TylerDurden
09-26-2008, 01:22 PM
I'm not really sure whether this belongs here or in the tech section, but as I've had a lot of experience with it lately I figured I'd go ahead and post up ways of making the PS3 a home media hub, options, configurations, techniques and random tips and tricks.
Mods, feel free to sticky if you want, else let it die. Whatev. I'm sure someone may find this info useful.
Replacing the Hard Drive
If you bothered to look at your PlayStation 3's user manual you might have noticed an entire section devoted to hard drive replacement. If you give a shit about warranties and all that garbage (if your PS3 is still even covered, depending on age) skip over this. The manual specifically states that tampering with the internal hard drive could void your warranty. With that said proceed at your own risk. So why would they include such a thing in your manual?
Sony put woefully inadequate hard drives into these systems. They had to. Had they put in what they wanted the PS3 would have been a $900 investment from the get-go. Smaller hard drives equals decreased cost to the consumer at system launch. But it's not enough. Those with 20GB PS3s and more than three games know exactly what I'm talking about. The games install a piece of themselves to improve load time, but with some of these games installing almost 5GB at a time space becomes a premium quickly. Sony knew this, but anticipated that by the time software companies began releasing games that really took advantage of the hard drive space most warranties would be expired. So they made the replacement of the hard drive so easy a blind chimp could do it. And they included instructions in every user manual.
So what's in a hard drive? Well, you can't just go slapping any ol' hard drive in there that you want. That'd be too easy. The PlayStation 3 is essentially a full-blooded computer with a proprietary user interface poured into a small form factor. Because space is at a premium inside the case Sony had to use the smallest possible components wherever possible. Hence the PlayStation 3 uses hard drives that are found in a vast majority of the modern household; those of laptops. To be precise the PlayStation 3 uses a Seagate 5400 RPM SATA hard drive in various capacities with 8 MB of overhead. There are really only two things important here: the hard drive spin speed (5400 RPM) and the interface type (SATA).
A quick search on eBay for laptop hard drives with a capacity of between 300-499 GB internal laptop hard drives yielded 656 results (http://computers.shop.ebay.com/items/300-499-GB__W0QQ_catrefZ1QQ_dmptZPCCQ5fDrivesQ5fStorageQ5f InternalQQ_flnZ1QQ_sacatZ158854QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec 0Q2em282?_trksid=p3286.c0.m282) as of the time of this post. Prices range from $40 - $120, but an average price to pay for a good internal 2.5" 320GB 5400 RPM laptop hard drive would be around $90 shipped. Amazon has similar pricing, so go with which ever one makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
At the moment 320 GB is the maximum size supported by the PS3. It's not that it's a space limit, but rather that manufacturers aren't producing the hard drives in the exact dimensions needed. They're creating 2.5" hard drives alright, but the height of the drive exceeds the 9.5 mm height requirement that 99% of other laptop hard drives conform to. So it is possible to get a 500 GB internal laptop hard drive, but it's not going to fit inside the PS3's hard drive caddy. So for the moment 320 GB is the largest (and best bang for the buck, honestly) the PS3 can take. But don't fret. The wind will change, a month will pass, and someone else will announce they can create a 1 TB laptop hard drive that conforms to current size requirements.
To replace the hard drive is ridiculously simple. It's really further proof that Sony knew they would need to be replaced for capacity's sake.
1. After backing up any necessary files, game saves, etc. safely shut down the PS3 and disconnect all cables. Move the PS3 to an easily-accessible and spacious work area. A dining room table would be fine.
2. If the system has been running recently it's best to let it sit and cool down momentarily before continuing. These components are used to running hot; your hands are not used to touching hot components. You've been warned.
3. Facing the front of the PS3 look on the left side. Put another way: find the surface that the PS3 rests on if it stands up vertically. There's a small slightly curved panel about four inches long. On most systems it will be labeled "HDD". On the right side of this panel, just barely visible, is a very small indentation. A small screwdriver of butter knife would appear to fit perfectly. And they do. Press towards the opposite side with very little force. The small panel should bow out slightly and remove just as easily. You should not press against it hard enough to break the plastic.
