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What should I take into account while searching for a hard drive to extend storage of PS3 Super Slim 12GB?

The three things that seem natural are:

  • speed - 5400 or 7200 RPM? Is the there any noticeable difference in OS/games performance?
  • HDD cache size? Again, any impact on e.g. loading times?
  • compatibility (any problems with cheaper drives / from less known producers? is there a maximum HDD capacity PS3 SS can handle?)

Are the above indeed crucial? Or maybe there are other factors more important?

Just note I want to go for internal 2,5" non-SSD SATA drive.

acalypso
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  • Obviously, the physical dimensions of the drive are important. I'm not sure about the slim PS3s, but for the older ones some laptop drives over a certain height wouldn't fit in -- they're in the minority of those out there though. – TZHX Oct 04 '13 at 09:35
  • Yes, I am aware the 2,5" is the way to go - I expanded my question. – acalypso Oct 04 '13 at 09:57
  • 12gig is rather small I assumo you mean 120gig – ratchet freak Oct 04 '13 at 11:34
  • Are there any PS3 SS with 120 GB? I mean a new HDD to install INTO the "PS3 Super Slim 12 GB" game console. – acalypso Oct 04 '13 at 11:52
  • There is no real answer to this - only advice. Speed and cache size are things that make a difference, yes, but you won't notice them at all. Get a known brand that you trust, purely for reliability. If you need to get something cheap then I'd strongly suggest saving up some more, as cheap usually means exactly that. – Reinstate Monica Cellio Oct 04 '13 at 12:01
  • Do questions like 'How to play a mage in Skyrim?' http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/37473/how-to-play-a-mage-in-skyrim have a real, non-advice answer? Thanks for your input anyway, though I would prefer some more experience/test-based feedback. – acalypso Oct 04 '13 at 12:20

1 Answers1

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  1. Same as for any case of usage, i.e. 7200 is faster than 5400. However there are 2 additional things to consider, 7200 generates more heat and noise. While second can cause discomfort, first shortens life of the HDD. Considering that PS3 is not really depends on drive speed in general, 5400 is generally preffered.

  2. Considering HDD buffer size it's again, same as for any case of usage, but again, PS3 is not a heavy HDD user, thus impact is low. Any will do fine.

  3. The only major compatibility bug I'm aware of is a head parking issue (but it is actually far more important than 2 previous factors IMO). The problem is that PS3 often have long pauses beetween subsequent HDD reads. In the meantime HDD heads are parked and motor is turned off. On next access drive starts again, causing 2-second pause in access. Particularly WD Scorpio Blue drives are suspect to the issue. Thus I do not recommend this drives.

  4. The size of the hard drive is limited additionally in height. It's allowed maximum is 9.5mm. Thus, currently, drives that fits into that size have maximum capacity of 1Tb and they are supported by PS3. My guess would be that PS3 will support up to 2Tb drives without compatibility issues (same as PC).

  5. For the 12Gb version of PS3 you also need to purchase special HDD mount box, since it doesn't come with this version of console.

Petr Abdulin
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