How do I restore new hard drive via usb 2.0

Thank you in advance for any help offered! I have a Macbook unibody 5,1. The original hard drive is in it and full at this point (about 1g left). I have purchased a 750GB HD. I have everything backed up on a time capsule via time machine.

I have read about cloning (super duper!, etc) vs time machine restore method for the new hard drive. My question is, since I have an express USB 2.0 and the new hard drive can I do the time machine restore via disk utility and simply put my current hard drive as the source and the destination as the USB hard drive? Then I could simply change out the hard drives once the process is done (will this transfer my files/pics/music as well as OSX 10.6.8 info needed)?

Most of the methods I have read require using my OSX 10.6.3 start up disc to go through the process- disc utility formatting, then installing the OSX, then updating OSX, then using time machine to restore, and possibly going through a process of re-authorizing software agreements, or using SuperDuper! (additional cost for the software) cloning the drive and simply changing out the drives- sounds easier.

2nd, some of the articles I have read mention partitioning the hard drive when formatting and GUID partition, while others just mention formatting it via- erase and format to Mac OS extended (journaled). It doesn't appear I need to do a partition, but thought I would ask.

Basically I would like to get the hard drive all set up, before I even install it into the Macbook. I thought I should be able to do this via the USB 2.0.

Thanks for any help!

(here are some for link I have used, as well as reading in these forums)

How to Transfer Your Data From Your Old Drive to a New Drive

The Secret of the Time Machine-Assisted Hard Drive Swap