Unoffical Upgrade your PS3 HDD thread

If you're the owner of the account/know the info. and you're backing up to the SAME console (MAC address, physical hardware) then it's safe to delete all the DLC and just redownload it again after popping the new drive in. In this case there's really no benefit either way of backing it up or deleting then redownloading. As long as you have the account info and keep the account on the system.

If you're redownloading the DLC onto another machine, then you'd be using another one of your 5 activations assuming that machine hasn't been activated before. You should probably ignore this paragraph altogether since it doesn't seem like you're doing this. This is mostly for if you're gamesharing with other people.
 
I recently upgraded my PS3's HDD went with 7200RPM and 32MB cache buffer.

Seriously load times are less than half of what they used to be in MGS4, and Batman Arkham Asylum loads in 5 seconds.
 
The stock HDD that launch PS3s came with was 5400RPM, 8MB cache. I'm not sure if the specs. for the slim and other SKUS have been updated, but technically the PS3 doesn't officially support higher RPMs/buffers, so YMMV if you decide to go with something faster.

Faster drives also end up costing a disproportionate amount more than HDDs of the native specs so really only pick it up if you plan on playing HD media files and what not from it very often and need the read speed.
 
[quote name='PrinnyOtaku']The stock HDD that launch PS3s came with was 5400RPM, 8MB cache. I'm not sure if the specs. for the slim and other SKUS have been updated, but technically the PS3 doesn't officially support higher RPMs/buffers, so YMMV if you decide to go with something faster.

Faster drives also end up costing a disproportionate amount more than HDDs of the native specs so really only pick it up if you plan on playing HD media files and what not from it very often and need the read speed.[/QUOTE]


Trust me It supports it, and so does Linux I have a FAT 80GB PS3 with software BC. And Linux Runs Twice as fast. And the PS3 I can compare with my Buddies slim vs my FAT, My FAT load times are twice as fast as his stock 120 Slim. Not to mention the 2x Bluray drive is slightly faster on the FAT.

Only thing I like about the Slim is how Energy Effcient it is.
 
I did this a while back, and I don't notice any difference in the amount of noise coming from my PS3. It was worth the 99.99 and I suggest to anyone with a 'fat' model PS3 to upgrade, because it's well worth it...and as far as the data backup, I just used a good old 4gb 2.0 usb flashdrive.
 
Just threw in a 250gb seagate. Works great, love the extra space. No noticeable change in speed or noise.

one word of caution. Be patient with the screws when removing the original, I dont know about anyone else, but it can be very easy to strip those screws, they are small and in VERY tight!
 
does the backup utility copy over multiple users? I guess the answer is yes, if the external has enough space for everything, then it is a 1 to 1 copy and everything gets copied over, as if its the same hard drive but with more space?
 
I'm thinking of upgrading to a 320 or 500 Gb (original is a slim 120Gb). Are there are any specific HD models that you could recommend? I've been looking at the WD Scorpio blue and Seagate Momentus (which I belive is actually the one inside some PS3s). Have any of you upgraded to those? What's your experience so far?
 
I picked up a 1 TB hard drive from newegg during black friday for about $90, upgrading was a breeze. I'm not sure if it was worth it since this PS3 has been a nightmare since I got it with it's overheating issues. :/
 
upgrading to a new hard drive probably sometime this week.... basically anyone of the 3, from microcenter

western digital 500gb 5400rpm $59.99 sku 230219
Seagate momentus 500gb 5400rpm $69.99 sku 647719
samsung spinpoint 500gb 7200rpm $49.99..

Leaning towards the samsung, 3 year warranty plus its cheaper
 
I had the Samsung from Newegg, when it works it's awesome, I still have to warranty it through Samsung though. It cut down 20 minutes off my Gran Turismo 5 install and all the reviews I read said the battery life in laptops was the same and the heat was the same as well, which is why I picked it for my PS3. I'd like to give a better review but mine keeps corrupting but otherwise it was great with the exception of being slightly louder when it operates.
 
Ok so I completed the hard drive upgrade on my 60GB PS3 this weekend and here is my experience:

I picked up a 500GB, 5400 RPM, 8MB Cache Western Digital Blue Scorpio from Best Buy a couple of weeks ago when it was on sale and I had a gift card. It is one of the quietest, coolest (as in heat generation), and hopefully great reliability hard drives you can pick up on the market. I read the guides and everything before starting. My two big issues were the big blue screw and one of the screws on the hard drive caddy and dust. These two screws were over-torqued badly when I tried to remove them. I used a #0 Philips screw driver as stated and still stripped that blue screw. Needle-nose pilers worked on removing that blue screw and the other one on the hard drive caddy. Will definitely have to buy another blue screw online.

