Science & Tech · Gadgets & EVs · 3 hrs ago
Framework Laptop 13 mainboard becomes a modular Proxmox home server
An XDA writer turned a Framework Laptop 13 mainboard into a Proxmox home server for a home lab.
Framework laptops are designed to be taken apart and repaired, and the company also sells a desktop chassis for the laptop’s mainboard.
The writer removed the board from its laptop, disconnecting it from the screen, keyboard and battery.
The board contains the computer’s processor, graphics, memory and storage, and the laptop used 5 to 8 watts at idle running Arch Linux.
That is far below the roughly 120 watts used by the writer’s Threadripper server build, while the laptop’s power draw reached about 30 watts under heavy use.
The smaller setup offers a way to run home services with less power than larger workstation or enterprise server hardware.
An XDA writer removed the mainboard from a Framework Laptop 13 to use it as a modular Proxmox home server.
The writer says the laptop board offers a lower-power alternative to enterprise servers and workstation builds.
The Framework Laptop 13 draws between 5 and 8 watts at idle running Arch Linux, according to the article.
The article says power draw can reach around 30 watts when the system is pushed hard.
Framework sells a desktop chassis for the mainboard, but the writer began by removing it from the laptop.
- Who
- Richard, XDA’s PC Hardware Lead, describes converting his Framework Laptop 13 mainboard.
- What
- He removed the mainboard to use it as a modular Proxmox home server.
- When
- The article was published on Nov. 4, 2026, in the article text.
- Where
- In the writer’s home lab.
- Why
- He wanted to apply the laptop’s modularity to a home server and reduce power use compared with larger server and workstation systems.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
XDA published Richard’s account of turning a Framework Laptop 13 mainboard into a home server.
Richard removed the mainboard from the keyboard, screen, and battery.
- Laptop model
- Framework Laptop 13
- Idle power draw
- 5 to 8 watts running Arch Linux
- Power draw under load
- Around 30 watts from the power brick
- Threadripper server build
- Around 120 watts
- Alternative chassis
- Framework sells a desktop chassis for the board
What people are saying
How about taking that modularity to the home lab?
That's quite the baseline and a much more manageable amount than 120W or so with the Threadripper server build.