What can cause low copy speeds for very large and possibly sparse files, such as VMs? Causes explained, and tools you can use to discover why.
performance
Swift 6 claims built-in support for writing asynchronous and parallel code. But these are very different, and that for multithreading appears elusive.
Why an Intel Mac’s up to 40 Gb/s from Thunderbolt 3 is less than an Apple silicon Mac’s up to 40 Gb/s from USB4, and how you can benefit from it.
Memory, from L1 instruction cache to main memory, and how it came to be Unified. Why the internal SSD isn’t like others, and why it’s so essential.
How the NEON vector processor, neural engine, matrix co-processor, and GPU all deliver high performance with low power and energy use.
Running threads at different frequencies on the same core type can’t save energy and extend battery endurance. That’s where 2 core types come in handy.
Check its protocol support and expected maximum transfer rate, then whether it supports SMART indicators and Trims with APFS. Finally check its real-world performance.
How power efficiency is just as important to desktop Macs as it is to notebooks, and the story of the Mac mini in power from 2005-2023.
Given that Thunderbolt SSDs are unusual and expensive, should you buy a USB4 model that claims to be compatible with Thunderbolt? Watch out for the traps.
A gentle introduction to the new architecture, from how macOS allocates threads to core types, overflow, variable frequency, ending in huge differences in power.
The Eclectic Light Company 