Is it overkill? I use all 32 of my CPU cores when building C++ or Go, and while fuzz testing. I'd take 64 if I could get them. There is no reason why I'd ever want fewer cores, even if it doesn't make Chrome or Emacs any faster. Latency is crucial during the edit/compile/debug cycle; making compile as close to 0 as possible is always a productivity win.
Finally if you think Intel power saving is bad, wait until you see AMD's. My Threadripper system idles at 270W. This is exceedingly wasteful. Before upgrading to a Threadripper I had an i7-6950X which idled under 100W. The difference is quite noticeable.
Finally if you think Intel power saving is bad, wait until you see AMD's. My Threadripper system idles at 270W. This is exceedingly wasteful. Before upgrading to a Threadripper I had an i7-6950X which idled under 100W. The difference is quite noticeable.