PS3 HDD Upgrade Tutorial(now includes PS3 Slim!)

  • Thread starter nick09
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Needed a bigger disk for my laptop so decided to use the old one (160GB) to upgrade my original 40 GB PS3 and prepare myself for GT5.

(my 40GB disk was 99% filled, I was getting a message that I had less than 500 MB of disk space available)


All went smoothly, and this thread was a very useful read to clear out a few doubts/fears I previously had. So, thank you nick09! 👍

PS - Note to mods: considering GT5's release, what it requires of HDD space and the usefulness - to fans - of the info contained in this thread, I suggest it gets stickied. I got to it because I already knew it existed but many casual forumers probably don't. Cheers
 
Bikerz
Whats the fastest drive to buy that will work? Do the SSD's work? Any 2.5" any size GB wise work?
Click to expand...

I think up 750GB 2.5 inch HD should be fine, 9.5mm thick, but you can't buy really large HD in 2.5 inch format, 1TB is the limit I think.


For SSD and 7200rpm drives see link for comparisons between different HD types
http://boardsus.playstation.com/t5/...son-HDD-vs-SSD-New-and-Improved/td-p/43584590

I think SSD will make a big difference with GT5 due to all the mass of files and loading
 
Yeah 750GB is the limit for the PS3 because of the drive's physical thickness. You can't use 1TB because the drives have an 12.5mm thickness while the 750GB and most lower sized drives have an 9.5mm thickness.

This drive is a new 750GB that just arrived on newegg. It has an rpm of 7200 and an cache size of 16mb(this is important because it helps transfer larger files quicker than with an 8mb cache).

I would keep away from SSD's for now since 64GB still costs more than the 750GB hard drive that I linked to above. For now, SSD's has better use in computers and speeds on the ps3 would not get much faster. So I don't think it's worth the money for now.
 
Couple of questions to make sure I understand?
1)so I need 2 HDD (external and internal)?
2)How much does it cost (say 350-500gb)?(really short on money :D)

Thanks in advance.
 
You need a external hdd to backup the data(just get a cheap one that is about the same size as your PS3's current hard drive). Now for an internal hard drive for the PS3 I would recommend this one. I don't know any electrics retailers in Egypt so you will have to look that up.
 
nick09
You need a external hdd to backup the data(just get a cheap one that is about the same size as your PS3's current hard drive). Now for an internal hard drive for the PS3 I would recommend this one. I don't know any electrics retailers in Egypt so you will have to look that up.
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Thanks alot Nick for your help 👍
 
nick09
You need a external hdd to backup the data(just get a cheap one that is about the same size as your PS3's current hard drive). Now for an internal hard drive for the PS3 I would recommend this one. I don't know any electrics retailers in Egypt so you will have to look that up.
Click to expand...

Will Windows format a HD larger than a 32GB partition in FAT32? I heard it won't, so how do I back up my 120GB slim HD with 50GB free? I'm reading though this thead but haven't found that discussed yet. It will probably be thext post I read.
 
nick09
Try one of these options. My 1TB external came fat32 formatted so I never had to do any formatting.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, although that still might not work according to the comments:

"after near 2 hours format of a 1TB external HDD in DOS promt, computer promted awfuly: Volume is too high for FAT32 !!"

"Tried the Swissknife option ? each time i click on the USB H: (External drive in question), the program crashes ?
mine is 160 GB hard disk extrenal ? command prompt still told me it is too big !!!" -and there are more....

So I guess I could buy a new HD for my PS3, and have no way to back up my PS3 HD, so no way to install new HD (using what I have as a backup HD that is).

Makes me wonder if I should even risk it. I may be stuck with an $80 paper weight. I definitely don't want to lose my GT5 game save and all the pics/ vids I have on my PS3 just to upgrade the HD.



_
 
With the cmd option, the X: letter is where you should type your drive letter. I have done this method with a flash drive and it works. You should be able to format the hard drive to fat32 as I do know fat32 does support up to 1tb drives.
 
I have an external 1,5 TB drive, but wasn't compatible with FAT32 formatting. So, because my poor old 40 GB was no more an option (GT5 was a few days away), and after I understood that the HDD only stores game data, music, videos, pictures, but NOT your users, system software or even the firmware version ... I didn't do any external backup and just took the 40 GB disk off with great care, installed the new and after I re-downloaded all the PSN stuff I had previously, I was ready to go.
 
nick09
Honestly, windows should properly support FAT32 formatting.
Click to expand...

