ARM Comes to Framework 13 With MetaMP Mainboard Performance and Efficiency Tested

Integrated NPU enables AI workloads but requires manual configuration and lacks streamlined support for common applications.

Hardware by Godrics01 on Apr 15, 2026

With a new ARM-based mainboard alternative, a modular laptop platform is growing beyond its usual architectures. The change shows that people are still trying out different CPU ecosystems to see how they affect performance, efficiency, and software compatibility.

This is possibly the only laptop in the world to have run RISC-V and x86, and will shortly run on an ARM mainboard. This is a new MetaMP Computing mainboard that comes with the 6P616 chip. The board is entirely new and made for the Framework 13. It has four USB-C connections that can all take power and provide HDMI signals. It lets you switch from an AMD CPU to an ARM CPU.

ARM Comes to Framework 13, With MetaMP Mainboard, Performance and Efficiency Tested, NoobFeed

We take apart the laptop and take out the AMD mainboard first. It takes about 10 minutes to fully replace the mainboard after you remove the screws and carefully lift the parts. After we install the system, we try to start it up using an SSD that has already been flashed with MetaMP Computing's Ubuntu image.

Booting and Using it in General

The system starts up with the TianoCore EDK2 firmware version 2. The operating system that comes with it is Ubuntu 25.04 with Linux kernel 6.6 LTS. The older kernel version is needed because some of the 6P1 chip's functionalities still require additional firmware support.

We see that the system starts up promptly and that all controls work, including the volume and media keys. It works well for most things. It works fine for browsing the web, watching videos, and using productivity applications like Writer and spreadsheets. The system can easily perform ordinary chores with 12 cores.

Observations of Benchmark Performance

We use benchmark tests to see how well something works. Geekbench results are within the predicted range, placing the system between other devices using the same chip. For little jobs, the performance is what you would expect.

However, when we run HPL, which emphasizes memory utilization and 64-bit floating-point calculations, we see decreased performance. Compared to other systems, the memory bandwidth appears to be slightly lower. Even when the BIOS performance settings are correct, efficiency decreases in this test. This could mean that the firmware or configuration is causing the problem.

On the other hand, Geekbench's performance remains consistent across similar systems, and most tasks work as they should. One good thing is that it uses less power when not in use than similar devices, suggesting that BIOS-level optimizations have been implemented.

Tests for Graphics Performance and Gaming

We use GravityMark to check how well graphics work. The machine has a Mali-G72 Immortalis GPU that supports Vulkan and OpenGL. This allows games to be played through compatibility layers such as Box86/Box64 or FEX.

The performance is similar to that of previous mobile CPUs, including the A14-class processor or entry-level Intel iGPUs like the N100 systems. We turn on Steam and try out a few games.

Horizon Chase Turbo can run on the lowest settings, although it's not totally playable. The controls and sound work, but the performance is restricted. Portal 2 also suffers from significant stuttering, making it hard to play. Abduction doesn't start up properly, perhaps due to memory issues, since the CPU and GPU share 16GB of RAM. During testing, the machine finally freezes up.

We conclude that this board is not useful for play.

Trying Windows on ARM

We try to put Windows on ARM. The installation fails initially due to an NTFS driver issue caused by an older version of Rufus. This happened after the BIOS was updated and a bootable USB drive was made. The process moves forward after recreating the installer, but it encounters a phase-zero exception during hardware initialization.

We try the offered fixes, such as turning off CPU cores and switching to work mode. The installation gets partway through, then fails in the middle, and can't find the NVMe disk afterward. At this point, the process is still unstable and not supported.

We choose to focus on Linux because Windows isn't ready yet.

Using AI with NPU

Because it has an NPU, the system is called an AIPC. The 6P1 microprocessor has a neural processing unit that can handle 30 TOPS of INT8 operations. This can speed up tasks such as machine learning and object detection.

But you have to set up and configure the NPU by hand. There isn't much official documentation, although there are some instructions for certain situations. AI features aren't plug-and-play yet.

ARM Comes to Framework 13, With MetaMP Mainboard, Performance and Efficiency Tested, NoobFeed

Comparisons and Power Efficiency

Even while idle power is better than it was on older ARM and RISC-V systems, efficiency remains a concern. When the display is off, the device uses roughly 7 to 8 watts of power. When the display is on, it uses about 10 watts.

Alternative systems work better, though. The MacBook Neo uses less than 1W while it's not in use and about 3W when the screen is on. The AMD Ryzen 5340 mainboard uses about 5W while the display is on and 2.7W when it is off.

This board is better than older RISC-V systems that use 25W while idle. However, it's still not good enough for laptops, where power efficiency is really important.

Final Thoughts

When you add in the cost of RAM, the board costs about the same as the Ryzen 5340 mainboard and a lot more than the MacBook Neo. Both options work better and use less energy. The AMD alternative also works with more software, especially Linux.

We see that the ARM board is well-suited for general computing and testing. However, it still lags behind in terms of speed, efficiency, and ecosystem maturity. It isn't very useful as a daily laptop because of its battery life and the amount of power it consumes when it's not in use.

Updates to the BIOS in the future may make the board run faster and consume less power. Still, for now, it's better for developers and enthusiasts than for regular users.

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