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0 pointsbarbs5y ago0 comments

I use Firefox on Mac, but I don't notice any performance hits. At least not compared to Chrome, or browsers on other operating systems. I don't use Safari so maybe I don't know what I'm missing out on.

What performance issues specifically do you notice?

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jedberg5y ago

The two main things I notice:

Some websites basically crash the computer on Firefox but run fine on Safari. Mostly JS heavy sites.

The energy usage of Firefox is way higher than Safari, which in turns makes my fans spin a lot harder. Basically some sites will peg the CPU and hit max fan speed, but the same site just sips energy on Safari.

Video streaming is a prime example of this. I can use twitch on Safari and it uses maybe 30% CPU. Twitch on Firefox uses 150% CPU.

jlokier5y ago

> Video streaming is a prime example of this. I can use twitch on Safari and it uses maybe 30% CPU. Twitch on Firefox uses 150% CPU.

I concur - Firefox consistently uses higher CPU than Safari in my experience too. "Idle page" CPU when nothing is apparently happening but it's draining the battery anyway is higher with Firefox and annoying.

With the exception of LinkedIn, oddly.

Safari uses 105% CPU consistently when a LinkedIn tab is in the foreground.

shock5y ago

> Some websites basically crash the computer

What does "crash the computer" mean? Do you get the MacOS equivalent of a BSOD?

toyg5y ago

Disclaimer: Firefox is my daily driver. There are sites that just make FF spike its CPU usage, I guess through rogue JS, and if you let them run they’ll make macOS stutter (this on a beefy 2016 mbp). Sadly, some of these are big names like new Reddit and new Facebook.

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jedberg5y ago

Everything freezes, I can't use move the mouse. If I wait, sometimes I can hit Cmd-W and get the tab to close eventually, sometimes I literally have to do a hard power off.

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jedberg5y ago

The two main things I notice:

Some websites basically crash the computer on Firefox but run fine on Safari. Mostly JS heavy sites.

Video streaming is a prime example of this. I can use twitch on Safari and it uses maybe 30% CPU. Twitch on Firefox uses 150% CPU.

jlokier5y ago

> Video streaming is a prime example of this. I can use twitch on Safari and it uses maybe 30% CPU. Twitch on Firefox uses 150% CPU.

With the exception of LinkedIn, oddly.

Safari uses 105% CPU consistently when a LinkedIn tab is in the foreground.

shock5y ago

> Some websites basically crash the computer

What does "crash the computer" mean? Do you get the MacOS equivalent of a BSOD?

toyg5y ago

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jedberg5y ago

Everything freezes, I can't use move the mouse. If I wait, sometimes I can hit Cmd-W and get the tab to close eventually, sometimes I literally have to do a hard power off.

3 more replies

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse