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Ask HN: Do you feel bad when devices aren't utilized to the extreme?

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Re: Ask HN: Do you feel bad when devices aren't utilized to the extreme?

#31

Post by adhoc_slime »

madsbuch wrote: post #22

To be honest an M1 (M1 Max, 64GB RAM) performs quite poor doing serious software development. As an example, it takes 22 sec to run a test suite on the M1, in our CI the same test suite takes 9 sec. These might be due to software that has not been written yet. To be honest, the computer seems like a high end office computer, so I think that use case seems spot on.

well honestly that's just wasted compute becuase of the design limitation of the M1 and its cooling. It runs full tilt to a thermal limit and then stays below it, thermally throttling the CPU. Makes me want to see a benchmark comparison with some custom cooling solution on an m1 vs stock. The whole laptop form-factor for these cpu's feels so limiting to their potential.

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel bad when devices aren't utilized to the extreme?

#32

Post by dijit »

madsbuch wrote: post #22

To be honest an M1 (M1 Max, 64GB RAM) performs quite poor doing serious software development. As an example, it takes 22 sec to run a test suite on the M1, in our CI the same test suite takes 9 sec. These might be due to software that has not been written yet. To be honest, the computer seems like a high end office computer, so I think that use case seems spot on.

Is your CI running on docker for mac, perchance?

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel bad when devices aren't utilized to the extreme?

#33

Post by te_platt »

Yes, very much. Growing up I used to scramble to get whatever computer equipment I could. My parents didn't have much money but many of my friends parents did. I hated asking to borrow stuff even though people didn't seem to mind. Now when I see my extra equipment not get used I imagine some kid really wanting to just use it for a bit. Maybe just my own mental issues here but I know what you mean.

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel bad when devices aren't utilized to the extreme?

#34

Post by PaulHoule »

nicolaslem wrote: post #11
PaulHoule wrote: post #2

I would turn it the other way around. So many underpowered devices are produced that sit in drawers, collect dust, and end up in the landfill. For instance Intel makes "atom" devices that if they don't die early because of design flaws, they die early because they aren't really useful. There was a time when Intel was interested in having you buy a new computer because it was the best computer you ever had, now they a…

Are you talking about the Atom line of Intel CPUs? If so, I don't really understand this comment. Atoms are used in all kind of applications where low(ish) power x86 is required. They even support ECC RAM making them great fit for NAS and embedded servers deployed in the field. They may not shine as a general purpose CPU but they are definitely not ewaste.

There are the netbooks which are e-Waste when they are new, and then there was

https://www.theregister.com/2017/02/06/cisco_intel_decline_t...

Any other vendor that had a failing product line would have retired the brand a long time ago and come out with a new name (look at how no small car brand from an American manufacturer ever survives more than a few years.) Instead Intel comes out with all kinds of forgettable "... creek" and "... lake" brands for their quality parts. The process difficulties they are having in particular stretch out the lifecycle of parts like the construction of a nuclear power plant, but the time the "s..t creek" chip is newly available you have been hearing about it for three years and it doesn't sound new it sounds more like "IBM System/360".

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel bad when devices aren't utilized to the extreme?

#36

Post by nandhinianand »

prettyStandard wrote: post #15
valar_m wrote: post #10

Reckless and wholly unqualified armchair psychologist here. Seems like this isn't really about wasted compute power at all and more about feeling like you aren't working on something that matters.

As someone who this also bothers. That might be right.

I'll third that...

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel bad when devices aren't utilized to the extreme?

#37

Post by smoldesu »

PaulHoule wrote: post #34
nicolaslem wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you talking about the Atom line of Intel CPUs? If so, I don't really understand this comment. Atoms are used in all kind of applications where low(ish) power x86 is required. They even support ECC RAM making them great fit for NAS and embedded servers deployed in the field. They may not shine as a general purpose CPU but they are definitely not ewaste.

There are the netbooks which are e-Waste when they are new, and then there was https://www.theregister.com/2017/02/06/cisco_intel_decline_t... Any other vendor that had a failing product line would have retired the brand a long time ago and come out with a new name (look at how no small car brand from an American manufacturer ever survives more than a few years.) Instead Intel comes out with all kinds of forgettable…

FWIW, I can never remember my CPU's generation numbers as quickly as I remember their codenames. Referring to generally-similar hardware by "Haswell" or "Skylake" is easier than "4000-series" or "6XXX". Just my two cents though.

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel bad when devices aren't utilized to the extreme?

#40

Post by dataflow »

I feel horrible that supposedly environmentally-conscious folks force perfectly good hardware to become obsolete through software (and often in the name of "security"), if that's what you mean. The whole "trade in your 1- or 2-year-old phone for a new one" thing is just absolutely insane to me.

But once the hardware is acquired, your goal should be to stretch its lifetime and spend the least energy on it, not the most.

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