Mac Mini 2018 and concerned about the soldered SSD

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Mac Mini 2018 and concerned about the soldered SSD

Hi there, I've been a Mac Mini user for graphics and intending to buy the new Mac Mini in the maxed out CPU and RAM version, but with 256GB SSD as I'm using an external drive for working files. OS boot and apps and minor things are run on the internal SSD.

As this is a costly investment of around 3,200 Euros, I'm very skeptical to the soldered SSD and so I am hoping to get some input and thoughts here.

I'm not concerned about the ability of upgrading the SSD at some point. I won't. But I'm concerned what happens if the SSD just fails. I've learned that HDDs start to fail after 3-5 years of use. Although I would buy AppleCare protection, there might be the chance that the SSD fails after the 3 years. And that sounds like a too costly repair.

My question is: Are modern SSDs very reliable and have a long lifespan (6+ years), so it won't be a real concern?

I can't really tell how much GBs I move on the internal SSD a day. Often none, but sometimes 10-20 GBs. Let's stick with 10GBs a day. Any idea what the expected lifespan of the SSD should at least be?

Thank you! Any input would make it helpful for my decision.

Mac mini, macOS Mojave (10.14.1)

Posted on Nov 17, 2018 2:17 AM

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Answer 1

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VikingOSX

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Nov 17, 2018 6:59 AM in response to herrvo

Apple does not provide the meantime-between-failure (MTBF) data for its internal flash storage devices (not really an SSD in the 2018 mini). As we are fellow users, none of us can project the lifespan of the flash storage in this new mini. Most of the current crop of third-party flash storage have impressive MTBF values that translate into years of usage. If your risk analysis suggests that even with a 3-year AppleCare, you are concerned about the potential failure at some point of the flash storage, then the 2018 Mac mini may not satisfy your long-term ownership requirements.

The early reviews of the 2018 Mac mini suggest that the 1TB flash storage option is measurably quicker than lesser capacity solutions. Unless you plan to use the Black Magic EGPU with the 2018 Mac mini, its Intel GPU may underwhelm dependent upon graphics demands.

I have a 2.5in OCZ (now Toshiba) 128GB SSD that I installed in my mid-2011 Mac mini in Fall 2011, and it continues to work perfectly in Fall 2018. Entirely different technology than current flash storage devices.

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Answer 2

herrvo Author

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Nov 17, 2018 7:05 AM in response to VikingOSX

Thank you for your feedback!

As for GPU: yes, I've read that the Intel GPU lags in performance. But I assumed it's only relevant for video, games, 3D and animated tasks. I mainly use it for 2D graphics like Photoshop, Illustrator etc. I guessed that GPU is not that important for such works.

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Mac Mini 2018 and concerned about the soldered SSD

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