So back when I first got my PS3 it had an 80Gb hard drive installed, but now I've grown sick of constantly having to pick and choose which game data to delete every time I want to play something new so I'm wanting to get an upgrade to something much bigger.
I'm thinking of getting a 500Gb hard drive, since it was only about a year ago where I started having to delete stuff but I'm not quite sure on what kind of hard drive would be compatible for the PS3 system so I was hoping you guys could give me some recommendations. Also, I'm a bit of a technical noob so if anyone could give me some tips on how to put the new hard-drive in that would be much appreciated.
I was also wondering if there was any way of transferring my old data to the new hard drive such as save files, trophy data and game data?
Okay, first off you should read this [https://support.us.playstation.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/798/~/ps3-backup-utility] and this [https://support.us.playstation.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/362/~/upgrade-the-hard-disk-drive-(hdd)]. Those are official, but there's tons of other instruction sets that, despite being old [http://vgstrategies.about.com/od/ps3cheatsandcodes/a/PS3HDDDriveSwap.htm], are still quite useful.
Still, here are some basic tips.
You will need:
[li]A replacement internal hard drive, see parameters below.[/li]
[li]Either a large USB key (depending on what you want to save, 16-32 GB in size), -OR- an external hard drive with USB connectivity[/li]
[li]A program that can format external storage devices (over 32 GB) to FAT32 (again, see below)[/li]
-
Replacement Internal Hard Drives
First, your replacement hard drive can be any number of different types but there are some requirements and things to remember in general:
[ol]
[li]Using a solid state hard drive is a waste and provides no noticeable performance gains.[/li]
[li]The hard drive must be rated at a speed of 5,400 RPM max, no higher. This is supposedly because of heat issues, so don't go for 7,200 RPM drives.[/li]
[li]The replacement notebook SATA hard drive can be no thicker than 9.5 millimeters.[/li]
[/ol]
Any number of these should work:
Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD500BEVT [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001JSSDGU/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1] (This is the one I bought many years ago, but there are cheaper ones now)
Western Digital Bare Drives 500GB Blue SATA III WD5000LPVX [http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Drives-Notebook-WD5000LPVX/dp/B00C9TECFO/ref=pd_sim_e_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=17CXG4DYJJAPRC29ZG1R]
Western Digital Scorpio Blue 750GB WD7500BPVT [http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Scorpio-Cache-Notebook/dp/B003D18DM0/ref=pd_sim_e_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=17CXG4DYJJAPRC29ZG1R]
And yes, all of my personally owned hard drives, be they in my MacBook, my tower, my PS3, my externals, all except for my Kingston USB keys, are Western Digital brand. Over the past ten years, none of them have died on me.
I might just be lucky.
Large Capacity USB Key -OR- An External Hard Drive
You'll need to back up your game saves and trophies at a minimum.
Backing up your trophies is easy. You simply connect to PSN and then go to the Trophies option on your PS3; they'll upload automatically.
Backing up your game saves is slightly more complicated. There are issues.
First off, it's much easier (and faster) to copy saves onto a USB key (it must be formatted to FAT32, see below) but I guarantee there will be some game save files that are copy protected. These are determined by the game's developer/publisher. There are several sources online that claim a true, full backup using the PS3 Backup Utility will copy and transfer ALL game saves, even the protected ones, to your new hard drive. Because I've only had to upgrade my PS3, not backup for transfer, I don't know about that firsthand.
There is one solution that will guarantee a backup of even your copy-protected game saves though, and that's by paying for Playstation Plus and using the Cloud backup utility. It will work, but I have a feeling that the standard PS3 Backup Utility will work.
FAT32 Format Program
If you're trying to get the PS3 to recognize any external drives, they have to be formatted to FAT32. Fortunately, if your drive is 32GB or smaller, it can be done in Windows. If you're using something larger, as if you intend to fully back up your entire PS3 hard drive, then you'll need a separate program to do it. For Windows XP there was this free program called Swissknife. Swissknife no longer works for Windows 7 (the last time I looked), so I found another program called FAT32Formater, which can be found here [http://tokiwa.qee.jp/EN/Fat32Formatter/index.html].
The site for FAT32Formatter looks...scary, but it's legit. I still have the executable saved on my PC, and as far as my antivirus and firewall apps can tell, it's safe.
There are a few more things for you to keep in mind. Any time a different hard drive is placed into a PS3, it will get formatted. This is why you need to plan well beforehand.
Using the Backup Utility built into the PS3 OS takes a really...long...time! This is why, before you start, you should consider what you want to back up and what you can always install/download again later. Back when I first backed up my PS3 it took around 15 hours. Yes, you read that correctly. And if you choose to backup make sure your PS3 is well ventilated. I always keep a fan pointed at mine (actually it's pointed at everything, PC included).
