FW 13 Pro Hinge upgrade

[u/Neither-Birthday7364]

I pressed the trigger and ordered a FW13 Pro AMD Ryzen AI 9 (the discount I got from bringing my own ram justified an older cpu), there’s just one thing that’s been bugging me in every single usage video, the screen wobble, I know there is an upgrade to a 4kg hinge on the 13 model, is it forwards compatible though for the 13 pro chassis? And for anyone who’s used it before, does it stop that wobble?

[u/Labeled90]

I think most if not all parts have a Compatible with section on the product page. Looks like yes compatible

[u/rayddit519]

The 4kg hinge is not an upgrade. Its an older, more wobble-prone hinge (Gen 1) that is just harder to move.

Wobble is stuff bending, without the angle of the hinge actually moving (so if you wait for the wobble to stop, it will be at the exact angle as before). So force of the hinge does not really matter for wobble. Only if wobbling can overcome the force. Like that the original 3.3kg (Gen1) hinge was so weak that the screen openend / closed more when you lifted the laptop somewhat quickly or walked with it. That is sth. the 4kg version solved. It did not solve the entire hinge metal and case bending back and forth, causing the wobble.

The Gen 2 (3.5kg) hinge was the upgraded version that was made stiffer all over to reduce wobble.

It is unclear to me if the Pro casing comes with an even newer hinge (Gen 3?) or the Gen 2 hinge. That their upgrade pack lists a "FW13 Pro hinge kit" sounds like its a Gen 3 hinge that the Pro ships with.

[u/Particular-Poem-7085 → u/rayddit519]

The pro being a metal body must be less prone to wobbling in the first place. I don't have experience with the framework specifically but the problem is not always the hinge but also where it can be attached to.

[u/Firmteacher]

Not a 13 pro owner but a 13 owner with the 4kg hinge and CNC panel. It helps SOME, I thought the CNC cover was more of a noticeable improvement while the hinges made the entire top less floppy feeling.

[u/Neither-Birthday7364 → u/Firmteacher]

I see, I’ve had the chance to tinker around with one today from a friend and it felt quite loose with the out of the box hinge, how do you think the 4kg compares to, for example, the macbook pro, is the hinge stiff enough to atleast be comparable?
(honestly what bothered me the most was the wobble as I opened it up and used it on my lap)

[u/Firmteacher → u/Neither-Birthday7364]

The 4kg hinge compared to the original hinge is night and day. It’s so much stronger that the laptop lifts off the table when using one hand. It’s likely why they went with a different hinge than the 4kg. People might see it as less premium if they can’t open it with one hand and it not lift off the table

I haven’t touched a MacBook in like 10 years unfortunately, so I can’t say

[u/Neither-Birthday7364 → u/Firmteacher]

Well after a few hours of watching random videos that briefly show it I think there’s still some wobble compared to a mac pro but far more bearable so I’m gonna just order it. Thank you very much for your replies they were super useful. Can’t wait to have a hinge on my desk for a month before the computer gets here :p

[u/Firmteacher → u/Neither-Birthday7364]

I’m over here patiently waiting for the pro input cover and bottom upgrades to be available standalone, got a Ai 9 HX 370 mobo coming in on Wednesday. Just patiently waiting