" Class: The current RISC-V laptops perform roughly in the same tier as a Raspberry Pi 4. They are usable desktops but are significantly slower than even entry-level x86 laptops (like the Intel N100).
• The Vector Multiplier: In workloads that can leverage the K1's RVV 1.0 (like matrix multiplication in AI inference), performance can jump 2x-4x compared to the JH7110, allowing the K1 to punch above its weight class in specific tasks.   
• Storage I/O: The Framework Mainboard's reliance on SD/eMMC (running at ~45-80 MB/s) is a major bottleneck compared to the NVMe speeds (1500+ MB/s) supported by the DC-ROMA II. This makes the DC-ROMA II feel much "snappier" when opening applications or booting.   

10. Conclusion: The Revolution is Just Beginning

The arrival of the DeepComputing DC-ROMA RISC-V Laptop II and the Framework RISC-V laptop mainboard marks the end of the "prototype phase" and the beginning of the "ecosystem phase" for RISC-V computing.

The DC-ROMA II is the clear winner for developers seeking a standalone, future-proof device. Its SpacemiT K1 SoC with RVV 1.0 support ensures compatibility with the next five years of software development, and its 8-core design provides the necessary parallelism for serious compilation work. It is a legitimate tool for the open-source pioneer.

The Framework RISC-V Mainboard, while powered by the older JH7110, offers something arguably more valuable: sustainability and modularity. It allows existing Framework owners to dip their toes into the RISC-V ecosystem for $199, democratizing access to the hardware.

Compared to RISC-V vs Loongson, RISC-V loses the battle of raw IPC but wins the war of global relevance. Loongson is a powerful island; RISC-V is a growing continent.

For the Linux user and open-source advocate, these devices are not just laptops; they are a declaration of independence. They are the first steps toward a future where the hardware in our laps is as open and hackable as the software on our screens. The performance is modest, the drivers are experimental, and the ecosystem is raw—but that is exactly why the developers are here. The revolution is open for business.

RISC-V laptops