RISC-V computer firm DeepComputing announced that it offers early access to its new motherboard for the Framework Laptop 13.
The DC-ROMA RISC-V Mainboard features the JH7110 CPU made by chip designer StarFive. The processor sports four SiFive U74 cores that clock up to 1.5 GHz and an integrated GPU from Imagination. 8GB of memory and a 64GB SD card are also on the board, and through different tiers, DeepComputing optionally offers USB type A and HDMI ports and a WiFi 6 card. Users can choose the Ubuntu or Fedora Linux distros (or even both) for their operating system, as Linux is the most RISC-V-friendly OS today.
It’s not DeepComputing’s first time designing laptop hardware with RISC-V in mind. The company was the first to bring a RISC-V-powered laptop to market.
Even considering the DC-ROMA Mainboard is targeted at low-power laptops, it’s not expected to deliver outstanding performance. RISC-V is still relatively new, and not all software is optimized for the architecture yet, which is a significant obstacle to good performance. However, the availability of RISC-V systems from companies like DeepComputing could help improve software compatibility and optimization.
For $100 extra, the Standard tier adds in USB type-A and HDMI ports plus the WiFi card and antennae, which seems a little expensive for what you’re getting. The $799 Pro and $999 Enterprise tiers may be a better deal, including the Basic and Standard tiers and the Framework 13 Laptop, maybe a better deal.
