back up macbook pro with partial internal drive!

[montblanc1]

I am planning to change my current HDD drive with new intel SSD, so I need to back up all the files on my current disk. The capacity of my current HDD is 320GB, so I made an equal partition, 160GB-160GB. Since there's just 120GB occupied in my HDD, I assume I can back up it with the alternative partial 160GB, sounds feasible?

Another problem, after replacing it with SSD, should I just make the internal HDD external, and plug it to the macbook pro using USB to install all the OS and files? I am a newbie, so please help~!!

 

[Eddyisgreat]

Here's how i've done it (and how I would do it again).

Step 1. Delete the extra partition. Don't delete the entire drive x.x
Step 2. Have either drive in the external position, then copy boot up from your OS drive and clone over with CCC/SuperDuper.
Step 3. Swap in SSD if not already done so.
Step 4. ??? / Bacon
Step 5. Profit

 

[montblanc1]

Here's how i've done it (and how I would do it again).

Step 1. Delete the extra partition. Don't delete the entire drive x.x
Step 2. Have either drive in the external position, then copy boot up from your OS drive and clone over with CCC/SuperDuper.
Step 3. Swap in SSD if not already done so.
Step 4. ??? / Bacon
Step 5. Profit

So I don not need to back up my files on OS drive with Time machine?
I just use the OS drive as external drive, and use it to copy all the files to new ssd? Can you make it more explicitly? Really thanks !!! And what is CCC/SuperDuper?