How to Swap Out and Upgrade a PS3 Hard Drive

The stock 20GB or 60GB PS3 hard drive not enough storage for your massive saved game and video archive? Here's the simplest guide on the net on how to upgrade your PS3 hard drive. It's easier than you think.

Tools used

For this article, hard drive manufacturer Seagate provided all the tools and equipment necessary to swap out and upgrade GamePro's PS3 hard drive. Check out their site.

First, you need to plug in an external USB hard drive to extract your precious saved-game data, videos, downloaded games, etc.

First, you need to plug in an external USB hard drive to extract your precious saved-game data, videos, downloaded games, etc.

Once the external USB hard drive is plugged in, turn on your PS3. Go to the Saved Data Utility.

Once the external USB hard drive is plugged in, turn on your PS3. Go to the Saved Data Utility.

Select the external USB hard drive as the destination of where you want the saved data to extract to.

Select the external USB hard drive as the destination of where you want the saved data to extract to.

The files will copy over, and that's as easy as 1, 2, 3...

The files will copy over, and that's as easy as 1, 2, 3...

Once the files are done transferring, turn off the PS3, and unplug everything. Flip it over and pull off the plastic flap labeled,

Once the files are done transferring, turn off the PS3, and unplug everything. Flip it over and pull off the plastic flap labeled, "HDD."

Using a Husky Precision screwdriver, remove the blue screw. This will detach the hard drive from the PS3.

Using a Husky Precision screwdriver, remove the blue screw. This will detach the hard drive from the PS3.

Using the metal paperclip tab, slide and then pull the hard drive out from the PS3.

Using the metal paperclip tab, slide and then pull the hard drive out from the PS3.

Next, you need to remove the metal shield from the actual hard drive. Remove the two screws that rest on the same side of the hard drive as the blue screw. <strong>Be careful! </strong>These screws are very easy to strip.

Next, you need to remove the metal shield from the actual hard drive. Remove the two screws that rest on the same side of the hard drive as the blue screw. Be careful! These screws are very easy to strip.

When the screws are removed, the hard drive should easily detach from the metal shield. Now you're done with the stock PS3 hard drive.

When the screws are removed, the hard drive should easily detach from the metal shield. Now you're done with the stock PS3 hard drive.

Bye, bye, puny stock PS3 hard drive.

Bye, bye, puny stock PS3 hard drive.

Comments [15]

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Jambi

So I did the HD swap yesterday on my PS3, and I wanted to share my experience. First of all, it really was as easy as this article says. The only tough part was removing the screws from the HD cradle. I had to use one of my jeweler's screwdrivers to remove the screws without stripping them. They really are insanely tight, so be careful when removing them. Apart from this, no worries at all. What really impressed me was the backup process. It saved EVERYTHING as it was on my old HD, right down to restoring my wallpaper. So, now my launch 60GB PS3 has successfully been upgraded with a 320GB HD. Here's the link: [url="http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3833846&cm_mmc=Email-_-WebletMain-_-CANLET-_-99order&SRCCODE=CANLET"][/url]

Jambi

Oops.. the link is here. http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3833846&cm_mmc=Email-_-WebletMain-_-CANLET-_-99order&SRCCODE=CANLET

Insomniax2

Why would you want to do this when your warranty is still running? I have over a terabyte running through two western digital ext hard drives from Amazon. They were dirt cheap and store all my Video, Music and pics, plus I can swap them over to my PC/Laptop whenever I need to which you wouldnt want to with an internal...

psplayer

my ps3 freezes up at the wave screen so i can't access my icons. it started out with me not being able to load a game because of some error, then i couldn't load or delete other save data files, and now it freezes a second after the SCEA screen. would swapping out my old hard drive for a new one resolve the problem.

whosyourdonny

is it possible to put in a seagate 500gb 5400.6 sata hd?

any help would be great

whosyourdonny@aol.com

please email me

PS3GameFreak

would'nt let me send link so here are the Specifications

Capacity (GB): 1000
Interface: Serial ATA-300
Spindle Speed (RPM): 7200
Average Seek (msec): 8.5
Average Latency (msec): 4.17
Data Transfer Rate on Serial ATA: Up to 3000 Mb/sec
Bytes Per Sector: 512
Form Factor: 3.5"
Nonrecoverable Read Errors per Bits Read: 1 per 10E15
Temperature, Operating (�C): 5 to 60
Temperature, Nonoperating (�C): -40 to 70
Acoustics Idle (bels--sound power): 2.9
Type: OEM

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