When I removed the caddy, I could not believe the dust build up inside the hard drive caddy and on the hard drive. I bought the system used last year and it looked pretty dusty when I received it. Initially after I bought the system, I just used a lot of duster and have had no problems with the system overall. But that dust is now stuck on that 60GB hard drive for good. I'm glad I replaced the hard drive when I did before performance issues crept up. Installing the new hard drive was easy and I made sure to not screw the screws back in so tight.

Back-up on the system before took a little over an hour and same went with the restoration. I synced my trophies with PSN and was able to keep my games I received via GameShare. All in all, I'm glad I did the upgrade before anything serious happened to my system. Kinda makes me want to open the actual system itself and give it a thorough cleaning.
 
Need help... I had a 320GB drive in my Launch PS3 that died (YLOD) two days ago. I bought a new slim and am trying to put the 320 in the new ps3. After putting the new drive in it gets to the point where it asks for the up to date firmware and it looks to the USB drive and it gives me error code 8002F225 "Corrupt data" when reading the memory stick. I have tried copying the data on three seperate USB drives and have formattted one FAT and one FAT32. Is anyone else having this problem? Does anyone have any advice?

I have sent Sony an e-mail telling them there is a problem (and I have seen notes in the UK forums that others are having these same problems since the latest firmware update (v3.56))
 
[quote name='bunk22']Does anybody know if the 3.56 fw update affects the hd upgrade on the 40 gig fat model.[/QUOTE]

probably. Use 3.55 for now
 
I can confirm they have updated the 3.56 because I have just upgraded my HDD. You need manually get the update on your ps3 then swap in the new HDD and get a copy of tfhe firmware on a USB.
 
I'm also in the market for a new HDD upgrade. I've been looking at the WD5000BEVT. Now there are reports all over the internet about WD's aggressive head parking mechanism that introduces intermittent pauses to the PS3 as the head has to park/unpark between seconds of inactivity. Has anyone got any experience on this issue to share?

[quote name='theblizzman']I can confirm they have updated the 3.56 because I have just upgraded my HDD. You need manually get the update on your ps3 then swap in the new HDD and get a copy of tfhe firmware on a USB.[/QUOTE]
Are you saying you have to first manually get the 3.56 update on a USB thumb drive and then update the PS3 with it *BEFORE* upgrading your HDD?

So Sony has silently fixed the HDD upgrade glitch in the 3.56 fw?
 
Are you saying you have to first manually get the 3.56 update on a USB thumb drive and then update the PS3 with it *BEFORE* upgrading your HDD?

Here was what worked for me....
1) Manually forced a system update on my PS3 (to the new fixed 3.56)
2) Went online and got a copy of the updated firmware on a USB
3) Put in new drive
4) When it sees the new drive it now asks for firmware (I used a USB)
 
Blizzman - you are correct, although I have never needed step #1. However there are reports that there are issues upgrading hard drives with 3.56. I have done it 4 times utilizing steps 2-4 on different machines.

As for USB drives - are you sure they are formatted FAT and not NTFS? No go with NTFS even if it works with your Windows machine.
 
The only reason I had to force the update today was because I had the bad 3.56 update from last week.

I had two different USB drives (one FAT and the other FAT32) because I was trying anything I could do to try and figure out why my upgrade was not working.
 
When you put a new HDD in your PS3, it will want the same firmware update that you had on your PS3, whether you are still on 3.55 or on the new 3.56. Whereas prior you did not need to update the firmware when replacing with a new drive. I guess this is SONY doing cfw circumvention.
 
So to make sure I'm understanding this right I first need to backup my current hard drive to a FAT32 external, install my new hard drive, put the current firmware on my PS3 using a flash drive, and then do the data restore to get it from the external to the newly installed internal PS3 hard drive? Basically all the normal steps except for the issue with the firmware?

Also, since I bought a Western Digital hard drive I need to use their application to turn off the head parking feature. Can I just pop it in my notebook to do this and then take it out and put it in the PS3? It seems there is trouble trying to do this with an external case.
 
