Time Machine and HDD size question

[Kihon]

Hi Peepls

Quick and simple question:

I have a new iMac 24" with a 500GB drive and I want to run Time Machine.

Do I need to buy an external USB HDD that's exactly the same size or can I use a smaller drive?

Thanks!

 

[bacaramac]

Depends on how much media you plan on having. If you are only using 100Gb, then buy a drive that is larger then that. The smaller the back-up drive the less time TM can store back-ups.

 

[~Shard~]

Assuming you do not have all 500GB full, then yes, you can use a smaller drive, however Time Machine will fill it up more quickly.

In general, you may also want to do a search here on MacRumors, as these types of Time Machine questions have been asked many, many times already.

Also, feel free to refer to our Time Machine FAQ. 😎

 

[matperk]

Depends on how much media you plan on having. If you are only using 100Gb, then buy a drive that is larger then that. The smaller the back-up drive the less time TM can store back-ups.

right.

it's actually better to have a drive that's larger because then it can keep a series of multiple revisions of your files. The more space you have the further back it can go for restores.

also it's something to remember that TM does not create a bootable backup of your system, you'd have to restore using your install discs, but those can use the TM drive to restore.

 

[Kihon]

Thanks for all the quick replies! I thought I had heard on Leo LaPorte's podcast that it "HAD" to be exactly the same size 🙂

Thanks ppls

 

[~Shard~]

No problem. And keep in mind, as previously noted, TM will not create a bootable backup of your machine. For that type of functionality you should look at an alternate ultility such as SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner. 😎