That way, we can keep the horror of the transhuman optimization curve, while not having it completely obliterate the setting the minute anyone tries it.
I like this more. I think establishing the logic of how becoming a machine works (even in only vague babble) might also work better as of now, humans just become software without much thought into its logic.
Like why does a human dying and coming back to life cause brain damage (in the real world) while you can switch a computer on or off? Because human chemical reactions are constantly ongoing. You can't 'pause' them without causing the process to start to fail.
And these processes are extremely fine. How can you copy said processes without causing brain damage in the process? Real-world digital copies degrade not just with time, but with copies of themselves. Even what we think of a hard drive will only really be able to keep information within itself for about 20 years (in the optimal case) before it looses everything.
Digital creatures most certainly would have a lifespan even if the original copy happened optimally. And even assuming good hardware, it may only be a few hundred years better than an organic. And while that does sound like an upgrade, that assumes maintenance and part switching with great risk to mental damage.
Edit: Just an amusing thought, but magnetic tapes, have better data retention than SSDs.