> This is a problem with the StrongArm cache-cleaning. That is where all the CPU
> time is going. A bug in sync was fixed a week or so ago such that it now works
> properly. This has resulted in a lot more cache cleaning and the performance
> hit you are seeing.

 Ok, that's sync, but why is update using up CPU while it's meant to be 
sleeping? (Doesn't it just sleep for 30 seconds, then do a sync)

> 
> >   Are there any ramifications to running without update? (I'm using the
> > machine mainly as an xterminal at the mo, i.e. not writing much to disk)
> 
> Basically all update does is to sync the disks. If you don't sync the disks
> then the cached information won't get written back. Of course unmounting syncs
> the disks, but if the machine crashes in the meantime you might have rather a
> messy fsck to do.

  So does the kernel never write something to the disk simply becasue 
it's been lying in the cache for too long?

Ale.