Some advanced users have been reporting an overuse of the SSD for writing and reading data on the newly released Macs with M1, Apple's first computer chip based on ARM architecture. The issue could eventually affect the lifespan of the internal SSD used in M1 Macs — not to mention the machine itself.
As noted by users on Twitter and also on the Linus Tech Tips forums, macOS indicates that the internal SSD of M1 Macs has registered 'extremely high drive writes over relatively short time.' One user points out that in some extreme cases the SSD has already had consumed about 13% of the maximum warrantable total bytes written (TBW).
Check out app called DataMan. Icon has two white arrows on black background. You must log in or register to reply here. Most people have no idea how much RAM is installed in their Mac, or how much memory it is currently using. Of course, since RAM memory stores the code and instructions for OS X and any applications open on your Mac, running out of it can slow your Mac down, or worse. That's why it's important to monitor your Mac's memory usage in real time.
Some more professional users of the new M1 Macbooks are experiencing extremely high drive writes over relatively short time. The most severe cases have 'consumed' about 10-13% of the maximum warrantable TBW value of the SSDs (given their capacity & using values for equivalent market-available NVMe drives).
Since SSDs are based on chips rather than mechanical parts, they all have a predetermined lifespan based on how much they are used for writing and reading data. The more you write data to an SSD, the faster it will show bad behavior such as slowness or even data corruption. As the internal storage of M1 Macs are soldered to the logic board, users will have to replace the entire computer if affected by an SSD defect.
With a regular use, this can take up to 10 years to take effect, but today's reports suggest that the lifespan of the M1 Mac internal SSD can be reduced to as little as two years due to macOS behavior. Another user says that a M1 MacBook Pro with 2TB storage and 16 GB RAM has already registered 3% total usage of the internal SSD after only two months.
Unfortunately, the reasons behind this problem are still unknown. This could be either the M1 chip constantly using the Mac's internal storage for memory swap (which is basically using the SSD as virtual RAM) or just another bug found in macOS Big Sur.
Apple hasn't yet commented on this issue, but hopefully the company will fix it with a future macOS update.
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Matt Cone January 2, 2012 TutorialsMac
Imagine driving a vehicle with no gauges on the dashboard. You wouldn't know how fast the car was going, how much fuel it had left, or whether or not the engine was about to overheat. In short, you'd be driving blind - hoping, by chance, that everything would just work out okay.
As ludicrous as this scenario sounds, millions of Mac users do essentially the same thing every day. Most people have no idea how much RAM is installed in their Mac, or how much memory it is currently using. Of course, since RAM memory stores the code and instructions for OS X and any applications open on your Mac, running out of it can slow your Mac down, or worse. That's why it's important to monitor your Mac's memory usage in real time. You can see how much RAM is currently available on your Mac and stop potential problems before they start!
There are a couple different tools you can use to see how much memory your Mac is using. This tutorial covers three of them: Activity Monitor, iStat Pro, and iStat Menus. By the time you get to the end of the article, you'll be a memory-monitoring pro!
Using Activity Monitor
Activity Monitor is a free application that comes bundled with every Mac. You can use this application to see how much RAM is currently free, how much RAM is currently allocated, and a whole lot more. In fact, Activity Monitor presents so much information that it's easy to get overwhelmed when looking at it. Don't worry if you don't understand what it all means. Just follow these instructions to concentrate on the memory statistics.
Here's how to use Activity Monitor to monitor your Mac's memory usage:
Download adobe reader for mac 10 4 11. Open the Activity Monitor application. (It's in Applications → Utilities.) The window shown below appears.
Click the Real Mem column header to sort the active processes by memory usage. This is a good way to see which applications are using the most memory on your Mac - the memory hogs are displayed at the top of the list.
Click the System Memory button. Now the bottom part of the window shows exactly how much free memory is currently available. If the free memory number looks too low, you should quit some applications to free up memory. (Ideally, your Mac should have 10% of the total memory available at any given time.)
To turn the Activity Monitor Dock icon in to a real time memory monitoring tool, right-click on the Dock icon and select Dock Icon → Show Memory Usage, as shown below. The Activity Monitor Dock icon turns into a pie chart which displays how your memory is allocated.
Now you have a way to monitor your Mac's memory usage in real time. Keep an eye on that Dock icon! You want there to be enough green (which represents free memory) to open other applications.
Using iStat Pro
iStat Pro is a free Dashboard widget that provides tons of system information about your Mac, including memory usage. If you're an avid Dashboard user, this is a good way to keep tabs on how much RAM is free and allocated. Just download and install iStat Pro and then open Dashboard. (To do so, you can press F4 on most Mac keyboards, or swipe left with four fingers on a trackpad.) The iStat Pro widget is shown below.
It's a good idea to check the widget a couple times a day, just to make sure you have enough free RAM available. Remember, if the free RAM is getting dangerously low, quit some applications to free up space.
Using iStat Menus
Using iStat Menus ($16, free trial available) is probably the best option for monitoring your Mac's memory. This application runs in the background and displays an icon on your menu bar that indicates how much RAM memory your Mac has available. And seriously, can you think of a better way to monitor memory than looking at your menu bar?
Here's how to use iStat Menus to monitor your Mac's memory usage:
Download and install iStat Menus.
Open the iStat Menus application.
On the sidebar, move the Memory slider to the On position. The window shown below appears.
Now you need to customize the menu bar icon. Drag an icon from the Inactive Items bar to the Active Items bar. You really only need one memory icon to be active, but you can make multiple icons active.
Now you've got a handy little icon in your menu bar, as shown below. All you have to do is look up to monitor your Mac's memory usage!
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Help! My Mac is Always Out of Memory
If your Mac always seems to be running out of memory, you probably need to upgrade the RAM. You can never have enough! If you own a newer iMac, Mac Mini, or MacBook Pro that you purchased in 2011 or later, we recommend that you purchase these RAM modules for a total of 8 GB of RAM - enough memory for all but the most professional users. Users with other models of Macs can find inexpensive memory modules here.
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