[quote name='SnoT']
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148374
I'd rather get a faster HD with slighly less space?
500gb 7200rpm 16mb cache.[/QUOTE]
What I've heard is that a 7200 rpm hdd barely makes a difference for most things:
http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/138288/7200rpm-vs-5400rpm-does-ps3-hard-drive-speed-matter/
[quote name='token2k6']I really need to take the plunge, but still scared! I have about 5 pages bookmarked with tips and tricks, but for some reason not sure if the backup process will work properly, etc. etc. I've thought about trying to just look out for saved game data and re-download everything else..I can put together a computer in 45 mins, i don't know why I think i can't do this..[/QUOTE]
It's fairly simple. If you do know your way around computers a decent bit, I think the only things you might run into are:
1. Whatever drive you're using to back up your PS3 needs to be FAT32 - if you're using Windows XP, it won't create FAT32 partitions larger than 32GB. Thus, you may need something like
Parted Magic to format it.
Just as a sidenote, since the file size limitation on FAT32 is 4GB, the PS3 backup utility automatically splits all your data into multiple 4GB chunks...I was personally wondering how that would work beforehand, and found out after looking at the backed up data from a computer.
2. I know everyone was saying the screws strip really easily, and I was thinking, "it can't be that bad, right?" Well, they really do strip really easily. I actually was doing fine until my last screw, which started to strip...and I was like "oh crap, not good, not good." I actually used a larger screwdriver to get it out - I guess you can apply more torque with a bigger screwdriver, which helps. I'd tell you to push hard against the screw to try to prevent it from stripping.