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Want to preserve the lifespan/value of your M1 Mac?
- Thread starter Luposian
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He's going to have the most mint condition no longer useful/no longer supported/can't run new software machine in existence come 2030.
I said preserve... not enshrine. There is a difference. I'm trying to do as much as I can to preserve the life of the original equipment, to give it the most resale value to the next person, assuming that my efforts equate to any real world value. If I didn't think it might matter, I wouldn't do it... well, actually, I still would... but only because the blasted SSD is soldered to the motherboard. If it were removable, I wouldn't. So my efforts have a two-fold purpose. For potential resale value and personal property.
You do you and I'll do me.
And, in the end...
We're both happy!
[...stuff I was going to say, in reply to this post, and deleted before posting...]This ^.
Being concerned about identity theft is a valid concern, but the rest of it? I don't consider my life interesting enough to warrant taking an obsessive approach to secrecy - assuming you don't have anything that is really that secret that could be used against you...
One of the OP's earlier comments (2 Dec 2020) also indicates a somewhat paranoid outlook on life:
"I will admit to being "overly concerned", should something happen to the internal SSD (which CANNOT be replaced), but I'm also one who doesn't fly because I don't want to be 5,000 ft in the air (or whatever cruising altitude is on an airliner) if the "odds" happen to hit on THAT day, on THAT plane! I'd far rather die on Terra Firma of a heart attack, than to die screaming as I slam into the ground on a winged missile plunging towards Terra Firma! So, yeah... I'd rather avoid an accident that to assume an accident will never happen to me."
Apart from showing a surprising ignorance of the cruising altitude of passenger aircraft, it also shows the OP lives with an abnormal level of fear about possible consequences of air travel. In the USA, you are roughly 100 times more likely to die in a car crash and than an airplane crash during the average lifetime (c. 1 in 100 vs 1 in 10,000):
What Are the Odds of Dying in a Car Crash in Las Vegas?
In 2019, you had only 1 in 12,187 odds of dying in a car crash in Southern Nevada. But you also had a 1 in 64 chance of being injured.erinjuryattorneys.com
Is Flying Safer Than Driving? - Lesser and Lesser
The question is often asked, “Is flying safer than driving?www.lesserlawfirm.com
I hope the OP does not drive a car or ride in one as a passenger and wraps themselves in bubble-wrap every morning....
This is about owning/using a Mac, isn't it? Such discourse derailment! ?
Batteries don't last forever, even if you never use them. I've seen quite a few swell up when they get old. It seems to be almost uncorrelated with cycle count.
If you can make a screwdriver last longer, by using it as a screwdriver and not a chisel, wouldn't you? If you could make something last longer or be of possibly more value when you pass it on, by taking care of it, wouldn't you? I am both getting the use of and preserving the life/value of my computer by simply using an alternative boot source. Regardless of my two-pronged (preserving the life/value of my computer's SSD and keeps my data out of the hands of others) reason for doing so, is that really so wrong?
Some people do things they cannot rationally justify. I can. The fact others choose to not do those things does not make me a freak. It simply makes my approach different. Unless everyone else is a lemming and I'm not. Or maybe I'm the only black sheep in this fold? Nah...
Resale value??? I’ve sold easily over a hundred computers online over the last 20 years and you know the thing that nobody has ever cared about or asked about? SSD wear. My friend… use your machine. Use the onboard SSD. The amount of delusion you have to believe to arrive at the conclusion that your SSD is so likely to fail that you should literally avoid using it is legendary. Reality is not on your side. You have a computer now and all you’re thinking about is a fictional future where any of the things you just mentioned matter. Have you ever looked at price differences between units of the same spec on used gear? It’s maybe $200-$300 difference. Is that worth 3x less performance for the life of your use by using an external SSD? This isn’t a 67 Vette. Nobody cares if you babied your MacBook to that degree nor can they check the mileage. When you proudly tell them that you never used the SSD they’ll look at you like you’re a nut job…. Because thats what a nut job would do. You will put off the present for a really pretty minimally advantageous future and get paid pennies for your unwillingness to just enjoy what you have. I hope you’re young because you will still have time to break this karmic habit of self deprivation under the guise of “having more later”. Sending you love.
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Here's a good question for you.
If you have your data/OS on the external SSD attached to the Mac Mini, do you also have a backup drive to back that drive up? So at this point you bought two (presumably large) external drives, one being an SSD. That costs money.
Is buying an extra external drive worth the maybe small amount of money you'd get if you could convinced someone that your internal SSD was "new" after a few years? Even if you could get an extra $200 for it after a couple years compared to one with a "used" SSD, how much did you spend on that external SSD? Probably about the same. It hardly seems worth it. Plus, you're sacrificing the speed gained by having an M1 with the unified memory and SSD by using an external drive instead. Why even buy a new Mac then?
