Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Time Machine - How big a hard drive do I need?
- Thread starter ckesten
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You only "need" a drive slightly larger than the used space on your HDD, but the more free space you start out with, the further back in time your drive can go.
How much space do you have occupied?
500 GB is usually a good size, but you might be ok with less.
How much space do you have occupied?
500 GB is usually a good size, but you might be ok with less.
x2, I think that 500GB should be fine for the average user. Unless you are a big time movie editor, then you should be fine.
Here is one for $110 including shipping at newegg.
There is also a $20 mail in rebate if you can be bothered.
There are also some cheaper open box ones.
Here is a list of all the 500 gig drives at newegg sorted by lowest price first.
Best Bet
This is what I would recommend:
http://www.buy.com/prod/western-dig...-external-hard-drive/q/loc/101/206409667.html
The space should be sufficient for a long time. WD is a great brand and the price is right on this one.
This is what I would recommend:
http://www.buy.com/prod/western-dig...-external-hard-drive/q/loc/101/206409667.html
The space should be sufficient for a long time. WD is a great brand and the price is right on this one.
Agreed. I have four of these (well, two 320s and two 500s) and they have been quite reliable (knocks on wood).
id say you would need anything from 2-3times your drives capacity. it really depends on how much space your using currently, and how much space you predict will be used in the future. if you are just using 40gb of the hard drive then a 500gb would be fine, but if you suddenly add an extra 50gb to the hard drive then it will take a large chunck out of the remaining file size.
i only do manual backups, i dont need an hourly backup its just not worth the time wasted and the CPU usage hahaha.
i only do manual backups, i dont need an hourly backup its just not worth the time wasted and the CPU usage hahaha.
how long have you had these, and is the usb connection fast enough to back up too/ watch movies?
My general rule is that when buying more drive space, always double what you have. I started with a 500GB drive in my 24" iMac, so I bought a 1TB external drive (2x500GB RAID).
It's not that much more expensive and it will last you a long time.
It's not that much more expensive and it will last you a long time.
Hello people
Remember you can set Time Machine to exclude certain folders. This can do wonders to reduce your backup sizes.
E.g on my computer, I have TM set to exclude:
- my Downloads folder (because it's always changing and I don't need something I just downloaded to be backed up),
- my Movies folder (because I often move huge files into there from a ripped DVD - 5-9GB each)
- a scratch folder from one of my work apps that deals with large files. (Saved / completed projects go into different folders that get backed up as usual)
- a folder on my desktop labelled 'large files' where any large stuff that doesn't need backing up goes.
After using TM for several months, on my TM external, I have less than 100GB used.
Hope that helps.
-RedTomato
Remember you can set Time Machine to exclude certain folders. This can do wonders to reduce your backup sizes.
E.g on my computer, I have TM set to exclude:
- my Downloads folder (because it's always changing and I don't need something I just downloaded to be backed up),
- my Movies folder (because I often move huge files into there from a ripped DVD - 5-9GB each)
- a scratch folder from one of my work apps that deals with large files. (Saved / completed projects go into different folders that get backed up as usual)
- a folder on my desktop labelled 'large files' where any large stuff that doesn't need backing up goes.
After using TM for several months, on my TM external, I have less than 100GB used.
Hope that helps.
-RedTomato
Isn't more wasteful of time to do manual backups than to let the computer do it automatically? And does the CPU usage of Time Machine really cause you problems? What sort of intensive programs are you running day in and day out?
So . .
I'm a pretty new convert to the Mac verse wanting to go full steam ahead . . . I'm currently working on my first machine. I've acquired a MacBook Pro 15", and I'm opting to swap the optical drive for an SSD, then replacing the 500G spinning disc drive with a 1T. The SSD will house the OS, apps, processes, etc. The 1T will hold media, collections, etc. I keep back-up copies of all media on an external 3T drive.
Could I also use this same 3T external to use Time Machine as a back-up? Or will I need a separate backup drive? Either way, sound like I can restrict the back ups to just the SSD with OS, apps and configurations . . . right?
I'm a pretty new convert to the Mac verse wanting to go full steam ahead . . . I'm currently working on my first machine. I've acquired a MacBook Pro 15", and I'm opting to swap the optical drive for an SSD, then replacing the 500G spinning disc drive with a 1T. The SSD will house the OS, apps, processes, etc. The 1T will hold media, collections, etc. I keep back-up copies of all media on an external 3T drive.
Could I also use this same 3T external to use Time Machine as a back-up? Or will I need a separate backup drive? Either way, sound like I can restrict the back ups to just the SSD with OS, apps and configurations . . . right?
Nice resurrection of a 4 year old thread 
- yes you can use your 3TB external drive for both TM and for storing media. Some people have problems with TM gobbling up all the space on the external - you could partition the external into two partitions - one for media a d one for TM. When TM starts running out of space it will winnow down the oldest backups. (I haven't bothered partitioning my external)
- some people have had problems replacing the optical with a SSD. Might be better to put the SSD where your current HDD is and replace the optical with the 1TB.
- yes it's easy to exclude folders and drives from the TM back up.
- a single backup of important data is not enough. You need 3 copies in two different places. Consider something like Dropbox or Crashplan to store the third copy offsite.
Cheers T
- yes you can use your 3TB external drive for both TM and for storing media. Some people have problems with TM gobbling up all the space on the external - you could partition the external into two partitions - one for media a d one for TM. When TM starts running out of space it will winnow down the oldest backups. (I haven't bothered partitioning my external)
- some people have had problems replacing the optical with a SSD. Might be better to put the SSD where your current HDD is and replace the optical with the 1TB.
- yes it's easy to exclude folders and drives from the TM back up.
- a single backup of important data is not enough. You need 3 copies in two different places. Consider something like Dropbox or Crashplan to store the third copy offsite.
Cheers T
