It is worth it to buy the fast CPU
blog.howardjohn.info
It is worth it to buy the fast CPU
1–10 of 522 posts
Re: It is worth it to buy the fast CPU
#2Even better way to improve the quality of your computer sessions is "Just use Mac." Apple is so much ahead at the performance curve.
Re: It is worth it to buy the fast CPU
#3This article skips a few important steps - how a faster CPU will have a demonstrable improvement on developer performance.
I would agree with the idea that faster compile times can have a significant improvement in performance. 30s is long enough for a developer to get distracted and go off and check their email, look at social media, etc. Basically turning 30s into 3s can keep a developer in flow.
The critical thing we’re missing here is how increasing the CPU speed will decrease the compile time. What if the compiler is IO bound? Or memory bound? Removing one bottleneck will get you to the next bottleneck, not necessarily get you all the performance gains you want
Re: It is worth it to buy the fast CPU
#4I've seen more and more companies embrace cloud workstations.
It is of course more expensive but that allows them to offer the latest and greatest to their employees without needing all the IT staff to manage a physical installation.
Then your actual physical computer is just a dumb terminal.
Re: It is worth it to buy the fast CPU
#5> Desktop CPUs are about 3x faster than laptop CPUs
Maybe that’s an AMD (or even Intel) thing, but doesn’t hold for Apple silicon.
I wonder if it holds for ARM in general?
Re: It is worth it to buy the fast CPU
#6Even better way to improve the quality of your computer sessions is "Just use Mac." Apple is so much ahead at the performance curve.
[dead]
Re: It is worth it to buy the fast CPU
#7I've seen more and more companies embrace cloud workstations. It is of course more expensive but that allows them to offer the latest and greatest to their employees without needing all the IT staff to manage a physical installation. Then your actual physical computer is just a dumb terminal.
Great, now every operation has 300ms of latency. Kill me
Re: It is worth it to buy the fast CPU
#8Even better way to improve the quality of your computer sessions is "Just use Mac." Apple is so much ahead at the performance curve.
They have good performance, especially per watt, for a laptop.
Certainly not ahead of the curve when considering server hardware.
Re: It is worth it to buy the fast CPU
#9I've been struggling with this topic a lot, I feel the slowness everyday and productivity loss of having slow computers, 30m for something that could take 10 times less... it's horrible.
Re: It is worth it to buy the fast CPU
#10Employers, even the rich FANG types, are quite penny-wise and pound-foolish when it comes to developer hardware.
Limiting the number and size of monitors. Putting speedbumps (like assessments or doctor's notes) on ergo accessories. Requiring special approval for powerful hardware. Requiring special approval for travel, and setting hotel and airfare caps that haven't been adjusted for inflation.
To be fair, I know plenty of people that would order the highest spec MacBook just to do web development and open 500 chrome tabs. There is abuse. But that abuse is really capped out at a few thousand in laptops, monitors and workstations, even with high-end specs, which is just a small fraction of one year's salary for a developer.