I'm just about to take my 1TB HD in an enclosure that's hooked up to my DVR and plug it into my PC to try to format it into FAT32. It has eSATA and USB connectivity, so if I can format it, I will be able to use it to back up my PS3 120GB HD. Then the switch-over to the new 500GB 2.5" drive should be straightforward. I just hope I am able to get it formatted to FAT32. I'll know soon enough.. using a PC with Windows 7 64bit. I hope all goes well.
 
Drillah
This program worked for me. Took only a few seconds to format a 120 gig ide drive I used to backup my PS3 before upgrade.
http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?fat32format.htm

Just be sure you're selecting the correct drive because it does not ask you "You sure you want to format this drive"...it just does it when you click OK.
Click to expand...

I just used this and it worked. I have a 1TB HD sitting next to me now. Now I will go hook it up to my PS3 slim 120GB via USB and back up my stuff, then install my new 500GB drive. This program works, but it is dangerous. You definitely want to double check before you click to proceed with format. thanks for posting this.
 
Will this be the same as the SDD install? I want to upgrade my 600GB (originally 750GB, I don't know what happened to the other 150GB..) to the 160GB SDD. Do you guys think it's worth it?
 
It would definitively be worth it since SSD's are starting to get lower in price. This topic is is a good reference of an 5400rpm HDD vs SSD and read the comments.
 
nick09
It would definitively be worth it since SSD's are starting to get lower in price. This topic is is a good reference of an 5400rpm HDD vs SSD and read the comments.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I didn't have time to read all the comments! The only downside to the SDD is that the highest capacity I found was the 160GB and I am afraid that it won't hold all my pictures, movies, and music.
 
Backed up all the data, took 1 hr, 20 min or so.. Now time to install the 500GB 7200 rpm 2.5" drive. Hope it's going to be a little bit faster than the 120GB 5200 rpm drive. GT5 has a lot of loading while navigating the menus.
 
Revelation1115
Sorry, I didn't have time to read all the comments! The only downside to the SDD is that the highest capacity I found was the 160GB and I am afraid that it won't hold all my pictures, movies, and music.
Click to expand...

Well read Toronado's posts. He has a little reference for 7200RPM HDD, so you can compare that to SSD's and see if it really is worth the extra money. If you go for the SSD route then you can get an external enclosure for your old hard drive and keep most of your media on the external.
 
WTF SONY!?!?!? Why the hell won't my PS3 read the damn USB stick with the update on it?

EDIT----

it finally worked..
 
Last edited:
Hi,

I recently upgraded my PS3 with a SSD and am loving the significantly decreased load times in GT5. I am using a Crucial drive, highly recommended but not cheap.

I just wanted to share my upgrade experience because I encountered two things not mentioned in the original post.

1) Get a copy of the latest firmware from the Sony Support Website and have it available on a flash drive. After I restarted the PS3 with the new empty drive installed I was prompted to provide the firmware on external media. This was required to restore the system and format the new drive. Even though I was expecting the drive to be formatted automatically on restart this extra step was simple enough so no need to panic. (I see others have mentioned this in the thread, just reiterating)

2) After restoring my backup I loaded GT5 and noticed I was missing all of my downloaded content (chrome line cars) that came with the collectors edition. I exited the game, went to the PlayStation Network Settings, and checked my activation status for "Game". Even though my system said 'Activated' I decided to deactivate, then reactivate. I loaded GT5 again and was notified that my downloaded content was now available. Unfortunately I lost all of the upgrades I had purchased for these cars, but at least I have them back. (Disclaimer: While this worked for me, I take no responsibility for what might happen when you deactivate/reactivate - just passing along the info.)

Hope this helps someone,

-N
 
DareDevyl
1) Get a copy of the latest firmware from the Sony Support Website and have it available on a flash drive. After I restarted the PS3 with the new empty drive installed I was prompted to provide the firmware on external media. This was required to restore the system and format the new drive. Even though I was expecting the drive to be formatted automatically on restart this extra step was simple enough so no need to panic. (I see others have mentioned this in the thread, just reiterating)
Click to expand...
This step still confuses me. I've helped upgrade the hard drives on two different PS3s (my CECHA to a 320GB 7200RPM drive, and my friend's CECHL to a 500GB 7200RPM drive a few months later) and neither time we had to do this.
 
Toronado
This step still confuses me. I've helped upgrade the hard drives on two different PS3s (my CECHA to a 320GB 7200RPM drive, and my friend's CECHL to a 500GB 7200RPM drive a few months later) and neither time we had to do this.
Click to expand...

I had to. Maybe it has something to do with the latest PS3 updates.. and with older versions you didn't have to do that step.
 
Thanks for the guide nick09 👍

My ps3 is currently finishing its restore backup. 40GB to 320GB, excellent! I can finally stop uninstalling games to make way for new ones :)
 

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