Encrypt Drive or Not?

[mneblett]

I started this thread on 1/25. Checking back in 10 days later.

I want to say "thanks" for all the input, and to report the results.

On my late '13 2.3GHz i7, encrypting the SSD has had *zero* apparent performance effect. No impact on Time Machine at all.

The only change is that when I open the clamshell, I have to enter a password. That required effort is well worth the peace of mind, as this machine travels with me a lot so it has a significantly higher exposure to low-life types.

 

[bobr1952]

Speaking of performance, I don't really notice any meaningful performance hit by having my Time Capsule drive encrypted as well.

 

[taz92]

thanks for all of your help. I really appreciate it.

 

[brdeveloper]

I agree with Weaselboy. There is no reason to not use it. The performance impact is minimal.

I also recommend enabling the firmware password.

My thoughts: If my MacBook is stolen, not only is my data safe because of file vault, the machine itself becomes a big aluminum doorstop with the firmware password enabled.

FW password is a must-have. I also write my e-mail and phone number physically over the aluminium body, installed Undercover anti-theft with a guest account and enabled FileVault. Hopefully, my machine will become a paper weight if stolen.

 

[CausticPuppy]

No performance impact on my 2012 13" rMBP with file vault 2 enabled. I've read that Samsung SSD's perform the best when encrypted, whereas the Toshiba SSD's have a bigger hit to write speeds. My SSD is only 128GB but it's a samsung.