PS3 hardrive advice

[BUSCUIT28]

Howdy folks. I'm going to try and not sound like an idiot as much as possible as I've actually been a member of the site for a pretty long time, but never posted. I will also apologize right now because this post will likely be pretty long, but I am really hoping I can get some meaningful feedback here. That being said, down to business...

The gist: I have a 40gb PS3 and I am out of space. What should I do next?

I downloaded the 2012 GT Academy demo recently, only to have my PS3 yell at me and tell me it's out of space. I have the demo, but can't install it. I deleted as much stuff as I could/wanted to, but I still don't have enough. Moreover, the recent GT5 update ensures I won't have enough space. It seems that GT5 and GTA (4 and EFLC) all take up the entirety of my HD. Basically, I need more space.

Here's where I am looking for advice; should I:
1. Install a new, bigger HD on my PS3
2. Buy a new PS3 (160gb likely)

Now yes, anyone can stand back and say "this is a dumb question, figure it out for yourself" but there's a little more to it than that, hence why I am bothering to post this.

If I install a newer drive, should I:
1. Get a standard drive
2. Get a Solid State Drive

Also, has anyone done a drive swap? I've heard from some people it's easy, and others say its very difficult.

The other option is to get a new PS3. On the face of things, this sounds the easiest. Especially given that Gamestop is offering $150 for my PS3 (which I think is the best I can hope for). The only reason I haven't just done this is because I am very intrigued by the idea of a SSD. If anyone has input on that, it would be greatly appreciated.

But here is the brass tax, the main issue. Information and game saves. What's the easiest way to move my information to my new drive/PS3? From what I have read, the only options are either linking a PS3 to another, or buying PSN online storage. If I have my PS3 in pieces (ala drive swap) or I buy a new PS3 (ala trade-in), then I will have no way of linking with another PS3, so this is another area I was looking for help with.

I'll break this down into an outline for summary:

I. PS3 out of space
__1. Install a new Hard Drive
____a. Bigger, standard drive
____b. Solid State Drive
____c. Difficulty?
__2. Buy a new PS3
__3. Storage transfer
____a. PS3 link-up
____b. PSN online storage
____c. Other?

So that's my dilemma. Again, I would really appreciate feedback, and I have to make this decision before GT Academy ends or it'll be a waste of time. Thank you for reading.

 

[Sanji Himura]

Your question is two pronged, selling a 40GB PS3 or Expanding capacity. I'll tackle the selling bit first.

Gamestop and other trade in services such as pawn shops generally low ball the value of the product the further out since its release and sell them at inflated costs. For example, a copy of Street Fighter cross Tekken purchased at release at $59.99(plus appropriate taxes) devalues to around $44.00 thirty days out. Gamestop buys the used copies and sells them at 10% off the price of a new copy. That is an inflated value of pure profit for GameStop of $10 a copy. Today, at 63 days out, Gamestop values the same game at $22.00.

The point to all of it is that even though you will legitimately pocket $150, you will ultimately loose out in the end because Gamestop will inflate the price of the used PS3 when refurbished.

Extending Capacity is a recommended step that a lot of gamers, including myself, have undertaken to expand capacity of your PS3. This process requires two HDDs, an external and an internal. Now a days, you can stuff a 1TB HDD into your PS3 without any trouble, but I still recommend that 750 GB is the proper size if you want to do anything useful with your PS3.

The reason why I recommend two HDD when expanding capacity is that you will need the external for the Backup and restore feature, which, even though it may take a while through the process, is the best way to carry content, including patches, over to the new HDD. I do not recommend Solid state drives mainly because they do not have the capacity as standard drives, the last I checked on the technology.

 

[sesselpupser]

750GB! Have drives become seriously dirt cheap lately? I swapped my 60GB in my Fat PS3 for a 320GB and never came close to filling it, then when that PS3 died I got a 160GB slim replacement. Admittedly I have very few disc games' data on there but I have a fair number of PSN and PS1 games installed, some music and some photos, and I've not checked maybe ever but I've never maxed it out. Coming from a 40GB as you are I imagine 320GB would give you a lot of leg room, and don't forget that you can stream media from your PC should you wish to watch stuff or play music on it, which will save a lot of space. If you're like me and use your PS3 for one or two big games and little else, though, 160GB will do fine.