Okay, so start Googling and researching. If you have any questions, I (that is, we) will be here.
Upon revisiting the backup process, I think the best thing to do is:
[li]Acquire your replacement hard drive.[/li]
[li]When you're ready to transfer, connect to PSN and upload your trophies.[/li]
[li]Pay for the shortest-term Playstation Plus package you can find, hopefully one month or less, then upload your game saves.[/li]
[li]Swap the hard drives and allow your PS3 to format it (shouldn't require prior FAT32 formatting).[/li]
[li]Access Playstation Plus and re-download your game saves. Certain saves, due to copy protection, can only be accessed 24 hours later. This makes no sense, I know.[/li]
This will guarantee you get to keep all of your game saves. One thing you'll lose is all the game install data, so any games you've been playing and patches will have to be reinstalled. The same goes for games downloaded via PSN and movies.
While it may seem a waste to pay for Playstation Plus, it would offset the cost of having to acquire a second hard drive for backup. Using the traditional method, like I listed above, won't guarantee a full game save transfer.
So back when I first got my PS3 it had an 80Gb hard drive installed, but now I've grown sick of constantly having to pick and choose which game data to delete every time I want to play something new so I'm wanting to get an upgrade to something much bigger.
I'm thinking of getting a 500Gb hard drive, since it was only about a year ago where I started having to delete stuff but I'm not quite sure on what kind of hard drive would be compatible for the PS3 system so I was hoping you guys could give me some recommendations. Also, I'm a bit of a technical noob so if anyone could give me some tips on how to put the new hard-drive in that would be much appreciated.
I was also wondering if there was any way of transferring my old data to the new hard drive such as save files, trophy data and game data?
I hope you do it, especially if you have a PS+ account: $50 a year and a ton of free downloadable content.
I had a fat with 80Gig HD. Swapped for $80 for a 500 Gig.
Frezzato said:
Upon revisiting the backup process, I think the best thing to do is:
[li]Acquire your replacement hard drive.[/li]
[li]When you're ready to transfer, connect to PSN and upload your trophies.[/li]
[li]Pay for the shortest-term Playstation Plus package you can find, hopefully one month or less.[/li]
[li]Swap the hard drives and allow your PS3 to format it (shouldn't require prior FAT32 formatting).[/li]
[li]Access Playstation Plus and re-download your game saves. Certain saves, due to copy protection, can only be accessed 24 hours later. This makes no sense, I know.[/li]
This will guarantee you get to keep all of your game saves. One thing you'll lose is all the game install data, so any games you've been playing and patches will have to be reinstalled. The same goes for games downloaded via PSN and movies.
While it may seem a waste to pay for Playstation Plus, it would offset the cost of having to acquire a second hard drive for backup. Using the traditional method, like I listed above, won't guarantee a full game save transfer.
I may be looking at your advice for the future as I'd love to not lose anything if I do this again. I'd love a 1 TB (supposedly can support 2 TB) for all the games I've been downloading. When I did the 80 to 500 thing, I had nothing on the system I didn't mind losing. The change over was easy, but I started with nothing.
I actually backed up recently just to check my facts and I can confirm that doing a manual backup to an external hard drive doesn't capture protected game saves. Thankfully the vast majority of games aren't like that, only select titles like Bayonetta and Demon's Souls. I checked around and at least you can get one month of PS+ direct from Sony for $10. Can't seem to find it on Amazon.
It's still a little complicated though, because I'm not sure if saves for PS Minis or PS2 games can be uploaded to the cloud. I think you'll still need something like a 4GB USB key if you have game saves for older titles.
It's still a little complicated though, because I'm not sure if saves for PS Minis or PS2 games can be uploaded to the cloud. I think you'll still need something like a 4GB USB key if you have game saves for older titles.
They cannot. Well, I know that for sure with PS1 and PS2 game saves; I've never bought a Mini but I would assume it works the same way. I switched over to a terabyte hard drive a few months ago and used an old USB stick I had lying around for those. Luckily PS1/PS2 saves are quite small, so whatever you have on hand would do the trick.
For the record, I used a Seagate Momentus [http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178006&cm_re=seagate_momentus_1tb-_-22-178-006-_-Product] myself. I did a lot of research on this, because I was afraid of dropping ~$100 on a hard drive only for something to go awry, and everything turned out fine. Even as a technical n00b, the instructions on Sony's website made the process very straightforward. I'd recommend anyone who uses their PS3 heavily to upgrade at some point. Trust me, it's absolutely glorious to have so much space on your system.
And to think, back when I bought my PS3 in 2009, I thought "Meh, 80 gigs should be plenty."
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