ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Best Hard Drive Upgrade for PS3

Updated on January 14, 2015

Update! Top 5 hdd's

There's an excellent top 5 ps3 compatible hdd list with the best reviewed hdd's that are recommended for easy installation, least hassle, and no problems.....like overheating, breaking down and such.


Or check this out if you're after a ps3 external hard drive. The drives range from 500GB to 2tb, with info on drive re formatting, and drives that will be compatible with ps4, seeing as the ps4 will have 3.0 usb ports, not 2.0 like the ps3.

Sony ps3 has come in many memory capacities over the years. The first release models or 2006, now affectionately known as 'fat' or fatboys' came with 20 or 60 gig of memory. A year later, the 80 and 160 gig models were released, as the amount of games and network features for the ps3 platform steadily expanded.

in 2009 Sony released a revamped 'slim' model of the playstation3 which had been re engineered for improved and quiter performance, also using less power. The slim's were available with a 120, 160, 250, and 320 gig Hard Disk Drive to accommodate more memory using features such as Sony PlayTV.

Source

Original HDD's in the PS3

The ps3 originally uses a 2.5" SATA HD 5400 rpm Drive. This is just a common laptop drive, there are no special modifications to make it ps3 exclusive so finding one for an upgrade is easy, they are available in sizes as big as 500, 640 and even 750 gig. That is a lot more memory than current ps3 models have. IDE laptop drives will not work in the ps3 as it has no IDE connection.

  • The drive is internal, so any removed HDD must be replaced with a 2.5" Hard Disk Drive or it simply will not fit inside the console.
  • Trying to use a HDD with higher rpm will not improve performance, some suggestions for better performance include 7400 rpm HDD, but this only forces the ps3 to work harder, causing it to run hotter, use more power, and possibly could lead to YLOD.
  • Using a higher RPM drive will not increase performance, and will not make your games load faster.
  • Repeat...Using a higher RPM drive will NOT increase performance!

Also, the ps3 runs on a SATA-1 connection, not SATA-2, if you buy a SATA-2 drive make sure it is backward compatible to SATA-1, significant lag and stutter problems seem to arise from those trying to use SATA-2 connections.

It has been mentioned that there is a risk of stripping the screws that hold the drive, a #1 phillips screwdriver is recommended over a #2.

The ps3 'fat' and 'slim' models both use the same spec Hard Disk Drive making compatibility across the ps3 range very uniform.

Why Upgrade Your HDD?

There are many reasons for wanting to replace your ps3 Hard Disk Drive. It may be that your current drive is burnt out/fried, or you may be looking for a ps3 HDD upgrade to increase your memory. Whatever the reason, Sony has made it super easy to do yourself. Upgrading your HDD will not void your warranty, as you do not have to open the console to replace it. Sony also has instructions in the ps3 manual and a customer service hotline with advice for those wishing to upgrade their own HDD and actively encourages consumers to get the best out of their gaming consoles.

Recommended Brands

The most recommended HDD brands by gamers are Western Digital and Seagate. Seagate supply most of the standard hard drives in the consoles.

Sticking to the specs that the manufacturers themselves use is always the best advice seeing as they are part of the original build. If you are in need of more memory you can always go for an external Hard Disk Drive.


working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)