As for backing up your data, your actual game saves are the most important thing. You have two options: copy all your individual saves onto a USB flash drive, or back the whole lot up to an external hard drive, which will not be expensive unless you buy a big drive for general use; a 60-120GB external drive has to be cheap, surely? I got a 2TB internal drive for £70 two years ago and a 1TB external for the same price four years back, so I imagine small drives are pretty cheap now. Anyway, your PS3 has a backup feature, use that to copy data from your existing drive, swap the old drive for a new one and copy the data from the external drive, easy. It's worth making a backup of your saves on a USB stick anyway, just to be safe.

As for the actual swap procedure, it's simple in theory (only five screws involved) but I struggled a little; the screws were extremely tight and difficult to undo with a precision #00 screwdriver, as such I mangled the heads in seconds. My solution was to get a hacksaw and cut slots in each screw, then get a huge flat screwdriver and undo them that way, it worked fine.

 

[II-zOoLoGy-II]

Install a larger mechanical hard drive (solid states are still expensive and you're not going to see a performance increase in a ps3) or use an external USB drive. I have seen 1 TB hard drives going for $100 or less. You could pick one of these up and use it for a very, very long time.

500 GB WD 2.5" for $90 with free adaptor. I am personally partial to WD but you can find The same size drives or larger from other manufacturers for less.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136856

500 GB should be plenty enough to get you through until the PS4. However, there are some things you need to consider with the PS4. You could go ahead and invest in a SSD if you plan on going big enough ( 250 GB+) so that you can install it in the PS4. Like I said though, SSD's are still expensive. Like all tech the price will continue to go down into the future. You could also spend the extra money and get a drive that is sata 6 GB/s. But, this is a gamble considering that we don't even know if the PS4 will be compatible with this. Regardless, if you upgrade the drive it will be easier to sell the ps3 when you're ready to get the ps4.

Also, here is a walkthrough:

http://www.gamespot.com/features/how-to-upgrade-your-playstation-3-hard-drive-6176090/

 

[BUSCUIT28]

Thanks a ton for the feedback guys. Let me just clear one thing up though.
I don't need a lot of space. I specifically bought my PS3 to play GTA and GT. I don't watch movies on it (except owned Blu-rays), I don't use it for music, or pics or any of that. Just games. I mean, I do have some music on it, but I put them on there for the specific purpose of playing in GT.

I also didn't know that all my info could be backed-up so easily, so that's pretty nice. I figured they would be move protected (like a majority of Wii saves if any of you are familiar with them).

The general consensus here is to replace the drive, and not the system, but I am curious because if I do replace my system, I get a Slim. Basically, is the Slim better in any significant way to the Fat PS3? And if I do decide to get a new PS3, will the only things I have to move over my save files/pics/music?

The point to all of it is that even though you will legitimately pocket $150, you will ultimately loose out in the end because Gamestop will inflate the price of the used PS3 when refurbished.

I am aware of the monetary loss, but the way I see it, the $150 is the best I could hope for. A best case scenario if you will. I could try and sell the PS3 on my own, but that would take forever.

As for backing up your data, your actual game saves are the most important thing. You have two options: copy all your individual saves onto a USB flash drive, or back the whole lot up to an external hard drive, which will not be expensive unless you buy a big drive for general use; a 60-120GB external drive has to be cheap, surely? I got a 2TB internal drive for £70 two years ago and a 1TB external for the same price four years back, so I imagine small drives are pretty cheap now.

As for the actual swap procedure, it's simple in theory (only five screws involved) but I struggled a little; the screws were extremely tight and difficult to undo with a precision #00 screwdriver, as such I mangled the heads in seconds. My solution was to get a hacksaw and cut slots in each screw, then get a huge flat screwdriver and undo them that way, it worked fine.

Yea, I should definitely back-up my saves regardless. I've got a 16gb USB. I'm not against getting an external, but do you think it would work if I save the info in chunks?

As for screwdrivers, I am a tractor mechanic, so I have a ton of tools. I'm not worried about that.

Install a larger mechanical hard drive (solid states are still expensive and you're not going to see a performance increase in a ps3) or use an external USB drive.

