After reading this post I did a quick check of the price I paid for a new Hitachi at newegg just over a month ago. Wow... you're right they have increased a lot.
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Best replacement hard drive for Time Capsule
- Thread starter jowie
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After reading this post I did a quick check of the price I paid for a new Hitachi at newegg just over a month ago. Wow... you're right they have increased a lot.
WD20EARS Spin Down
I stumbled across this thread today while doing some research on Time Capsule hard drives spinning down when idle and thought I'd post my experience.
On 21 January 2011 I installed a WD20EARS (WD20EARS - 00MVWB0 - Manufacture Date: 14 October 2010) in my Apple Time Capsule, replacing the original 500GB Seagate drive. (No problem with the Seagate, but I'm using this TC to backup three Macs so wanted some additional space.)
After reading recent discussions that this particular drive might not spin down I wanted to confirm that this one does and add a tip that might be useful.
My WD20EARS does indeed spin down after about two minutes of being idle.
One of the reasons that others using the same drive may not experience the same thing could be due to their Mac's settings.
If you don't prevent Spotlight from accessing and indexing the TC, the drive will spin up (or stay spinning) each time you open or use a program like iPhoto, iTunes, etc.
To ensure your Mac only accesses the Time Capsule for Time Machine backups:
System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy > "+" (Add) "[name of] Time Capsule".
Note that only entering "Time Machine Backups" will not do it, you have to specifically add the Time Capsule Drive itself to prevent Spotlight from accessing it and causing it to spin up.
Keep in mind that this is only applicable if you are using the TC for Time Machine backups exclusively. If you've partitioned the drive for additional storage you probably won't want to isolate it from Spotlight.
Also note that the power supply does keep the body of the TC fairly warm, but if the correct settings are used, the hard drive won't be contributing to any additional warmth when it's not in use.
Hope that helps anyone else that follows!
I stumbled across this thread today while doing some research on Time Capsule hard drives spinning down when idle and thought I'd post my experience.
On 21 January 2011 I installed a WD20EARS (WD20EARS - 00MVWB0 - Manufacture Date: 14 October 2010) in my Apple Time Capsule, replacing the original 500GB Seagate drive. (No problem with the Seagate, but I'm using this TC to backup three Macs so wanted some additional space.)
After reading recent discussions that this particular drive might not spin down I wanted to confirm that this one does and add a tip that might be useful.
My WD20EARS does indeed spin down after about two minutes of being idle.
One of the reasons that others using the same drive may not experience the same thing could be due to their Mac's settings.
If you don't prevent Spotlight from accessing and indexing the TC, the drive will spin up (or stay spinning) each time you open or use a program like iPhoto, iTunes, etc.
To ensure your Mac only accesses the Time Capsule for Time Machine backups:
System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy > "+" (Add) "[name of] Time Capsule".
Note that only entering "Time Machine Backups" will not do it, you have to specifically add the Time Capsule Drive itself to prevent Spotlight from accessing it and causing it to spin up.
Keep in mind that this is only applicable if you are using the TC for Time Machine backups exclusively. If you've partitioned the drive for additional storage you probably won't want to isolate it from Spotlight.
Also note that the power supply does keep the body of the TC fairly warm, but if the correct settings are used, the hard drive won't be contributing to any additional warmth when it's not in use.
Hope that helps anyone else that follows!
Last edited:
The problem I, and others, had with the WD drive had nothing to do with Mac settings. It's quite possible there's been a firmware revision for the drives that has since solved the problem, particularly since Apple is now using those disks in current Time Capsules.
Seagate Green 2TB 5900 RPM working
To give something back to this thread:
I went ahead and replaced my 1.gen TC 500 GB disk with an
Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB 5900 RPM SATA/600 64MB
So far, after TM backup (80+GB) and a day of work on the disk, and other backup (200+GB), it still works. It even powers down after a few minutes, as the original drive did. The TC is noticeable more silent, and even cooler away from the power adaptor than before, also after hours of prolonged use. Near the power circuit, off course, the TC is still warm to touch.
