Should I enable filevault on new macbook

[bigjnyc]

I've never used filevault before, what if any are the downsides of enabling this feature? Does it slow down your read/write times on your SSD? and if so is it noticeable? any other cons? and finally do I really need it, i have a password on my computer at all times so what is the benefit of filevault?

 

[chriscl]

Filevault encrypts your drive, so if someone steals your MacBook they cannot get access to your data.

The performance "hit" is absolutely negligible, at least on my 2016 MacBook (core m5) I noticed no performance impact after enabling Filevault.

Passwords can be broken/guessed/brute-forced. Filevault encryption is unlikely to be broken without serious computing power, and even then, it would be a loooooooooooooooooong time before theoretically anyone could get at your data.

 

[Graham Perks]

If they steal your machine, they can remove the drive and plug it in to another computer, and read all your data. No password required!

FileVault encrypts all the drive's data, so they can't read it even with full physical access.

 

[filmbuff]

Yes, you should.

 

[bigjnyc]

Awesome thanks for the great insight guys. I’ll make sure to enable it