Upgrading a PS3 Harddrive how easy?? - Blu-ray Forum

Blu-Boy in BKK · 04-28-2008, 05:35 AM

I've noticed some of you guys have installed larger hard drives in your PS3/s. How easy is this to do and what exactly needs to be done after the replacement is done. I have a 60 gig model and was looking to upgrade to 500- 750 Gig as they are very cheap here in Bangkok, Thailand. Is thare a particular size/ speed i should look out for? Thanks in advance..

iNCREDiPiNOY · 04-28-2008, 05:46 AM

PS3 use 2.5" laptop size and support unlimited HDD storage. All you have to do is unscrew the nut bold (Should be behind the black sticker). Flick it and pull the lever slowly. Remove the HDD out of the tray. Now you can replace with any HDD that support SATA, not the IDE.

syncguy · 04-28-2008, 07:52 AM

I haven't done this but have read about the experience of other people which is positive. You should be able to do this easily (as explained in the previous post) if you are knowledgeable with PC and hard drives. Just be careful with heat. If the new HDD generates significantly higher amount of heat than the original, that could create issues.

owa · 04-28-2008, 09:47 AM

It's really easy. The only issue I had was getting the screws out of the drive cage. I ended up stripping 3 out of 4 but was able to use a pair of pliers to get the stripped screws out. So, make sure you use a screwdriver that fits it well. Mine didn't so even though I was trying to be careful, I still stripped them.

I swapped the 60 gig drive for a 250 gig drive. There might a be limit on the size of the drive it'll recognize so you might want to double-check on that before getting something over 500+ gig. I think at one point Sony recommended 320 gig or less (but don't take my word on that).

I ended up staying with a 5400 rpm drive since the one in the PS3 is 5400 rpm. The 7200 rpm drives don't seem to make a huge difference but are a little faster (usually less than 10% though).

Backup your drive to an external USB hard drive first (or if you don't have much on it, a thumbdrive/flash drive) using the backup utility. Swap the drive, it'll format it and then use the backup utility to restore the contents. It saves/restores your settings, game saves, etc.

Marine Mike · 04-28-2008, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by owa

It's really easy. The only issue I had was getting the screws out of the drive cage. I ended up stripping 3 out of 4 but was able to use a pair of pliers to get the stripped screws out. So, make sure you use a screwdriver that fits it well. Mine didn't so even though I was trying to be careful, I still stripped them.

I swapped the 60 gig drive for a 250 gig drive. There might a be limit on the size of the drive it'll recognize so you might want to double-check on that before getting something over 500+ gig. I think at one point Sony recommended 320 gig or less (but don't take my word on that).

I ended up staying with a 5400 rpm drive since the one in the PS3 is 5400 rpm. The 7200 rpm drives don't seem to make a huge difference but are a little faster (usually less than 10% though).

Backup your drive to an external USB hard drive first (or if you don't have much on it, a thumbdrive/flash drive) using the backup utility. Swap the drive, it'll format it and then use the backup utility to restore the contents. It saves/restores your settings, game saves, etc.

+1

Also its not as difficult as installing Linux onto it as well, which I decided to do one day and went to bed around 3am after driving to Wallmart 2 times to get a keyboard that would be compatible.

Zman2k2 · 04-28-2008, 03:19 PM

Here's a great link with step-by-step instructions, as well as HDD recommendations for upgrading.

http://boardsus.playstation.com/play...cending&page=1

jon s · 04-28-2008, 03:45 PM

The PS3 accepts SATA 2.5" HDD. The biggest one that will fit is 320GB from Western Digital. There is a 500GB HDD available (from SamSung??) but the 500GB is thicker than normal and may not fit. Installation is easy but the retaining screw is a ***** to remove and is easy to strip, so make sure you have a properly sized screwdriver...