So far, only positive feedback on this drive as a replacement.
To give something back to this thread:
I went ahead and replaced my 1.gen TC 500 GB disk with an
Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB 5900 RPM SATA/600 64MB
So far, after TM backup (80+GB) and a day of work on the disk, and other backup (200+GB), it still works. It even powers down after a few minutes, as the original drive did. The TC is noticeable more silent, and even cooler away from the power adaptor than before, also after hours of prolonged use. Near the power circuit, off course, the TC is still warm to touch.
So far, only positive feedback on this drive as a replacement.
RE: Seagate Green 2TB 5900 RPM working
Nruub, thanks for confirming that Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB 5900 RPM SATA/600 64MB works well as a replacement hard drive for Time Capsule.
I was searching to see if this drive could be used, and if it would spin down. Hearing from you that it works and does spin down will save me considerable time and expense. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience!
Nruub, thanks for confirming that Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB 5900 RPM SATA/600 64MB works well as a replacement hard drive for Time Capsule.
I was searching to see if this drive could be used, and if it would spin down. Hearing from you that it works and does spin down will save me considerable time and expense. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience!
You are welcome!
And I can confirm, that after a small week of use, 800+GB of TM and other backups, the disk performs fine and spins down after 4-5min of inactivity.
And this is without any special Spotlight settings, almost just plug and play on LION
upgrade hard drive and use superduper to keep backups?
I have searched this and several other forums and have found no clear answer. I will be upgrading my 1st gen TC to a larger drive but would like to keep my existing time machine backups (4 macs in house, so 4 sparsebundles). Has anyone been able to do this?
I have two USB enclosures and can use superduper to copy (clone) the old TC HDD onto the new one. But, I read that this may not result in time machine recognizing those backups on the new drive. I have also read that copying the sparsebundles via Finder is also a mistake.
Right now I'm thinking that I will do the following:
- put the new drive into the TC and format it via Airport Utility (this way it will be a "native" TC drive and have all the hidden files / partitions it needs to work in the TC)
- remove it and put it in USB enclosure
- use superduper to copy the old TC drive to the new drive, making sure that I'm copying to the right partition
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I have searched this and several other forums and have found no clear answer. I will be upgrading my 1st gen TC to a larger drive but would like to keep my existing time machine backups (4 macs in house, so 4 sparsebundles). Has anyone been able to do this?
I have two USB enclosures and can use superduper to copy (clone) the old TC HDD onto the new one. But, I read that this may not result in time machine recognizing those backups on the new drive. I have also read that copying the sparsebundles via Finder is also a mistake.
Right now I'm thinking that I will do the following:
- put the new drive into the TC and format it via Airport Utility (this way it will be a "native" TC drive and have all the hidden files / partitions it needs to work in the TC)
- remove it and put it in USB enclosure
- use superduper to copy the old TC drive to the new drive, making sure that I'm copying to the right partition
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Sorry, I've been meaning to respond to this comment... If I'm too late now I apologise!
But I do appreciate you want to continue the archives sequentially and correctly. I'd much prefer to get it right next time. (I'm considering a second upgrade from 1TB to 2/3TB).
In fact, there *must* be people on this thread who have successfully duplicated their TC to a new HD and continued sequential backups from the same archives... I'm sure I'm not the only one here who would gratefully appreciate some kind of step-by-step instructions as to how to do this successfully... Please!
Thanks!
I tried, but screwed up because I didn't realise Time Capsule formatted the disk differently. I ran an archive directly from the Time Capsule to a connected external drive, but since that didn't work I just decided to start from scratch and just store the archive off-site (at my parents' house).
But I do appreciate you want to continue the archives sequentially and correctly. I'd much prefer to get it right next time. (I'm considering a second upgrade from 1TB to 2/3TB).
Interesting... Will SuperDuper be able to read the formatting of a disk from a normal USB enclosure? I'd be very interested to hear back from you once you've completed the job.