4. With the cover removed a small blue screw should be visible as well as a tab that looks as though it were formed out of a paperclip. This will be hinged and folded flat against the surface it's attached to. With a small screwdriver place your opposite hand on the other end of the PS3 so as to brace against the force of pushing on the screw for the initial loosening. These tend to be slightly tight, so to prevent stripping the screw it's important to apply moderate force to the first counter-clockwise rotation with the screwdriver. Once you feel it loosen up you can let go of the other side and just unscrew normally. Do not put a stupid amount of pressure on this screw; only enough to keep your screwdriver from stripping the screw head.
5. Place the screw on a flat surface where it won't be lost. Using the small paperclip-like tab between thumb and forefinger gently nudge the hard drive assembly (what the tab is connected to) towards the front of the PS3. You'll feel it release slightly and you should be able to pull it out from the PS3. You're basically pulling the hard drive out sideways from the PS3. Keep this in mind as you do it. If it doesn't move moderately freely from the PS3 chassis it means it's still seated and not disconnected entirely. There should be about 1 - 5mm wiggle room for the assembly to move around and it shouldn't feel as though there's any resistance except against the small lip of the chassis (it's visible along the bottom and just in front of the assembly halfway across the opening). By pushing the assembly towards the front you're clearing this small lip and enabling it to be pulled out.
6. Once the assembly is removed it's time to remove the hard drive from its caddy. There are four screws along the outside edge of the caddy holding the hard drive in. Briefly take note of which side is which. The hard drive should be label-side up to the open air. If you flip it over you should see the actual meat and potatoes (green circuit board, spindle, etc.) of the hard drive protected by the bottom of the caddy (it has holes drilled through it for heat dissipation and air flow). After removing the four screws the old hard drive should slip quite easily from the caddy. Put it aside.
7. Pick up the new hard drive and place it into the caddy as the previous one had been; label-side up, pin-side facing out of the open side of the caddy, gut-side facing down against the meshed side of the caddy. On one side of the caddy there are slot holes, or holes that are variable in where they accept the screws. On the other are more precise single holes. Insert the screws here first. Then to the slotted side.
8. Reinstallation into the PS3 is reversed. Slide it back in gently and seat it by using the paperclip tab to push the assembly towards the back of the PS3. If you've done it correctly you'll see that the assembly's lined up perfectly to accept the small blue screw. Screw that in now. Don't over-tighten it. Hand tight will do it.
9. Reapply the small plastic cover.
10. Put your PS3 back in its original home, plug in the cables and boot up the system. It's going to tell you that it needs to format the new hard drive. Follow along with these prompts until you're finally back at the XMB. Restore your game saves and any files.
Note: If you look at your system information and the capacity seems a little low (I think mine said 296GB after I did this) it's normal. The PS3 requires this space.
Check back on this thread shortly. I'll be writing more, specifically on media serving (TVersity and Windows Media Player) and file transfers. In the mean time... enjoy.
Mods, feel free to sticky if you want, else let it die. Whatev. I'm sure someone may find this info useful.
Replacing the Hard Drive
If you bothered to look at your PlayStation 3's user manual you might have noticed an entire section devoted to hard drive replacement. If you give a shit about warranties and all that garbage (if your PS3 is still even covered, depending on age) skip over this. The manual specifically states that tampering with the internal hard drive could void your warranty. With that said proceed at your own risk. So why would they include such a thing in your manual?
Sony put woefully inadequate hard drives into these systems. They had to. Had they put in what they wanted the PS3 would have been a $900 investment from the get-go. Smaller hard drives equals decreased cost to the consumer at system launch. But it's not enough. Those with 20GB PS3s and more than three games know exactly what I'm talking about. The games install a piece of themselves to improve load time, but with some of these games installing almost 5GB at a time space becomes a premium quickly. Sony knew this, but anticipated that by the time software companies began releasing games that really took advantage of the hard drive space most warranties would be expired. So they made the replacement of the hard drive so easy a blind chimp could do it. And they included instructions in every user manual.
