AEBS + External HD or Time Capsule?

[Niko03]

So I'm going to buy my first Mac soon.

Thinking of the 24" iMac 2.8Ghz 4GB ram and 500GB HD.
I want to set up a wireless network and also have backup capabilities.

So what works best Time capsule or AEBS + external drive.

I kinda like the idea of an all in one solution, however if I run out of room on the Time capsule can I daisy chain a External drive to that and have Time Machine write to that?

Thanks

 

[aristobrat]

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If it matters much, Apple will help you with backup issues on the Time Capsule, but doesn't offer support on backup issues on an Extreme with an external.



I know you can plug another external into a TC, but not sure if it'll be able to use that drive for backups. I thought I read that it couldn't, but can't remember where I read that.



Check the prices. It used to be that the 500gb TC was priced so close to the cost of an Extreme plus a 500gb external that the TC seemed to make the most sense.

 

[reebzor]

I have my Time Machine backup through my AEBS. If money is a concern, get the AEBS + external. If you rather have it all in one then get the Time capsule. The Time Capsule is NO MORE than an AEBS with a harddrive in it.

 

[aristobrat]

The Time Capsule is NO MORE than an AEBS with a harddrive in it.

I thought the TC had a few more software features, like the ability to duplicate the internal TC drive to an external USB drive (plugged into the TC)?

The thing that would worry me about using the AEBS with an external drive is Apple's wishywashy position on it. First it wasn't supported and didn't work at all, then it worked with the latest AEBS upgrade but wasn't supported. Hopefully the ability doesn't disappear with the next AEBS upgrade.

 

[skorpien]

Just to add, if you connect an HDD to a TC, you will be able to backup to it, but you will need to create a new backup volume (you won't be able to span one backup over two drives). If space is an issue, get the TB TC.

If Apple officially supported Time Machine backups over AEBS/HDD, I'd say go for that. As it stands though, Apple only supports backups w/ TC. So if you want reliable backups that will be supported, TC is the way to go.

 

[Niko03]

Thanks

Thanks for the input everyone.

I'm kinda leaning towards that but not so sure about the 1TB price.
(Its only a little bit more than AEBS and a seperate Drive. The 500GB was pretty even.)


There's also the heat issue on the TC's. Any major concerns with that?

 

[Beau10]

If it helps at all, I bought my MBP back in April along with a AEBS and external harddrive for TM backups.

At first, I would have occasional issues, and have to reboot the external drive or AEBS every couple days. One time I had to reformat the drive and start again (ironically just after rebuilding my MPB from it). Since the AEBS update though, which was about 2 mos ago, it's been rock solid. So while Apple might not be officially supporting it they are 'supporting' it.

 

[skorpien]

Well judging from Beau10's post it seems like it's more reliable than I previously thought.

Alternatively, you could get the 500GB TC and use a larger HDD at a later time if space becomes tight.

As for the heat issue, the TC has been known to run relatively warm to hot. I've remedied that by raising it off of the surface of my desk by using four plastic spacers (read plastic pop bottle caps ). This provides air circulation underneath the unit and I've noticed it's decreased my TC's running temperature considerably.