Want to preserve the lifespan/value of your M1 Mac?

[macintoshmac]

Realizing that the SSD inside an M1 Mac is soldered to the motherboard, once it dies (for whatever reason), you’re sunk.

Thus, it behooves M1 Mac owners to preserve the life/value of their M1 Mac as much as possible.

To wit, the first thing to do is to create a USB restore drive, for M1 Big Sur.

Next, is to enable external drive booting and then install a bootable copy of Big Sur to an external hard drive or SSD and use ONLY that drive from then on.

If the external hard drive/SSD dies, the value of your Mac is untouched, because you haven’t been using the internal SSD. How much value do you think your M1 is worth when it can’t be booted, because the internal SSD is fried or most of its usable life is significantly used up? I doubt you could get a few hundred for it, maybe $50 (if internal SSD is dead) Dunno. Is it worth the risk?

Therefore, I think it would be best to compile precise steps to do what I’ve outlined above and live by them.

I know I would...

1. I bought a multi-thousand dollar computer to use its power. I did not buy it to 'enshrine' it or 'preserve' it. I only want to protect it from the elements and overly, untimely wear - that is usually fixed through software and such.

For what you are referring to with regards to SSD wear, you are being afraid to the point that it is crippling your experience with a Mac machine.

Like you said, you do you. The rest will happily use this machine the way it was designed to be used.

I do want to make a note that it is not just the SSD that has a potential to go kaput. Everything can. The best way to keep a Mac 'preserved' as you want to call it, is to not buy it. That way, the computer you did not buy is perfectly preserved.

 

[Luposian]

Actually, it does...

View attachment 1931232

I stand corrected...

 

[macintoshmac]

I stand corrected...

Question for you: now what?

 

[throAU]

It's still in THEIR hands, not mine.

If you’re not doing things wrong:
They have a useless encrypted copy and you have a backup

 

[BreakYurAnkles]

learn how to solder. Or find someone who can, pay the price. and use the machine.

I've been thinking the same, but Apple has been doing this for a really long time. They've been using these components and have a good understanding of lifespan (especially when it comes to mobile devices).

While there will be fringe cases (very small amount of units) that crap out. Most will be fully functional throughout its "lifespan".

While I am a person that uses my machines for a long time and want to keep it that way. *IF*/when that time comes, I'll learn how to solder.

And I'll snatch up all of the "useless" units with bad ram/SSD's and fix them for super cheap.

 

[throAU]

While I am a person that uses my machines for a long time and want to keep it that way. *IF*/when that time comes, I'll learn how to solder.

And I'll snatch up all of the "useless" units with bad ram/SSD's and fix them for super cheap.

Nah not really. "Learning how to solder" isn't really going to be enough to repair these.

Not unless you're looking to buy (if you can find them) NAND chips and do extremely high precision BGA soldering. If you can do that you have a workable skill you can make plenty of money with to just buy a new machine.

These aren't just consumer SSDs soldered into place. Not even regular surface mount.

These machines are consumables, like plenty of other tools. By the time the SSD wears out the machine will be lacking RAM and the CPU will be slow and unsupported.

Just do what you will with them and replace or have apple repair under warranty if it breaks.

 

[RumorConsumer]

"preserving it for the next user". so it has enormous value.. just not for me.

 

[Boil]

Nah not really. "Learning how to solder" isn't really going to be enough to repair these.

Not unless you're looking to buy (if you can find them) NAND chips and do extremely high precision BGA soldering. If you can do that you have a workable skill you can make plenty of money with to just buy a new machine.

These aren't just consumer SSDs soldered into place. Not even regular surface mount.

These machines are consumables, like plenty of other tools. By the time the SSD wears out the machine will be lacking RAM and the CPU will be slow and unsupported.

Just do what you will with them and replace or have apple repair under warranty if it breaks.

Ongoing (yearly until cancelled) AppleCare+ for the Mac mini is US$34.99 (again, yearly), even over ten years (most likely a good number of years beyond the actual usability of the machine) one is looking at 350 bucks...

One couldn't even get the proper equipment to do a repair for that cost, nor the "spare parts" & consumables; and proper training for these type of repairs is another cost, same with the amount of parts & consumables one would spend learning to solder on their own...?

I guess the moral of the story is, if you are concerned for the longevity of your Apple computer (and your data), pony up for yearly AppleCare+ and have a solid multi-tier backup strategy...?!?

 

[RumorConsumer]

Ongoing (yearly until cancelled) AppleCare+ for the Mac mini is US$34.99 (again, yearly), even over ten years (most likely a good number of years beyond the actual usability of the machine) one is looking at 350 bucks...

One couldn't even get the proper equipment to do a repair for that cost, nor the "spare parts" & consumables; and proper training for these type of repairs is another cost, same with the amount of parts & consumables one would spend learning to solder on their own...?

I guess the moral of the story is, if you are concerned for the longevity of your Apple computer (and your data), pony up for yearly AppleCare+ and have a solid multi-tier backup strategy...?!?

Or, dont use the machine at all, then call me when youre ready to sell it once its depreciated and Ill happily take it off your hands for half of what you bought it for with no component usage.

 

[thekev]

Ah, so it's my internal battery causing my tummy swelling as I'm getting older! ( I'm currently on 72 cycles ) ?

If it does happen, you'll actually notice the trackpad start to act spongy. It's not like it pushes it into your stomach.

 

[Grohowiak]

PRO TIP. Never turn it off. You can sell it as mint two years down the road.


Use it like it's stolen!
My 14" is running at 80+ degrees most of the time.

 

[throAU]

So you are not preserving much value by bring yourself inconvenience as the the price will be bad anyway in 3-5 years. Even a sealed one will not have very good price after 3-5 years, electronics just updates that fast.

This.

The thing with refusing to use the internal SSD is that you're going to put yourself through 5 years or more of slower performance, a sacrificed thunderbolt port, an extra box to cart around, for what?

So the next owner can have a better experience with an ancient machine?

 

[RumorConsumer]

This.

The thing with refusing to use the internal SSD is that you're going to put yourself through 5 years or more of slower performance, a sacrificed thunderbolt port, an extra box to cart around, for what?

So the next owner can have a better experience with an ancient machine?

It’s not sane. Next thread.