CptGreedle · 04-28-2008, 04:22 PM

Doubt you can get 750GB. Only because it has to be a 2.5" internal drive and the largest I have seen is only 250GB. Still, I put a 160GB in mine and I have tons of room to spare. Plus it is really easy to share/stream files from my mac and move files around with a USB drive and flash drives.
It was easy to put in the new drive, but the only thing I suggest is to be warned about the screws. The drive is screwed into a metal casing required to put the drive into place. The screws they use are WAY WAY WAY too tight to get them off without stripping them. So be very very very careful about not stripping these screws, buy some spare screws, AND (most important) learn to use a wrench or pliers or "Robogrip" or something like that to unscrew these. Once they are stripped the only way to get them out is to use some kind of gripping tool. Don't worry about scratching the casing, it is not there for looks, as long as you don't break anything.
Make sure you put the screws back in snugly, but not "tightly" cause the screws could strip again when/if you switch out the new drive in the future.
Besides the screw issue, it was very easy.

GOOD LUCK.

WickyWoo · 04-28-2008, 05:25 PM

You're better off investing in an enclosure for desktop hard drivesif you want to upgrade. 3.5" drives are far cheaper and more reliable per GB, and you don't have the space limitations

invictus · 04-28-2008, 05:43 PM

...as pie.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/...drive-upgrade/

iNCREDiPiNOY · 04-28-2008, 05:49 PM

Quote:

...as pie.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/...drive-upgrade/

Quote:

No matter which model of the PLAYSTATION 3 you’ve got - 20GB, 40GB, 60GB, or 80GB - music, video, and gaming download fiends will find a way to fill up their hard disk drive. Fortunately, the PS3 doesn’t require some hard-to-find proprietary HDD - you can swap it out yourself with the kind of drive found at most electronics retailers and on the internet.

Rather than spell out the intimate, step-by-step instructions right here, I found that the fine folks at CNET put together a pretty awesome tutorial.

The type of internal 2.5″ drives that work with the PS3 top out at about 250gb. So if you’re looking for more storage and/or don’t wanna bother with opening up your box, 500gb external USB drives are also readily available.

Fixed.

HD_Maniac · 04-29-2008, 02:13 AM

I am going to replace my 40G to 250G pretty soon by using WD Scorpio 2.5-inch SATA...Thanks U Guys for the informtion.

DeathByAsh'aman · 04-29-2008, 03:47 AM

The biggest 2.5" ive seen is a 320 gb and its the one that i put in my ps3. I have never had any problems with it and the drive is already 2/3 used. I used to have an external HDD but the USB had to be attached through the front which i didnt like.

For the hard to get out screws i just held my screwdriver with a pair of pliers so i could get more torque. There's a thread here in the ps3 section that i used. it should have all the info you need.

iNCREDiPiNOY · 04-29-2008, 07:47 AM

Please don't use the driller, which causes to damage the HDD & PS3 of course.

04-28-2008, 05:35 AM	#1
Blu-Boy in BKK Blu-ray Guru Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Staines-upon-Thames: UK Blu-ray collection:427 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:11	Upgrading a PS3 Harddrive how easy?? I've noticed some of you guys have installed larger hard drives in your PS3/s. How easy is this to do and what exactly needs to be done after the replacement is done. I have a 60 gig model and was looking to upgrade to 500- 750 Gig as they are very cheap here in Bangkok, Thailand. Is thare a particular size/ speed i should look out for? Thanks in advance..

04-28-2008, 09:47 AM	#4
owa Blu-ray Knight Member since:Apr 2007 Blu-ray reviews: 96	It's really easy. The only issue I had was getting the screws out of the drive cage. I ended up stripping 3 out of 4 but was able to use a pair of pliers to get the stripped screws out. So, make sure you use a screwdriver that fits it well. Mine didn't so even though I was trying to be careful, I still stripped them. I swapped the 60 gig drive for a 250 gig drive. There might a be limit on the size of the drive it'll recognize so you might want to double-check on that before getting something over 500+ gig. I think at one point Sony recommended 320 gig or less (but don't take my word on that). I ended up staying with a 5400 rpm drive since the one in the PS3 is 5400 rpm. The 7200 rpm drives don't seem to make a huge difference but are a little faster (usually less than 10% though). Backup your drive to an external USB hard drive first (or if you don't have much on it, a thumbdrive/flash drive) using the backup utility. Swap the drive, it'll format it and then use the backup utility to restore the contents. It saves/restores your settings, game saves, etc. Last edited by owa; 04-28-2008 at 09:50 AM.

