Your Work Pc/laptop/Systems and your productivity

wally1990

So I came to work 50 min early today just to catch up on few things

Over an Hour later and I’ve gotten nowhere

My work Pc is lagging so much due to updates overnight

I’ve restarted and I’ve been waiting 30 min for it to kick into action

Most days it’s ok

On others I could be waiting 15-30 seconds for web pages to load or files to open so over the course of a work day this can be a lot

It got me thinking for those who work on Computers how much of your day is wasted on poor hardware or IT systems therefore directly effecting your productivity.

I be just sitting there waiting for stuff to load or open

Whilst it’s annoying for me, it’s a waste of money to my employer !

Wanderer2010

wally1990 wrote: »

So I came to work 50 min early today just to catch up on few things

Over an Hour later and I’ve gotten nowhere

My work Pc is lagging so much due to updates overnight

I’ve restarted and I’ve been waiting 30 min for it to kick into action

Most days it’s ok

On others I could be waiting 15-30 seconds for web pages to load or files to open so over the course of a work day this can be a lot

It got me thinking for those who work on Computers how much of your day is wasted on poor hardware or IT systems therefore directly effecting your productivity.

I be just sitting there waiting for stuff to load or open

Whilst it’s annoying for me, it’s a waste of money to my employer !

I wouldn't be worrying too much about your employer and its cash flow issues. When it comes to cutting costs, you are just as likely to be thrown to the kerb in the blink of an eye to save a few quid than some old equipment.

When I am off for a week or so on holidays and come back, yes, I often have that issue where updates just lock me out for up to an hour. I will always just log a call if it gets to interfere with my day to day work and if the boss wants to know why I didn't get all my work done I just cite IT issues and push it back upwards. Not my problem at the end of the day.

_Brian

Yea updates are a pain.
Can a pc be set to start itself and install these things at certain times.

I have a laptop that I use out on the road and it’s fine. My pc in the office is a relic and it’s not unusual that it has to go through 30-40 minute install/update cycles when I’m on the office and it’s a killer.

OMM 0000

I use a MacBook so I almost never lose productivity due to updates/weirdness.

Could you ask your employer for a MacBook?

After using macOS I will never go back to Windows.

beauf

Don't have any issues with desktops. All powerful enough. Updates take no time.

Eire Go Brach

wally1990 wrote: »

So I came to work 50 min early today just to catch up on few things

Over an Hour later and I’ve gotten nowhere

My work Pc is lagging so much due to updates overnight

I’ve restarted and I’ve been waiting 30 min for it to kick into action

Most days it’s ok

On others I could be waiting 15-30 seconds for web pages to load or files to open so over the course of a work day this can be a lot

It got me thinking for those who work on Computers how much of your day is wasted on poor hardware or IT systems therefore directly effecting your productivity.

I be just sitting there waiting for stuff to load or open

Whilst it’s annoying for me, it’s a waste of money to my employer !

“If you don’t ask you don’t get” put the pressure on your IT department. If you have one that is. It’s there job to resolve it. Updates can be a pain and can set you back. But the other stuff should be sorted. If it can’t because of finance reasons. Keep bringing it up with your manager and IT.
My Job is IT support.

DaveyDave

Are you connected to a wired network? I find this bogs down the system big time. The computers I use in work have a Core i5 CPU and is slower than the budget Core i3 PC that I had from 2010.

beauf

A wired network should be a lot faster unless it's not working properly.

Just because a chip is newer or has a higher name doesn't mean it's faster. Also there could be done other reason than the CPU for an machine being slow. A slower hard drive for example.

Wanderer78

wally1990 wrote:

It got me thinking for those who work on Computers how much of your day is wasted on poor hardware or IT systems therefore directly effecting your productivity.

'productivity', what the hell do we actually mean by this, and does it truly benefit us?

beauf

Wanderer78 wrote: »

'productivity', what the hell do we actually mean by this, and does it truly benefit us?

I can do things in less time with better equipment.

I once had database job that took 2 weeks to run on my work PC. If mistakes where found I had to rerun it. I built a cheap PC that could do it in 24 hrs. The alternative was rewriting the code which would have taken a month or more. My wages Vs the cost of cheap PC? I could have made it even quicker with another PC.

I'm much slower at doing things with one screen Vs two. Also with a bad keyboard and mouse. Sometimes with a slow machine. Depends what you are doing though.