[quote name='Ultimate Matt X']So to make sure I'm understanding this right I first need to backup my current hard drive to a FAT32 external, install my new hard drive, put the current firmware on my PS3 using a flash drive, and then do the data restore to get it from the external to the newly installed internal PS3 hard drive? Basically all the normal steps except for the issue with the firmware?

Also, since I bought a Western Digital hard drive I need to use their application to turn off the head parking feature. Can I just pop it in my notebook to do this and then take it out and put it in the PS3? It seems there is trouble trying to do this with an external case.[/QUOTE]

I think the firmware should stay same when you put the new drive in. You shouldn't have to reinstall it manually if on the right firmware, unless perhaps you had trouble with the latest update. Or at least that is how it worked the 2 times I;ve done mine. Also could be wrong but I thought the WD head parking feature is only for their "Green" HDDs so you may not have to do that depending on the kind you have. Funny thing was to me messing with the screws was the biggest pain. Seems almost too easy to strip the head on them...
 
Thanks for the info. I think I do have to deal with head parking based on what I read, but luckily with the combination of my notebook computer and some boot disc I should be able to just pop it in, disable the feature, and then make it ready for the PS3.
 
Does anyone know if this hard drive will work in a 60GB launch system?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152242

I have already upgraded once before from the 60GB to a 320GB and now I want to get a 1TB drive.

In the item description it mentions:

"1 TB model are 12.5 mm high and may not be compatible with all notebook systems."

Can I assume that this won't fit in a launch 60GB system then?

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks.
 
[quote name='evisto']Does anyone know if this hard drive will work in a 60GB launch system?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152242

I have already upgraded once before from the 60GB to a 320GB and now I want to get a 1TB drive.

In the item description it mentions:

"1 TB model are 12.5 mm high and may not be compatible with all notebook systems."

Can I assume that this won't fit in a launch 60GB system then?

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks.[/QUOTE]
It wont fit unless you take out the hdd case
 
I thought WD made a 9.5mm 1 TB drive?


And yes, that one would work; just about any 9.5mm drive should work.
From what I've read, with the way the PS3 works, a 7200RPM drive won't be any faster than a 5400.
 
1tb is limit on ps3s. People have used extension cords and hooked up 1.5 and 2tb hdd's, they format, but then ps3 black screens. Supposedly this was changed in firmware 3.30 or somewhere around there, as ive read people using > 1tb before but now they cannot.

Most 2.5" hdd's are 9.5mm. Those all fit fine. The biggest 9.5mm right now is 750gb. All 1tb's for now that ive seen are 12.5mm. If you have a phat ps3, you can remove the hard drive cage and a 12.5mm slides right in. There is no way to use a 12.5mm using the internal drive space on a slim.

Also keep in mind that some newer drives are coming with the new 4k style partitions, and if they dont have a jumper to go back to 256, they run 1/8th the speed on the PS3. So make sure the drive you are getting works with older devices properly.
 
I just upgraded my HD about a month ago (500 GB Scorpio blue), since then however I've been getting a lot of stuttering on any pre-recorded video stored on the disc (QORE is downright unwatchable, game cutscenes, etc). This happens on content that was restored from backup and freshly installed content as well

Has any of you experienced this? Is there any solution known (other than purchasing a new disk preferably)? I tried searching in google, but couldn't find anything other than "Purchase a new disk"
 
[quote name='erequena']I just upgraded my HD about a month ago (500 GB Scorpio blue), since then however I've been getting a lot of stuttering on any pre-recorded video stored on the disc (QORE is downright unwatchable, game cutscenes, etc). This happens on content that was restored from backup and freshly installed content as well

Has any of you experienced this? Is there any solution known (other than purchasing a new disk preferably)? I tried searching in google, but couldn't find anything other than "Purchase a new disk"[/QUOTE]
Is your HDD model WD5000BEVT?

Google "wd aggressive head parking". Apparently, this feature works well on a computer OS but it's shit on a PS3. On a PS3, the head keeps parking and unparking which gives you the persistent stutter.

WD has a WDIDLE3 utility that seems to fix the issue. Its target drives are some other models but seems to work on Scorpio green. You'll need to hook up the drive on your PC and boot to DOS in order to run the utility. Again, google for more instructions. Mind you, using this utility on the Scorpio may void your warranty.

I may have to go through the procedure too when I'm ready to upgrade my PS3. Maybe I'll get a Seagate if it doesn't have this stutter problem to begin with.
 