Also, if you're so worried about having your data safe, why not use the built in FileVault by using the internal drive and its built in measures to keep your data private?
This just feels like the people that would use AssistiveTouch and avoid their home button breaking so they could sell their iPhone for more years later... but by that point the phone wasn't worth that much anyway, even if the button worked perfectly!
If you have your data/OS on the external SSD attached to the Mac Mini, do you also have a backup drive to back that drive up? So at this point you bought two (presumably large) external drives, one being an SSD. That costs money.
Is buying an extra external drive worth the maybe small amount of money you'd get if you could convinced someone that your internal SSD was "new" after a few years? Even if you could get an extra $200 for it after a couple years compared to one with a "used" SSD, how much did you spend on that external SSD? Probably about the same. It hardly seems worth it. Plus, you're sacrificing the speed gained by having an M1 with the unified memory and SSD by using an external drive instead. Why even buy a new Mac then?
Also, if you're so worried about having your data safe, why not use the built in FileVault by using the internal drive and its built in measures to keep your data private?
This just feels like the people that would use AssistiveTouch and avoid their home button breaking so they could sell their iPhone for more years later... but by that point the phone wasn't worth that much anyway, even if the button worked perfectly!
Yeah but that's not what you're doing
More similar: You bought cordless power-drill, with all the drill bits as a kit, and are using the drill-bits in a hand-powered drill to avoid using the battery.
You are not using the product you bought.
Using the product as designed is not akin to using a screwdriver as a chisel; it's using a screwdriver a a screwdriver.
Did I not mention something about wanting to keep my data out of other people's hands? Yes, I did! And, if my M1 Mac Mini's internal SSD has all my (encrypted) data and the computer goes wonky, and I take it into Apple... who has my data? APPLE! Doesn't matter if it's encrypted with 4,096-bit encryption... my data (on the 4,096-bit encrypted SSD) is in THEIR hands, not mine! Even if I can never recover my data off the external SSD (should it fail), at least no one else has it! But, if I used the internal SSD, someone else WOULD have it! That's the point.
My data could consist of nothing but pictures of crayon drawings at the zoo, rock piles, pictures of bugs, and piles of dog poop... it's still MY data! Why can't people comprehend this simple fact? MY data... MY possession. End of story!
Yes this is certainly an informed viewpoint and accurate understanding of how the security features of your macs storage operate. Thank you for sharing these insights with us on this thread oh sage.Did I not mention something about wanting to keep my data out of other people's hands? Yes, I did! And, if my M1 Mac Mini's internal SSD has all my (encrypted) data and the computer goes wonky, and I take it into Apple... who has my data? APPLE! Doesn't matter if it's encrypted with 4,096-bit encryption... my data (on the 4,096-bit encrypted SSD) is in THEIR hands, not mine! Even if I can never recover my data off the external SSD (should it fail), at least no one else has it! But, if I used the internal SSD, someone else WOULD have it! That's the point.
My data could consist of nothing but pictures of crayon drawings at the zoo, rock piles, pictures of bugs, and piles of dog poop... it's still MY data! Why can't people comprehend this simple fact? MY data... MY possession. End of story!
Without the key, that apple do not have that data is useless.
Well they have the data but to Apple it is just a large random number.
My god if you're worried about depreciation buy Apple STOCK not an Apple Notebook! I plan on running my 14" Pro to the ground (like I did with my 2017 MacBook 12", which is maybe worth $120 today, but got me through high school and college!). I'm not worrying about wether some chump on FaceBook is gonna haggle me for a couple bucks in 4-5 years time!
Ah, so it's my internal battery causing my tummy swelling as I'm getting older! ( I'm currently on 72 cycles ) ?
I have a $3k maximum budget for a new Mac mini; that includes sales tax, a new keyboard, & two Belkin USB-C to DisplayPort cables...
Also the reason I am anticipating going for a 24-core GPU & 32GB of RAM (rather than a 32-core GPU & 64GB of RAM)...
If I go beyond the listed specs I anticipate, it would be the $200 upgrade from a 24-core GPU to the 32-core GPU...
Plus the cost of a 10GbE switch, and all the other PCs on the home network would need new NICs; and then there is the sudden drop in speed beyond the home network because I cannot get 10Gb Internet...?!? ;^p
Haha ok so my humble humble advice is get 10GbE on everything you can. Its not happening yet and your internet connection wont use it for a very long time its true but man its so much fun to transfer files that quickly. Your other PCs do not need new NICs. Only the ones you want to have go real fast. And then you can use one of these (I own about 10 plus 2 of their top end switches) and go to town. Totally possible just to do a little network. Here's your NIC . I do a ton of 4k video and work with terabytes on the regular so this is all a must for me and is WAY easier than you think its gonna be aside from the $$$ outlay.