How much faster should a Thunderbolt 3 SSD be for making Time Machine backups? How can you speed up backups to your NAS? Here are representative speeds from real testing.
SSD
What can cause low copy speeds for very large and possibly sparse files, such as VMs? Causes explained, and tools you can use to discover why.
From late 2012 until 2021, Apple sold many iMacs and Mac minis with Fusion Drives. Did they really offer the best of both worlds, and why have they gone now?
Do external SSDs draw so much power that they’re likely to exceed that available from Thunderbolt or USB4? What would the consequences be in terms of heat?
Why an Intel Mac’s up to 40 Gb/s from Thunderbolt 3 is less than an Apple silicon Mac’s up to 40 Gb/s from USB4, and how you can benefit from it.
With the heat of summer drawing near, it’s time to consider keeping our Macs and their peripherals cool. Covers thermal paste, heat sinks, fans and more.
Memory, from L1 instruction cache to main memory, and how it came to be Unified. Why the internal SSD isn’t like others, and why it’s so essential.
Check its protocol support and expected maximum transfer rate, then whether it supports SMART indicators and Trims with APFS. Finally check its real-world performance.
Given that Thunderbolt SSDs are unusual and expensive, should you buy a USB4 model that claims to be compatible with Thunderbolt? Watch out for the traps.
Apple silicon Macs are designed and built for reliability. Using old techniques to safeguard from disaster isn’t wise: they need to be reappraised, and contingencies planned accordingly.
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