In terms of speed, at least when we look at mostly single-threaded work load (like most dev work is), a M2 Macbook Air is faster than every Desktop PC. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Eh. The 12900k still has the edge in most single threaded benchmarks, and the latest Threadripper Pro will easily crush it on multithreaded loads (all while drawing close to an order of magnitude more power). Also your MacBook Air will thermal throttle if under load for too long, while a desktop computer offers a lot more options for cooling. Further more a desktop computer gives you the option to use faster storage and more and faster RAM which might be very relevant in some scenarios. Plus there is the whole GPU/CUDA side of things which may or may not be relevant to you.
All that being said, I'm typing this on an M1 MBP and the perceived day to day performance is better than any desktop computer I've owned, even if it will no doubt lose out a 'real' workstation when it comes to running 24 hour CFD simulations.
I suspect that if I crank my I/O subsystem to do flushes no more often than once in 40 seconds and lie to fsync/fdatasync, my Threadripper setup is also going to run circles around my M2 Air. (Heck, I suspect my XPS13 will be almost on par.)
But then again, the M2 Air has this bulky UPS called „laptop battery”, so they can afford such little lies as long as the OS itself won’t shit itself and die randomly. Granted, it happens rarely, but nevertheless.
dagw|3 years ago
All that being said, I'm typing this on an M1 MBP and the perceived day to day performance is better than any desktop computer I've owned, even if it will no doubt lose out a 'real' workstation when it comes to running 24 hour CFD simulations.
WesolyKubeczek|3 years ago
But then again, the M2 Air has this bulky UPS called „laptop battery”, so they can afford such little lies as long as the OS itself won’t shit itself and die randomly. Granted, it happens rarely, but nevertheless.
Hendrikto|3 years ago
Citation needed. This definitely does not match any of my experiences at all.
stonith|3 years ago
Hendrikto|3 years ago
* Docker daemon
* backend container
* frontend container
* database container
* local web server
* browser with Gitlab, Slack, Email, etc.
No idea how dev work is suppsed to be mostly single-threaded.
Cthulhu_|3 years ago