500 GB WD 2.5" for $90 with free adaptor. I am personally partial to WD but you can find The same size drives or larger from other manufacturers for less.

500 GB should be plenty enough to get you through until the PS4. However, there are some things you need to consider with the PS4. You could go ahead and invest in a SSD if you plan on going big enough ( 250 GB+) so that you can install it in the PS4. Like I said though, SSD's are still expensive. Like all tech the price will continue to go down into the future. You could also spend the extra money and get a drive that is sata 6 GB/s. But, this is a gamble considering that we don't even know if the PS4 will be compatible with this. Regardless, if you upgrade the drive it will be easier to sell the ps3 when you're ready to get the ps4.

So basically, you're saying that a new drive will be faster than the stock PS3 drive? Because that would certainly be nice. I am also partial to WD so that's not an issue. I installed a Caviar Black 1TB in my current computer last year. I just figured that, given the GTP comparison I linked, the SSD would be something to look into.

That being said, and what I said way about about not needing much space, couldn't I theoretically save money and get just as good a drive, but in a cheaper package? I think a 160gb is really all I need. I'm also not really worried enough to think about the PS4.

 

[nick09]

It's simple. Use the PS3's backup utility to make an image of your 40GB drive, take the 40GB drive out, put new 320GB HDD in(really don't need much), format, and then go back to the utility to restore that image to the new hard drive. It's a painless process and you should not over-complicate it. I got the whole process here in an easy to read format. Just stick with a regular 320GB-500GB 5400RPM hard drive and you are good to go. The extra cost for a 7200RPM drive is not worth the money.

 

[SirDrexl]

That being said, and what I said way about about not needing much space, couldn't I theoretically save money and get just as good a drive, but in a cheaper package? I think a 160gb is really all I need. I'm also not really worried enough to think about the PS4.

What do you want to do with your PS3? I think the ones suggesting lots of space are assuming you may load it up with media like videos and music. If you don't plan on doing that, something around 250GB (or even less) should be enough. It also depends on how many retail games you have installed, how many PSN games you have, etc.

I'll say this: having been the victim of the YLOD, I'd be nervous about having a 40GB PS3 in 2012. Yours must be, what, 5 years old by now? My launch unit went out nearly 3 years ago. I'm sure that some will say that their systems are working just fine, but I'd still be nervous enough to at least think about getting a new one. Keep in mind that you would also get a new controller which goes for $40-50 on its own.

At least the hard drive prices finally are coming down again after last year's flooding. But, don't do anything until after E3; there are rumors of a price drop, and if it falls to $200, I'd definitely get a new system.

 

[nick09]

He can also take his system apart and change the thermal paste. My 60GB PS3 still works after I changed mine.

 

[BUSCUIT28]

What do you want to do with your PS3? I think the ones suggesting lots of space are assuming you may load it up with media like videos and music. If you don't plan on doing that, something around 250GB (or even less) should be enough. It also depends on how many retail games you have installed, how many PSN games you have, etc.

I'll say this: having been the victim of the YLOD, I'd be nervous about having a 40GB PS3 in 2012. Yours must be, what, 5 years old by now? My launch unit went out nearly 3 years ago. I'm sure that some will say that their systems are working just fine, but I'd still be nervous enough to at least think about getting a new one. Keep in mind that you would also get a new controller which goes for $40-50 on its own.

I think I mentioned it in one of my posts, but all I do is game on it. If I do watch a movie, its a Blu-ray disc. I am old school and prefer to have the movie/game in my hands. I do not like digital downloads. That's why I am pretty sure I don't need a giant drive.

I got my system shortly before GTA4 came out, so that's about 4 years. From what I have read, the YLOD is mainly an issue with 60gb launch systems. However, I've done some math on this:
New HD = very roughly $50
New console = $250 - $150 trade-in = $100
Also, the new console comes with a DS3 which I don't have...

 

[nick09]

But will it be worth it not being able to play your PS2 games?

 

[Tornado]

YLoD befalls the first generation (60/20/80GB) and second generation models (40GB) pretty much equally (the former because they run so hot, the latter because they weren't very well designed in regards to ventilation in comparison to the first models).

