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My 2.5 year old laptop can write Space Invaders in JavaScript now (GLM-4.5 Air)

(simonwillison.net)
577 points simonw | 5 comments | 29 Jul 25 13:45 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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chickenzzzzu ◴[29 Jul 25 14:00 UTC] No.44723491[source]▶
"2.5 year old laptop" is potentially the most useless way of describing a 64GB M2, as it could be confused with virtually any other configuration of laptop.
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OJFord ◴[29 Jul 25 14:14 UTC] No.44723660[source]▶
I think the point is just that it doesn't require absolute cutting edge nor server hardware.
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jphoward ◴[29 Jul 25 14:18 UTC] No.44723700[source]▶
No but 64 GB of unified memory provides almost as much GPU RAM capacity as two RTX 5090s (only less due to the unified nature) - top of the range GPUs - so it's a truly exceptional laptop in this regard.
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turnsout ◴[29 Jul 25 14:54 UTC] No.44724184[source]▶
Except that it is not exceptional at all; it's an older-generation MacBook Pro with 64GB of RAM. There's nothing particularly unusual about it.
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1. jphoward ◴[29 Jul 25 15:38 UTC] No.44724740{3}[source]▶
64 GB of RAM which is addressable by a GPU is exceptional for a laptop - this is not just system RAM.
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2. chickenzzzzu ◴[29 Jul 25 16:07 UTC] No.44725082[source]▶
To emphasize this point further, at least with my efforts, it is not even possible to buy a 64GB M4 Pro right now. 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB are all sold out.

We can say that 64GB addressable by a GPU is not exceptional when compared to 128GB and it still costs less than a month's pay for a FAANG engineer, but the fact that they aren't actually purchasable right now shows that it's not as easy as driving to Best Buy and grabbing one off the shelf.

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3. turnsout ◴[29 Jul 25 19:01 UTC] No.44727070[source]▶
I understand, but that is not exceptional for a Mac laptop. You could say all Apple Silicon Macs are exceptional, and I guess I agree in the context of the broader PC community. But I would not point at an individual MacBook Pro with 64 GB of RAM and say "whoa, that's exceptional." It's literally just a standard option when you buy the computer. It does bump the price pretty high, but the point of the MBP is to cater to higher-end workflows.
4. turnsout ◴[29 Jul 25 19:08 UTC] No.44727132[source]▶
They're not sold out—Apple's configurator (and chip naming) is just confusing. The MacBook Pro with M4 Pro is only available in 24 or 48 GB configurations. To get 64 or 128 GB, you need to upgrade to the M4 Max.

If you're looking for the cheapest way into 64 of unified memory, the Mac mini is available with an M4 Pro and 64GB at $1999.

So, truly, not "exceptional" unless you consider the price to be exorbitant (it's not, as evidenced by the long useful life of an M-series Mac).

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5. chickenzzzzu ◴[29 Jul 25 22:16 UTC] No.44728890{3}[source]▶
thank you for providing that extra info! i agree that $2000-4000 is not an absolutely earth shattering price, but i still wonder what the benefit one receives is when they say "2.5 year old laptop" instead of "64GB M2 laptop"