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I do use an external, just took an old time machine cracked it open and slung in a 3tb disk. Connected by ethernet on the second mac pro port. They do warm up when backing up. I don't have a problem with it working a few times a day, I notice if it's working because I hear the fan running in the time machine. You can use them internally. It won't be spinning most of the time so it doesn't make that horrible racket in the mac pro or cause the fans to work overtime.
Your plan to take a disk image is fine, I have heard of the bearing drying out in HD's that don't get much use but never suffered a failure. You just don't get the potential for latest state recovery that time machine is supposed to provide. I've never had to rescue a system with it so I don't fully trust it but I think we would have heard by now if it didn't work.
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Airhead
Makes sense.
Can you run time machine on an internal drive, can you get it to back up every couple of weeks/months, rather than hourly/daily?
I've got a spare 1tb drive which I can use internally to back up the boot drive, so was hoping to pop that in every couple of months, back up and then take out, until I need to do it all over again the next quarter. Possible to do with time machine? Or would I just need to get a case and use it as an external?