TrustedApple

I used to work in it help desk and have moved on into a different area of IT.

In regards to windows on your pc what size company do you work for?. As you know nearly all large company's have there own build of windows and can slow down your computer a lot. As company's put a lot of software on your computer some that can block computers and wipe them remotely if needs be. Some are the it agents to make sure no one takes control of your computer. Some have stuff to block mail ware.

The list is endless if you have issues go to your it dept and they will be happy to look into the issue for you.

kirving

OMM 0000 wrote: »

I use a MacBook so I almost never lose productivity due to updates/weirdness.

Could you ask your employer for a MacBook?

After using macOS I will never go back to Windows.

The cheapest 15" MacBook Pro is €2,300. I highly doubt the OP's PC is anywhere near €2,300. It's almost certainly an unfair comparison.

OMM 0000

Kevin Irving wrote: »

The cheapest 15" MacBook Pro is €2,300. I highly doubt the OP's PC is anywhere near €2,300. It's almost certainly an unfair comparison.

Why are you picking one of the most expensive MacBook models?

I use a MacBook Air which costs just over a grand. Works well for all my machine learning processing, etc., so it's definitely enough for an average worker.

Windows and macOS are direct competitors.

kirving

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Why are you picking one of the most expensive MacBook models?

I use a MacBook Air which costs just over a grand. Works well for all my machine learning processing, etc., so it's definitely enough for an average worker.

I actually picked the cheapest 15" model. Working all day on a 13" screen far harder on your eyes, and in my office at least, is strongly discouraged by health and safety.

OMM 0000 wrote: »

Windows and macOS are direct competitors.

Ferrari and Ford are direct competitors in that case.

What I'm saying is, your computer is fast, because it a high end machine, not because it's a Mac.

OMM 0000

Kevin Irving wrote: »

I actually picked the cheapest 15" model. Working all day on a 13" screen far harder on your eyes, and in my office at least, is strongly discouraged by health and safety.

Ferrari and Ford are direct competitors in that case.

What I'm saying is, your computer is fast, because it a high end machine, not because it's a Mac.

Virtually no one needs a MacBook Pro for an office job, unless you're doing video editing or something like that. A MacBook Air is more than enough.

Also no one should be working solely using their laptop screen - you should have an external monitor.

Windows and macOS are competitors, it's completely unreasonable to state otherwise. I even used to work for Microsoft and we considered macOS our competitor.

You're arguing for the sake of it, I don't know why.

I'm sure you need to have the last word. Go for it.

whatawaster

Macbook Airs were great machines but they are outdated now, especially the screen which is quite poor by modern standards.

For the price of a Macbook Air, you could get a modern, powerful windows 10 laptop, which, if properly looked after, will not cause you problems.

A macbook pro is also an option, slightly more expensive, but a great machine.

beauf

Kevin Irving wrote: »

..
What I'm saying is, your computer is fast, because it a high end machine, not because it's a Mac.

Exactly. Though I think 95% people won't realize this.

OMM 0000

My comments regarding Macs weren't about them being fast. They were about it not requiring constant updates.

I have to restart my Mac maybe 2 or 3 times a year.

beauf

Its not about requiring updates. They are constantly adding features and changing things. Not having updates is a bad thing.
They have changed from rolling them into big updates into smaller more frequent ones. By design.

the_syco

wally1990 wrote: »

My work Pc is lagging so much due to updates overnight

Set updates to install when you choose. This will allow you to start the day quickly, and do the updates whilst you're on your lunch.

wally1990 wrote: »

On others I could be waiting 15-30 seconds for web pages to load or files to open so over the course of a work day this can be a lot

Although internet speed and machine spec come into play here, try using Chrome with an adblocker.

OMM 0000 wrote: »

I use a MacBook Air which costs just over a grand. Works well for all my machine learning processing, etc., so it's definitely enough for an average worker.

If you bought a laptop for a grand, it'd be a well spec'd laptop!

OMM 0000 wrote: »

My comments regarding Macs weren't about them being fast. They were about it not requiring constant updates.

How often do you update the OS with patches?

dreamers75

I have an important role in my job and my PC takes 18 minutes from on switch to being able to use it.

A person who reports me recently got an I7 4790K 16GB ram with SSD as he had a problem with his old, I am literally abusing my position and taking his PC because" there is nothing wrong with mine " I dont get a new one.

My personal at home gaming PC is on and ready to play before I even hit the power switch