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04-28-2008, 05:46 AM	#2
iNCREDiPiNOY Banned Member since:Aug 2007 Location:NoHo, Cali PSN:iNCREDiPiNOY Wii:6379344902430379 Blu-ray collection:143 Trading Score:16	PS3 use 2.5" laptop size and support unlimited HDD storage. All you have to do is unscrew the nut bold (Should be behind the black sticker). Flick it and pull the lever slowly. Remove the HDD out of the tray. Now you can replace with any HDD that support SATA, not the IDE.

04-28-2008, 07:52 AM	#3
syncguy Blu-ray Guru Member since:Mar 2008	I haven't done this but have read about the experience of other people which is positive. You should be able to do this easily (as explained in the previous post) if you are knowledgeable with PC and hard drives. Just be careful with heat. If the new HDD generates significantly higher amount of heat than the original, that could create issues.

04-28-2008, 03:19 PM	#6
Zman2k2 Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Calgary, Canada Home Theater Gallery:5 Blu-ray collection:136 Trading Score:54	Here's a great link with step-by-step instructions, as well as HDD recommendations for upgrading. http://boardsus.playstation.com/play...cending&page=1

04-28-2008, 03:45 PM	#7
jon s Active Member Member since:May 2007 Blu-ray reviews:3	The PS3 accepts SATA 2.5" HDD. The biggest one that will fit is 320GB from Western Digital. There is a 500GB HDD available (from SamSung??) but the 500GB is thicker than normal and may not fit. Installation is easy but the retaining screw is a ***** to remove and is easy to strip, so make sure you have a properly sized screwdriver...

04-28-2008, 04:22 PM	#8
CptGreedle Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Sworn super-hero now services Atlanta (and suburbs). Blu-ray collection:128 Blu-ray reviews:5	Doubt you can get 750GB. Only because it has to be a 2.5" internal drive and the largest I have seen is only 250GB. Still, I put a 160GB in mine and I have tons of room to spare. Plus it is really easy to share/stream files from my mac and move files around with a USB drive and flash drives. It was easy to put in the new drive, but the only thing I suggest is to be warned about the screws. The drive is screwed into a metal casing required to put the drive into place. The screws they use are WAY WAY WAY too tight to get them off without stripping them. So be very very very careful about not stripping these screws, buy some spare screws, AND (most important) learn to use a wrench or pliers or "Robogrip" or something like that to unscrew these. Once they are stripped the only way to get them out is to use some kind of gripping tool. Don't worry about scratching the casing, it is not there for looks, as long as you don't break anything. Make sure you put the screws back in snugly, but not "tightly" cause the screws could strip again when/if you switch out the new drive in the future. Besides the screw issue, it was very easy. GOOD LUCK.

04-28-2008, 05:25 PM	#9
WickyWoo Blu-ray Champion Member since:May 2007 Trading Score:2	You're better off investing in an enclosure for desktop hard drivesif you want to upgrade. 3.5" drives are far cheaper and more reliable per GB, and you don't have the space limitations

04-28-2008, 05:43 PM	#10
invictus Member Member since:May 2007	...as pie. http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/...drive-upgrade/

04-29-2008, 02:13 AM	#12
HD_Maniac Junior Member Member since:Apr 2008	I am going to replace my 40G to 250G pretty soon by using WD Scorpio 2.5-inch SATA...Thanks U Guys for the informtion.

04-29-2008, 03:47 AM	#13
DeathByAsh'aman Expert Member Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Out West PSNetwork: DanceTheSpears	The biggest 2.5" ive seen is a 320 gb and its the one that i put in my ps3. I have never had any problems with it and the drive is already 2/3 used. I used to have an external HDD but the USB had to be attached through the front which i didnt like. For the hard to get out screws i just held my screwdriver with a pair of pliers so i could get more torque. There's a thread here in the ps3 section that i used. it should have all the info you need.

04-29-2008, 07:47 AM	#14
iNCREDiPiNOY Banned Member since:Aug 2007 Location:NoHo, Cali PSN:iNCREDiPiNOY Wii:6379344902430379 Blu-ray collection:143 Trading Score:16	Please don't use the driller, which causes to damage the HDD & PS3 of course.

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