Life of the new Retina MacBook Pro's FLASH Architecture?

SOJHA wrote:

How long does the new Retina MacBook Pro's flash based SSD memory last? How exactly is a "write" defined? If I'm going to be paying approximately 2K or more, I better be able to use this computer without problems for 6-8 years.

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.7.4), 2007 White

That's funny. I don't recall any MacBooks or version 10.7.4 being released in 2004. I think the new machine will last about as long as all Apple notebooks last.

I am going to guess an SSD will last that long and probably longer. Use is an issue but so is heat.

No moving parts. HHD wear is due to spinning. Now, constant re-writing creates a different kind of wear but lower heat and no moving parts means more likely not to fail. A number of god articles online re: SSD vs. HHD.

I beleave that 100,000 writes is for each flash cell (Not the correct term but it will do). The big reason for the advent of TRIM was to make sure the same flash cells are not erased and Re-Written over and over again. TRIM helps by not writing to the same cells until all of the cells are written to. That is why they do not want you to do defraging.

So if there are 10 cells and you write to cells 1, 2, 3 & 4 the first time it is turned on. Then you erase something, say what was in cell 3, and then write something else to the drive and it need more space then one cell can hold it does erase cell 3 but writes that new data to cells 5, 6 & 7. Then you erase what was in cells 1 & 4 and write more data to it. It erases those cells, 1 & 4, but write the new data to 8, 9 &10. Not until all cells have been written to one time, and or the same number of times, does it go back and wites to the cells it has already written to. This happens over and over moving from cell to cell until the write count is equal for all then writes to the cells that have the same write count as all others and is market as empty.

That is why it is important to always have a percentage of free space on the drive. More then it was with conventional spinning hard drives.

SOJHA wrote:

That's funny. I don't recall me ever typing 2004 in the description of my computer.

You said:

I better be able to use this computer without problems for 6-8 years.

That means you expect to get 8 years out of a notebook computer. 2004 was 8 years ago. Apple was selling iBooks and PowerBooks back then running 10.3. This is at odds with your 2007 MacBook running the latest operating system. Obviously you do not expect to get 6-8 years from a notebook. You are faulting a brand-new machine with brand-new technologies for failing to meet requirements that have never before been imposed by you or anyone else.

Your second sentence is completely unhelpful because "as long as all Apple notebooks last" depends much on the user.

That is correct. If you are the type of person that uses your MacBook Pro for light web surfing, e-mail, newsletters, and as a receptical for Frappuccinos ®, then I can guarantee it won't last 8 years.

If you use it only for its intended purposes, then it may or may not be able to run the lateset operating system in 2017. It may even need a hardware refresh to restore original performance. If you are lucky, it might last until 2020, but no reasonable person would expect that.

My MBP (2007) had a logic board failure about 3 months ago. It was a known issue with the video card for which Apple had extended the warranty for a total of 4 years coverage. My unit made it 4-1/2 years before failing. I felt Apple should have added warranty to cover the unit to what Apple would consider its normal lifespan.

So what is "normal lifespan"? According to Apple, (and the "Genius" who spoke to the subject), it is 5 years. After that, Apple no longer stocks replacement parts for repairs so, from Apple's perspective it is obsolete at that point.

My suggestion is that even if your SSD fails at year 6, you'd likely be able to get it replaced by someone who can solder a new one in. From what I have read, repeated read/writes don't damage the SSD so much as it slows the drive down (as compared to new). It is still much faster than a HDD though even in a "compromised" condition. I believe TRIM has helped with this.

Good Luck

SOJHA wrote:

You are wrong, yet again. You are making the assumption that I expected to get 8 years out of my current computer. As I am about to spend much more on a new computer (because it has better tech) than I did for my current one, I do expect to get more life out of this computer, with the changes in technology since.

You are assuming that greater longevity is a feature of more expensive machines. This has never been the case for Apple or any other manufacturer. You pay more for performance, style, and the latest new features. None of those features correlate with longevity.

You can't guarantee anything, and if you cannot answer my question, then don't post.

Hang on and let me build a time machine, go 8 years into the future, compile a report of this machine's average SSD lifetime, and go back in time....

Alright. I'm back. That's the great thing about time machines. I can get back while my edit window is still open 🙂.

Unfortunately, I can provide no such guarantee. Any information I would provide about the future could alter the course of human history. All I can do is advise you to base your decision on past SSD longevity and hope for the best.

[quote]

Your second sentence is completely unhelpful because "as long as all Apple notebooks last" depends much on the user.

That is correct. If you are the type of person that uses your MacBook Pro for light web surfing, e-mail, newsletters, and as a receptical for Frappuccinos ®, then I can guarantee it won't last 8 years.

[/quote]

Well My actual Macbook is now 6 years old, and OK, but only cause I could change the battery (a 50 $ China copy). Now... Waht happens?

RAM, SSD may be good (or not) after 5 - 6 years, but the battery, for sure, NOT!!

caras wrote:

RAM, SSD may be good (or not) after 5 - 6 years, but the battery, for sure, NOT!!

For sure? How are you so sure that the battery technology in your 2007 MacBook is the same as that of a 2012 Retina MacBook Pro?

And, anyway, the batteries are GLUED on and totally non serviceable, like the soldered-on RAM. Plus we'll have to see about the longevity of the retina display.

I don't know about you guys (gals), but after 4 - 5 years, I'm itching to get a new computer. I doubt the Apple product will drop dead any quicker than product from Dell, HP etc., based on my experience with Apple products. My G5 iMac lived beyond 5 years (just) and my 2007 MBP died just short of 5 years. I'm sure other people's experiences vary. I'd expect more life from a desktop than a notebook which lives a more challenging life.