New Mac - M1 vs Mac Pro 2019

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by Ben Jenssen

That's good news. Mike at Bombich (CCC) was optimistic about this being fixed, but I haven't looked into it for a while.

That is also good news, we have all waited for DiskWarrior to support APFS since day one, and this bootable thing seems to be just as tied to the security chip as (the lack of) APFS documentation.

Don't hold your breath, but for CCC they already have intermediate solution to it. Bad news is it still requires a working internal storage which you cannot change.

[dominicperry]

Originally Posted by Ben Jenssen

That's good news. Mike at Bombich (CCC) was optimistic about this being fixed, but I haven't looked into it for a while.

It's not fixed. It can't be fixed, at least not properly.

From Big Sur on, all machines with a T2 chip or an M1 chip cannot boot if the internal disk is fried/broken/bricked. So, in the old days you could be up and running in a few minutes, by booting from an external disk. Now, you need to visit an Apple store or get your logic board replaced. You can only boot from an external disk if the internal one is still functional. There's nothing Mr Bombich can do about it.

Dominic

[Ben Jenssen]

Originally Posted by dominicperry

It's not fixed. It can't be fixed, at least not properly.

From Big Sur on, all machines with a T2 chip or an M1 chip cannot boot if the internal disk is fried/broken/bricked. So, in the old days you could be up and running in a few minutes, by booting from an external disk. Now, you need to visit an Apple store or get your logic board replaced. You can only boot from an external disk if the internal one is still functional. There's nothing Mr Bombich can do about it.

Dominic

I know. I should have said 'solution' instead of 'fix'. Not shure what I think about apple's strategy here, might not be that bad, keeping system protected and all. Anyway, I can boot from external as long as the internal is OK. And My bootable CCC clone will work.

[stargazer]

Originally Posted by off the wall

I’d try to get another year or two out of that 5,1. In fact that’s exactly what I’m doing. You can play it really safe and just get a new GPU and run Mojave and pt2021.10 fully supported.

I’m a bit more out on the edge and running Big Sur through Open Core on my 5,1 with a Thunderbolt card. Pro Tools HDX and external UAD TB device running flawlessly.

Thanks, off the wall!
For audio work only, this machine is all I need.
I use a lot of VIs though, and I guess a MP 2019 would be a considerable upgrade.
Also, the video card upgrades seem to be a can of worms.

[stargazer]

Originally Posted by dominicperry

It's not fixed. It can't be fixed, at least not properly.

From Big Sur on, all machines with a T2 chip or an M1 chip cannot boot if the internal disk is fried/broken/bricked. So, in the old days you could be up and running in a few minutes, by booting from an external disk. Now, you need to visit an Apple store or get your logic board replaced. You can only boot from an external disk if the internal one is still functional. There's nothing Mr Bombich can do about it.

Dominic

This will make me think twice about ever getting an Apple Silicon Mac.

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by stargazer

This will make me think twice about ever getting an Apple Silicon Mac.

Maybe when the time is right.

I have only had one failed SSD and that was one I used for maintenance work (switching from one computer to another multiple times) so I do not know whether the failing part was connector or some part of the chip.

What I do know is speed has improved all the time and comparing this M1 speed of 3000MB/s to spinner of 50MB/s is not even a comparison.

Come to think of it, the oldest SSD still in use that I have had in daily use is from 2011, so if you can live with a ten year lifespan without even expecting any improvement in reliability, it should be just fine.

Only the boot drive is critical. You can still run your sessions on extrenal if you want to. Though running on internal storage is very tempting because of the speed.

[Ben Jenssen]

Originally Posted by stargazer

This will make me think twice about ever getting an Apple Silicon Mac.

Think of it like this: any computer is full of components that would turn it into a doorstop if they failed. So it's nothing new. You have your backup, and when you need to, you replace the broken mac.
On Catalina, we have the separate data and system partitions, and the untouchable recovery disk, and I can definitely see the benefits, and I think it's the future.

[JFreak]

Part of the future is also already here, and it is called iCloud. Most of your personal stuff is in the cloud anyway, so whenever you migrate to new hardware that stuff is not copied to external hard drive and back to new internal hard drive again. It is just there already.

So you only need to take care of your session files. Computer hardware and system drive are disposable. But if you are afraid of component failure, you better have spare computer nearby.

[Ben Jenssen]

As I understand it, from now on when you buy a mac, whatever happens to it in terms of data corruption, hacking, deletion, user error or otherwise - it will always be restorable to its original state, from the recovery partition. Provided the internal disk works. You don't even need a internet connection.
This is a good idea, in my book.
Added: Not that this is anything like a new thing, I guess we are surrounded with devices that has a routine for reloading their code if needed.
It's like a ROM for macOS. Read Only Memory.
(Except apple can do more than read… )

[JFreak]

Provided the internal storage AND internet connection works, then yes. The recovery partition is in nerd terms "just an EFI that gets the thing booted into recovery mode" and after that you need a way to reinstall, and with the current computers it means internet connection.