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Jan 16, 2008
So, you finally got that PS3 you wanted for the holidays, but there's a problem: the 20-gigabyte hard drive. Trust us: in a few months, you're going to have that thing packed with saved games, downloaded games, music, videos, and assuming Sony ever gets its act together, downloaded HD movies and TV shows. And when it's full? You're screwed and there's nothing left to do but delete and weep.
Unless, of course, you swap out the old hard drive for a beefier one. Sony designed the PS3 so that you could easily crack it open and slap in nearly any off-the-shelf laptop hard drive - no fancy, snap-on enclosure required. You won't even void your warranty if you follow the instructions Sony has printed right there in the PS3 owner's manual.
Of course, if you're like us, you've probably either lost, thrown away, or just refused to read that manual because hardcore gamers believe that reading instruction manuals is a sign of weakness. So we thought we'd whip up this handy video to help you through the process. Besides, isn't it less scary when it's someone else's PS3 at risk?
You will need:
- A PlayStation 3.
- One Phillips head screwdriver with a very small tip. We recommend a #1 (that's a measurement of the tip's size), which any home supply, hardware store, or maybe even Radio Shack should have. Just be careful - the screws you're working with can strip very easily, making them tough to turn.
- One 2.5 inch, Serial ATA drive. We're using a Seagate Momentus 5400.3, 160 GB drive, but it isn't critical. Almost any laptop-sized (that's 2.5 inch) SATA drive will work, including the 250 GB monsters you can get now.
- If you have stuff already on your PS3 - pics, music, saved games, etc - that you want to save, you'll need something to back it up on. We used an external USB key, which worked like a charm. Note: for PSN-downloaded games like Pain and Everyday Shooter, you only need to back up the saved game. Then, after the swap, you have to go and re-download the game itself from the PlayStation store - but don't worry: there's no extra cost. You just go to your download list and there it is.
- And this video. Enjoy!
Here are the instructions written down as well:
0679 1. Back up your game saves and power down
0680 2. Unplug your PS3 and pry off HDD cover
0682 3. Unscrew blue screw
0682 4. Slide drive to the right, and pull out
0684 5. Remove four screws on drive "sled"
0684 6. Remove old drive from sled
0685 7. Put new drive in sled
0687 8. Reattach mounting screws
0689 9. Insert new drive and slide to the left
0689 10. Replace blue screw and HDD cover
0690 11. Plug in PS3
069212. Power up, format drive, and restart system
0693 13. Replace your saved games
Here are the instructions written down as well:
0679 1. Back up your game saves and power down
0680 2. Unplug your PS3 and pry off HDD cover
0682 3. Unscrew blue screw
0682 4. Slide drive to the right, and pull out
0684 5. Remove four screws on drive "sled"
0684 6. Remove old drive from sled
0685 7. Put new drive in sled
0687 8. Reattach mounting screws
0689 9. Insert new drive and slide to the left
0689 10. Replace blue screw and HDD cover
0690 11. Plug in PS3
069212. Power up, format drive, and restart system
0693 13. Replace your saved games
