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The DC-ROMA II is the fastest RISC-V laptop and is odd

2 days ago
https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2025/dc-roma-ii-fastest-risc-v-laptop-and-odd
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  • #Framework-Laptop
  • #RISC-V
  • #DeepComputing
  • The Framework 13 laptop features a special mainboard with an 8-core RISC-V processor, the ESWIN 7702X, developed by DeepComputing.
  • The laptop costs $1119 and offers performance comparable to a Raspberry Pi 4 from 2019, but with higher power consumption (25 watts at idle) and shorter battery life (2-3 hours).
  • The DC-ROMA II is a niche product aimed at RISC-V developers and enthusiasts, not general consumers.
  • Key advantages include the modular Framework Mainboard design, allowing future upgrades to AMD or Intel mainboards, and the fastest RISC-V chip tested with 8 SiFive P550 CPU cores.
  • The laptop's hardware is midrange, with a 2.2K display, 56 watt-hour battery, and four expansion slots for modules like USB-C, HDMI, and Ethernet.
  • Software support is limited to Ubuntu 24.10, with no future updates due to the P550 cores not supporting the RVA23 standard.
  • Performance is sluggish, with choppy UI, limited video playback capabilities (720p), and inefficient power usage.
  • The dual-die architecture of the ESWIN CPU leads to slow cross-die memory access, impacting performance and efficiency.
  • The laptop includes an NPU with limited software support, and half of the 32 GB RAM is allocated to the NPU, reducing usable memory.
  • Benchmarks show the RISC-V chip lags behind older Intel and modern AMD systems in performance and efficiency.
  • The Framework's modular design is praised for reducing e-waste, as the chassis can be reused with future mainboard upgrades.
  • A student-developed RP2350 GPIO module adds GPIO capabilities, showcasing community and educational involvement in RISC-V development.
  • Overall, the DC-ROMA II is not recommended for general use but is notable as a step forward for RISC-V in laptops.
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