Well, option click on anything with TM icon does not bring "verify backup" option for me. I tried disk itself, folder on the disk, icon in TM configuration window,... I am sure I can run the commands manually in terminal, though...
For SSDs lifetime - I think you are incorrect... Considering how TM works, I think TBW are much less issue than for SSDs used for normal operations. TM records chunks of data only once and links them again as needed, so it actually writes the data much less often than would be if it was simply backing up. Most of the data on my SSD are pretty stable and so they get written the first time and reused more or less forever. I have not had chance to look at my SSD TM TBW, it is not trivial on macOS to check, but I would be surprised if my 1TB SSD I am backing up on 4TB TM (external SSD) have written each cells even once. My few months of TM backups by now mushroomed to ~1.8GB of backups. Yes, some was pruned out, but that is likely not that much to cause high TBW. Typical hourly backup is ~1GB, I occasionally check. And wear leveling here helps as it does not reuse some cells excessively.
Regardless of the application in question...and Time Machine isn't some special magic app in how it reads or writes, those are all universal. Maybe Time Machine is more frugal than CCC or SD, if so, great, but the point remains the same, WRITES. Of course, just as a backup destination, it's must less writes than say a gaming computer, or crypto or video editing, etc. but it's still writing. Likely it would take longer to hit that TBW threshold just as a backup target. In any case, not going into the TRIM function, the point was that an SSD DOES have a limited life just like an HDD, but for different and more critical reasons...TBW isn't an HDD issue. If
- SSD endurance: TBW is a key metric for SSD endurance, as every write operation causes a tiny amount of wear to the flash memory cells.
- Higher TBW is better: A higher TBW rating means the drive is rated to last longer and can handle more write operations over its lifespan.
- Factors influencing TBW: The TBW rating is based on the drive's capacity and the number of write cycles its NAND flash memory can endure. Larger capacity drives typically have higher TBW ratings because they have more flash memory cells.
You get what you pay for in any SSD, and most are going for the cheapest they can find, thinking they have scored an epic win, but that is not always the case. Choose wisely!
| SSD Type | Number of Layers/Bits per NAND Cell | Expected Lifespan in Program/Erase Cycles | Use Case |
| Single Level Cell (SLC) | 1 | 50,000-100,000 | High intensity write operations |
| Multi Level Cell (MLC) | 2 | 10,000 | Enterprise data center |
| Triple Level Cell (TLC) | 3 | 3,000 | Digital consumer products |
| Quad Level Cell (QLC) | 4 | 2,000 | Read-heavy operations, AI/ML, streaming media/content delivery |
| Penta Level Cell (PLC) | 5 | n/a | Long term storage, data archives |
You can count that is, say Samsung has a 5 year warranty on a part, it's TBW is also very high, compared to a WD Blue or some budget Chinese brand.
The main types of SSD cells are:
Single-Level Cell (SLC), Multi-Level Cell (MLC), Triple-Level Cell (TLC), and Quad-Level Cell (QLC), which differ in the number of bits they store per cell, impacting performance, endurance, and cost. SLC is the fastest, most durable, and most expensive, while
QLC is the cheapest with the lowest endurance, making it ideal for read-heavy or archival storage. TLC and MLC offer a balance between cost and performance, with TLC being more common in consumer products today for its higher density and lower price.
A product like Crystal Disk Info, which is sadly at this point, only for Windows, but will still work if you connect your macOS formatted drive to a Windows computer and run this, as it's a query of the controller chip, so platform agnostic, you can over time monitor your SSD heath.
Interesting, a quick search would imply Option+TimeMachine Icon should still work in macOS 26.x I'll try it later to confirm.