[quote name='eau']Is your HDD model WD5000BEVT?

Google "wd aggressive head parking". Apparently, this feature works well on a computer OS but it's shit on a PS3. On a PS3, the head keeps parking and unparking which gives you the persistent stutter.

WD has a WDIDLE3 utility that seems to fix the issue. Its target drives are some other models but seems to work on Scorpio green. You'll need to hook up the drive on your PC and boot to DOS in order to run the utility. Again, google for more instructions. Mind you, using this utility on the Scorpio may void your warranty.

I may have to go through the procedure too when I'm ready to upgrade my PS3. Maybe I'll get a Seagate if it doesn't have this stutter problem to begin with.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the tip. My model is WD5000BPVT, but it's part of the same family, so I guess the same kind of problem applies. I'll do some research focused on the head parking or power saving settings of the drive and see what I can find.

Thanks!
 
[quote name='blitz6speed']There is a couple WD drives that make video stutter when using ps3, google: stuttering video ps3 western digital, you'll find it.[/QUOTE]

Ok, so now I am thinking of getting this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145449

Not Western Digital (to avoid video stuttering)
5400 RPM speed to match the PS3
9.5 mm in height so it will fit in the case

What do you folks think?
 
[quote name='erequena']Thanks for the tip. My model is WD5000BPVT, but it's part of the same family, so I guess the same kind of problem applies. I'll do some research focused on the head parking or power saving settings of the drive and see what I can find.

Thanks![/QUOTE]

I, too, have a WD 500GB Scorpio Blue that I installed a month ago, but I am not having any video studdering problems. Seems to work like a charm. My model is the WDBABC5000.
 
To those that have PSN+, after upgrading the HD you need to disable automatic downloading and then set it back for it to work. It seems the upgrade disables it but leaves it as 'on' on the configuration options
 
A good method for deciding on which model/brand to use is to see which drive your PS3 shipped with and use that as a baseline.

The idea being that if Sony uses it in an official capacity then it is likely that a more current brother/sister model would likely serve you well.
 
[quote name='erequena']Thanks for the tip. My model is WD5000BPVT, but it's part of the same family, so I guess the same kind of problem applies. I'll do some research focused on the head parking or power saving settings of the drive and see what I can find.[/QUOTE]
Shoot! WD50000BPVT is an Advanced Format drive which utilities a 4KB sector size. PS3 uses the legacy 512B sector size. The mismatch could reportedly cause some stuttering in streaming and such. Again, google for more info.
 
[quote name='eau']Shoot! WD50000BPVT is an Advanced Format drive which utilities a 4KB sector size. PS3 uses the legacy 512B sector size. The mismatch could reportedly cause some stuttering in streaming and such. Again, google for more info.[/QUOTE]

I think any of the BPVT models use 4KB. You need to get the BEVT models for the PS3. I'm sportin' the WD6400BEVT. It was on sale on Amazon a couple of weeks ago.
 
Finallly replaced the hdd in my PS3 last night. I replaced the original 80gb Seagate drive with a 320gb WD Scorpio Blue. Had both a 500gb WD and the 320gb available to use, but went with the 320 and will be using the 500gb as a secondary backup for some important stuff in addition to my WHS.

Anyway, the roughtest part of the whole procedure was:
1 - finding the fat32format program to format the 500gb drive to fat32 for the backup/restore (and the 500 will now get re-formatted to NTFS since I'm done)
2 - not stripping those effin screws!

I see over the last few pages some issues with the 500gb drives and stuttering...any such issues with the 320's? Or did I luck out there and make the right choice putting the 320gb drive in there?
 
I got a question, to see if something like this is possible.

I am shortly going to run out of space on my 160 gb (like 50 gigs left), and I am considering a HD upgrade.

Anyway I can save all my game saves in the cloud, but something I am worried about is losing all my PS+ content (since they are still on my drive).

Would there be any way to just back up the PS+ stuff? I don't mind redownloading all my PSN games and stuff.

Reason I ask is I have an external HD that's formatted to NTFS and I just don't want to have to create a new fat 32 partition on it. (Especially when all my PS+ content can fit on an 8 GB thumb drive)/
 
[quote name='Sir_Fragalot'] (Especially when all my PS+ content can fit on an 8 GB thumb drive)/[/QUOTE]

Then back up all your PS+ content to your 8gb thumb drive.
 
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