In fact, there *must* be people on this thread who have successfully duplicated their TC to a new HD and continued sequential backups from the same archives... I'm sure I'm not the only one here who would gratefully appreciate some kind of step-by-step instructions as to how to do this successfully... Please!
Thanks!
Originally a 1TB Time Capsule from early 2008. Got this drive when the original one died.
Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB 5900 RPM SATA/600 64MB
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CCS266/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details
Dropped right in. Zero problems.
Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB 5900 RPM SATA/600 64MB
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CCS266/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details
Dropped right in. Zero problems.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I've installed Seagate Constellation ES 2 TB ST3200644NS Dell branded with firmware KD03 (there are newer, but the updater is incompatible with the Mac). This is really high-end enterprise grade drive and very expensive.
It spins down, but after very very long time. It runs much more quieter than original Barracuda ES 500 GB. It's very hot, so if it runs longer the fan is also spinning, but it has lower power usage than original drive
Still testing that one. I need to find out why the spin down is taking so long.
It spins down, but after very very long time. It runs much more quieter than original Barracuda ES 500 GB. It's very hot, so if it runs longer the fan is also spinning, but it has lower power usage than original drive
Still testing that one. I need to find out why the spin down is taking so long.
has any tried recently with a 3tb drive in the 3rd gen time capsules i would love to update mine to that
Confirmed - Seagate Constellation ES ST3200644NS is spinning down correctly, but I have to unplug the fan. It's all working silent now
You're running the Time Capsule with no fan?
Yes. It's not needed. All working fine, but make sure there space under time capsule so it won't be too hot.
The problem is that my Time Capsule new 2 TB drive is spinning up at about 2 am and when I was using the original drive it just spindown after a minute or two but with this new drive it's spinning all the time till I start my Mac Pro and perform backup. All computers were off at this time, WAN sharing disabled, WLAN disabled, only cable modem was on so why it it spinning up ?
I'll be surprised if it doesn't overheat. Mine with the fan and space underneath gets uncomfortably warm to the touch.
As for the spinning up, some drives just don't seem to be fully compatible.
Not really compatible then..
Yes, the inability to spin down has been reported for various other replacement drives as well. It's properly one of the main reasons this thread exists, so in line with the previous discussion, I would say your is drive is incompatible.
Yes, the inability to spin down has been reported for various other replacement drives as well. It's properly one of the main reasons this thread exists, so in line with the previous discussion, I would say your is drive is incompatible.
Got it ! It's seems to there still needs to be a client logged on Time Capsule then it spins down. So what I did is just enabled WAN sharing and Internet sharing via Bonjour and mounted the Time Capsule on my Linux Server (dedicated server in France which is 24/7 on) with such command:
where:
- 111.111.111.111 is your Time Capsule IP
- Time-Capsule is disk name
- password is your disk or device password
If you don't have a Linux Server, just grab a cheap VPS for 3$ a month and you will get it
To mount it on every boot just add a line to /etc/fstab:
With this method every drive will spindown !
Now it's 100% silent. No fan and no disk spinning all the time.
where:
- 111.111.111.111 is your Time Capsule IP
- Time-Capsule is disk name
- password is your disk or device password
If you don't have a Linux Server, just grab a cheap VPS for 3$ a month and you will get it
To mount it on every boot just add a line to /etc/fstab:
With this method every drive will spindown !
Now it's 100% silent. No fan and no disk spinning all the time.
a late reply to jowie
Sorry for the late reply. I did the swap in early March and can report back now. Super Duper was not able to see the various (can't recall if 2 or 3?) partitions on the old TC drive, as connected to a USB dock. So, I gave up on the cloning experiment. I put the new drive into the TC, let Airport Utility format the drive (got 2.7 TB, yay) and simply had all 4 macs start new TM backups onto the new TC drive. Many hours later (overnight) everyone was backed up again onto the new drive. BTW, I put the old drive into an inexpensive USB enclosure and still have the old backups in case I ever need them.
