Boot SSD - APFS or HFS+?

[golfgirlgolf]

My external SSD build components have arrived and I'm working on getting things set up - Pretty sure the answer is GUID/APFS formatting for an SSD used to boot (Catalina) - but looking for feedback.

Everything I've read indicates that APFS is better for SSD - 98% sure this is right - but there are some caveats -

Cons of Apple's APFS

• Checksums are only for metadata integrity--not user data
• Compression is not available.
• Encrypted volumes can only be accessible by other computers running macOS High Sierra
• Does not support Fusion drives
• Cannot utilize NVRAM for data storage

 

[Realityck]

My external SSD build components have arrived and I'm working on getting things set up - Pretty sure the answer is GUID/APFS formatting for an SSD used to boot (Catalina) - but looking for feedback.

Everything I've read indicates that APFS is better for SSD - 98% sure this is right - but there are some caveats -

Cons of Apple's APFS

• Checksums are only for metadata integrity--not user data
• Compression is not available.
• Encrypted volumes can only be accessible by other computers running macOS High Sierra
• Does not support Fusion drives
• Cannot utilize NVRAM for data storage

I use APFS unencrypted for Catalina on up.

macOS Catalina requires the use of APFS instead of HFS+. If you’re upgrading from an earlier version of the Mac OS and you were using HFS+, the installer will convert your target drive from HFS+ to APFS. Catalina does still support Fusion Drives however if you have your disk partitioned with Windows then most likely the disk is formatted as HFS+ rather than APFS. Catalina requires APFS which means that you need to decide what is more important, dual booting with Windows or having an independent Macintosh formatted APFS disk.

 

[casperes1996]

• Does not support Fusion drives

That's not right. APFS does not support more than two drives in a Fusion setup currently, but Fusion is entirely supported.
When you set up an APFS container you can specify a main and a secondary disk for the container.
APFS will also happily live alongside a Windows partition

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

You haven't told us WHICH VERSION of the OS you're using.
That's most important.

 

[casperes1996]

OP:

You haven't told us WHICH VERSION of the OS you're using.
That's most important.

Quoting the original post by the OP:

for an SSD used to boot (Catalina)

 

[Fishrrman]

Thanks, casperes, I missed that (gettin' old!).

If he's using Catalina, the boot volume is APFS, of course.

I would still recommend HFS+ for EXTERNAL platter-based hard drives.
Perhaps even external (non-boot) SSDs, as well.
(disk maintenance/recovery apps will still work with HFS+. With APFS? Not so much...)