Google Chrome saved me $4,500

So my machine has been struggling for a long time - it's a Macbook Pro 2.33Ghz 3 gig RAM 320gig/7200RPM HD. I bought it in 2007.

I push the machine pretty hard, with ten to fifteen applications running, tons of tabs open for my web browsing along with multiple user accounts simultaneously logged in which I switch between.

The whole machine is sluggish and I often have to wait seconds for things to happen. Nothing is snappy any more.

The main problem is that Firefox is constantly bumping up towards 100% CPU and chewing huge amounts of RAM - around 1.5 gig.

So I decided that its time for a new machine - a new Macbook Pro with 8 gig RAM and a 256gig SSD. I specced it all out on the Apple store and the price - ouch - was close to AUD$4,558. Whatever I thought - it's my main work machine, I really need something that's fast enough to get my daily work done without grinding and chugging.

In the meantime I decided to switch to Google Chrome which I had been using a bit on the side for a while and it seemed pretty quick. So I totally switched to Chrome for OSX and shut down Firefox for the last time.

Suddenly - a snappy machine again! Even with large numbers of tabs open my web browsing is fast. Even better, CPU utilisation is generally low (often under 5%) and RAM is usage low too (often under 150MB).

I've got my fast machine back! Everything is working better, everything is more snappy. Applications switch fast, web browsing is snappy, and everything just works.

I feel a bit sad about leaving Firefox behind - I want to support it and I've used it for years. I don't want to speak ill of this old friend.

So the incentive to buy a new machine has gone. My 2007 vintage Macbook Pro is still doing the job well. I'm sure I'll need a new machine sometime soon but right my 2007 era Macbook Pro does everything I need, at a good snappy pace. Thanks Google Chrome!