Can I buy any external drive, or MacOS only?

[blue2noise]

I'm looking to get an external 2TB (USB 2.0) drive exclusively for Time Machine, but I'm not sure if i have to but the ones formatted specifically for Mac or if i can buy any WD or other that i want and simply reformat it when i get it.

What's my best bet in the $200 range?

Thanks

 

[MacDawg]

Yes, you can reformat it using Disk Utility

Check out the various file systems here: MR Guide: File Systems

 

[spinnerlys]

You can buy any HDD, as you can format it yourself later anyway.No need to buy Mac OS compatible drives, as they usually cost more for something you can do in less than a minute.

Format Your Hard Drive Using Disk Utility
Partition Your Hard Drive With Disk Utility

 

[blue2noise]

Thanks!