[yaktubi]

I’d like to point out that compiling stuff is usually disk/io intensive. Could this not just be that the Apple machine has a faster hard drive/memory?

[vetinari]

It doesn't. It has the same 4 lanes, PCIe 3.0 flash as everyone else.

[monocasa]

They have an extremely heavily integrated flash controller. Part of it is what they bought from Annobit.

[vetinari]

I know, but the flash controller isn't the slow part (usually ;) ).

[monocasa]

It does for real world tasks, rather than benchmarks. The FTL plays a big part in real world, small access latency.

[vetinari]

We still don't know how good is the FTL in the Apple controller; all the devices are still too new and haven't been dragged through the coal as all the other controllers. It is still in the "easy job" part of it's lifecycle, with brand new flash cells.

However, to quote @Dylan16807 from similar discussion few weeks ago (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26118415):

> The analog parts are the slow parts.

[monocasa]

They've been using custom controllers for over a decade.

And the Annobit IP includes the analog parts as a large piece of their value add.

[markandrewj]

PCIe 4.0 is the current standard.