To review and give back to this thread, I put in a Western Digital Caviar Green 3 TB drive into my first generation Time Capsule. I did not take a note of the model number but I believe it was a WD30EZRX -- the model number on the box is WDBAAY0030HNC-NRSN. Installation was easy and I made a few mods (cut-outs) to the bottom plate and rubber foot so that the fan would actually move some air.
After a month, I can report that the drive spins down fine, to dead silent. When running/spinning, it is barely audible. As for temperature, the entire unit runs noticeably cooler (it used to get very warm) but we'll see when we get to the hot summer weather. So, I am very pleased with this project
Sorry for the late reply. I did the swap in early March and can report back now. Super Duper was not able to see the various (can't recall if 2 or 3?) partitions on the old TC drive, as connected to a USB dock. So, I gave up on the cloning experiment. I put the new drive into the TC, let Airport Utility format the drive (got 2.7 TB, yay) and simply had all 4 macs start new TM backups onto the new TC drive. Many hours later (overnight) everyone was backed up again onto the new drive. BTW, I put the old drive into an inexpensive USB enclosure and still have the old backups in case I ever need them.
To review and give back to this thread, I put in a Western Digital Caviar Green 3 TB drive into my first generation Time Capsule. I did not take a note of the model number but I believe it was a WD30EZRX -- the model number on the box is WDBAAY0030HNC-NRSN. Installation was easy and I made a few mods (cut-outs) to the bottom plate and rubber foot so that the fan would actually move some air.
After a month, I can report that the drive spins down fine, to dead silent. When running/spinning, it is barely audible. As for temperature, the entire unit runs noticeably cooler (it used to get very warm) but we'll see when we get to the hot summer weather. So, I am very pleased with this project
I regret that I upgraded the TC HDD, to use it as a NAS.
I use a 2TB WD, and I store movies on it (1080p mkv). The TC it's connected to the MacBook via gigabyte ethernet.
Everytime I watch a movie from the TC, the movie freezes and the image falls behind the sound.
I should have kept the 500gb HDD for backups, and buy a proper NAS like Synology with 2 or 4 HDDs.
I thought that the problem could be the old 2008 c2d MacBook, but I think it's the TC.
I am wondering if the same problem would be if I would use a NAS like Synology.
I use a 2TB WD, and I store movies on it (1080p mkv). The TC it's connected to the MacBook via gigabyte ethernet.
Everytime I watch a movie from the TC, the movie freezes and the image falls behind the sound.
I should have kept the 500gb HDD for backups, and buy a proper NAS like Synology with 2 or 4 HDDs.
I thought that the problem could be the old 2008 c2d MacBook, but I think it's the TC.
I am wondering if the same problem would be if I would use a NAS like Synology.
What player are you using to playback the mkv movies? It may not be the TC but an issue with the decoding/playback software.
I use XBMC, but also tried with VLC and I get the same problems, plus pixelation of the image when it freezes.
I tried with a newer MacBook aluminium unibody, and the same thing happens...so it's not the Mac, it's the TC.
I think that even if I will buy a proper NAS with Gigabyte port, I will get the same results. The only NAS that would work flawless I think it woud be one connected via Firewire 800.
I have cat6 all over my network, but the result it's crappy. 720p movies works just fine, but 1080p DOESN'T.
I think the only solution to have a proper HTPC with a movie colection, would be to buy an iMac or a Mini, and connect it to a firewire NAS, not gigabyte ethernet.
Did ANYBODY tried a Mini or iMac with an ethernet gigabyte NAS (like Synology DS411j or Drobo FS), and got good results (playing a 1080p movie the same way a blu ray player would play...without pausing and freezing)?
At what bitrate are your movies encoded? I feed several apple tvs and macs in the house over wireless connections and never experience pausing or freezing. My files are mostly 480 & 720p, but my newer stuff is 108op and playback just fine to any client. But all my files are in iTunes format, so the bitrates are not overwhelming.
Old comment I know, but any reason why only 1st gen TC can be upgraded to 3TB?From my knowledge only 1st gen can be modified this way
Anyone actually updated their TC to 3TB? Which generation was it and what drive did you purchase?