@sinbad I have this argument with other developers all the time.

Standard practice seems to be that if something is maxing a server out, you just throw more hardware at it and carry on. I hate that! It's so wasteful both in terms of tech and money, and just a lazy solution.

I prefer to optimise code to perform better, so that it can execute x times more in the same timeframe or use less memory etc. Decrease the server load, don't just throw more money at the server.

Should be the norm!