I know RAM is biggie for most developer’s machines, but how much of that is browser (Chrome) and Electrion (Slack, Atom, etc) usage? Assuming there’s always some memory available, does more = better?
For example: if my RAM usage never really passes 4GB (quite usual on remote systems without browsers, etc) then how much of the remaining 12 in a 16GB system gets used for running builds and tests? Only what it needs, or everything it can lay it’s hands on?
If I do go the desktop (local development) route, it won’t be until later next year (tax reasons) but I’ll be looking to spend a solid amount of money (~£2500) with the hope of getting a machine that should last a good few years that I can selectively upgrade as new/better components become available. In many ways something like an iMac is the perfect computer for me — particularly if I go the remote dev env route — but I’m trying to break away from having to replace the entire computer every time I need to upgrade.
Basically, I’ll have the budget to build something powerful and future proof, but is it worth doing?