Honestly, you'd probably be better off picking up a Slim these days if you want to just get a small-ish hard drive. You don't lose anything in regards to features, they run a lot quieter and you'll have peace of mind. If you pick up a used one, you can also save quite a bit of money on top of that.

 

[BUSCUIT28]

But will it be worth it not being able to play your PS2 games?

My 40gb doesn't play PS2 games (or regular DVDs). I have alleviated this by...still having my PS2 hooked-up. Incidentally, it is also a "fat" PS2, though it's one of the later models and works just fine.

YLoD befalls the first generation (60/20/80GB) and second generation models (40GB) pretty much equally (the former because they run so hot, the latter because they weren't very well designed in regards to ventilation in comparison to the first models).

Honestly, you'd probably be better off picking up a Slim these days if you want to just get a small-ish hard drive. You don't lose anything in regards to features, they run a lot quieter and you'll have peace of mind. If you pick up a used one, you can also save quite a bit of money on top of that.

The sound of the PS3 never bothered me, but I do like the extra ventilation. I don't have AC in my house so it can get pretty warm.

On the topic of PS3 reliability, ever since day 1, my 40gb will just beep randomly. No idea why. Just playing a game or watching a movie and then BEEEEEEEEEP. Nothing happens. No errors, the system works fine, but just a random 2-second beep.

 

[nick09]

Yeah I forgotten that the 40GB model does not have the emulation or the PS2 chip. Though my PS3 has been reliable as ever since day one. I changed the hard drive within the first year and changed the thermal paste two years after that. I really noticed the change in the heat it produced was a lot less where the power cable was located. It's just really a tight enclosure with a power supply above the motherboard for the CPU and GPU. If you enjoy a bit of DIY work I'd recommend replacing the hard drive and replacing the thermal paste. ifixit.com has a whole breakdown process just for the 60GB FAT model which is the same as your 40GB but with a PS2 chip. Only thing I have to suggest is to have at least have a 2ftx8ft surface to lay parts down in order so you know what goes where.

I wouldn't be able to explain your random beep sound though. Never ran into the problem myself.

 

[richiem2282]

I have been putting off upgrading my 250GB for long enough. Just downloaded Mafia 2, LA Noire and Motorstorm on PSN+ and I'm down to about 25GB left. Finally got round to buying one after seeing this thread. I ordered this 750GB on NewEgg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136835

Also saw this one online, Its a 1TB, never heard of the company before.

http://www.hipstreetonline.com/ps3-1tb-hard-drive-replacement-kit/

Also, for anyone who needs to format a large external HD to FAT32, here's the program I used for my 1TB backup drive:

http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?guiformat.htm

 

[richiem2282]

Received my 750GB Western Digital(link above) from Newegg, apart from the 8 hrs of backup(180GB) and 8 hrs of restore everything ran smoothly. Also, don't forget to reactivate your system after the new HDD install. Now to get another 6 games from PSN+, Virtua Fighter 5, Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, Just Cause 2, Saints Row 2 and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light... All FREE!!!

 

[BUSCUIT28]

Well, thanks to everyone who offered opinions. I ended up getting the new system.
The newer system fits better into my entertainment center, which also allows for more air flow/cooling. It also comes with a DS3, which I didn't have before, and they even enticed me with a free game. All told, I basically spent about $100 after trade-in, which would have been about the same as the new HD, but this didn't have the labor.

 

[SirDrexl]

I think you made the right choice. BTW, if you happen to have an HDMI 1.3 receiver, note that the slim system will bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA audio, unlike the previous models.

 

[Tyger]

Also, for anyone who needs to format a large external HD to FAT32, here's the program I used for my 1TB backup drive:

http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?guiformat.htm

I need to do a full backup soon also, from my 120GB PS3 internal drive to my 500GB external USB drive (then back to a new larger internal drive). That little program looks handy enough, but, umm, where do I start? From the figures i've just given, in simple terms what would I need to plug in to those fields? I know there are other programs that hold your hand a bit more but I like the apparent simplicity of that.

Also another noob question i've not seen elsewhere, after i've done this I want to go back to using the external drive with my PC. Will I need to reformat it and/or change the partitions back, or does it not really matter?

Cheers in advance!