So what's in a hard drive? Well, you can't just go slapping any ol' hard drive in there that you want. That'd be too easy. The PlayStation 3 is essentially a full-blooded computer with a proprietary user interface poured into a small form factor. Because space is at a premium inside the case Sony had to use the smallest possible components wherever possible. Hence the PlayStation 3 uses hard drives that are found in a vast majority of the modern household; those of laptops. To be precise the PlayStation 3 uses a Seagate 5400 RPM SATA hard drive in various capacities with 8 MB of overhead. There are really only two things important here: the hard drive spin speed (5400 RPM) and the interface type (SATA).
A quick search on eBay for laptop hard drives with a capacity of between 300-499 GB internal laptop hard drives yielded 656 results (http://computers.shop.ebay.com/items/300-499-GB__W0QQ_catrefZ1QQ_dmptZPCCQ5fDrivesQ5fStorageQ5f InternalQQ_flnZ1QQ_sacatZ158854QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec 0Q2em282?_trksid=p3286.c0.m282) as of the time of this post. Prices range from $40 - $120, but an average price to pay for a good internal 2.5" 320GB 5400 RPM laptop hard drive would be around $90 shipped. Amazon has similar pricing, so go with which ever one makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
At the moment 320 GB is the maximum size supported by the PS3. It's not that it's a space limit, but rather that manufacturers aren't producing the hard drives in the exact dimensions needed. They're creating 2.5" hard drives alright, but the height of the drive exceeds the 9.5 mm height requirement that 99% of other laptop hard drives conform to. So it is possible to get a 500 GB internal laptop hard drive, but it's not going to fit inside the PS3's hard drive caddy. So for the moment 320 GB is the largest (and best bang for the buck, honestly) the PS3 can take. But don't fret. The wind will change, a month will pass, and someone else will announce they can create a 1 TB laptop hard drive that conforms to current size requirements.
To replace the hard drive is ridiculously simple. It's really further proof that Sony knew they would need to be replaced for capacity's sake.
1. After backing up any necessary files, game saves, etc. safely shut down the PS3 and disconnect all cables. Move the PS3 to an easily-accessible and spacious work area. A dining room table would be fine.
2. If the system has been running recently it's best to let it sit and cool down momentarily before continuing. These components are used to running hot; your hands are not used to touching hot components. You've been warned.
3. Facing the front of the PS3 look on the left side. Put another way: find the surface that the PS3 rests on if it stands up vertically. There's a small slightly curved panel about four inches long. On most systems it will be labeled "HDD". On the right side of this panel, just barely visible, is a very small indentation. A small screwdriver of butter knife would appear to fit perfectly. And they do. Press towards the opposite side with very little force. The small panel should bow out slightly and remove just as easily. You should not press against it hard enough to break the plastic.
4. With the cover removed a small blue screw should be visible as well as a tab that looks as though it were formed out of a paperclip. This will be hinged and folded flat against the surface it's attached to. With a small screwdriver place your opposite hand on the other end of the PS3 so as to brace against the force of pushing on the screw for the initial loosening. These tend to be slightly tight, so to prevent stripping the screw it's important to apply moderate force to the first counter-clockwise rotation with the screwdriver. Once you feel it loosen up you can let go of the other side and just unscrew normally. Do not put a stupid amount of pressure on this screw; only enough to keep your screwdriver from stripping the screw head.
5. Place the screw on a flat surface where it won't be lost. Using the small paperclip-like tab between thumb and forefinger gently nudge the hard drive assembly (what the tab is connected to) towards the front of the PS3. You'll feel it release slightly and you should be able to pull it out from the PS3. You're basically pulling the hard drive out sideways from the PS3. Keep this in mind as you do it. If it doesn't move moderately freely from the PS3 chassis it means it's still seated and not disconnected entirely. There should be about 1 - 5mm wiggle room for the assembly to move around and it shouldn't feel as though there's any resistance except against the small lip of the chassis (it's visible along the bottom and just in front of the assembly halfway across the opening). By pushing the assembly towards the front you're clearing this small lip and enabling it to be pulled out.
6. Once the assembly is removed it's time to remove the hard drive from its caddy. There are four screws along the outside edge of the caddy holding the hard drive in. Briefly take note of which side is which. The hard drive should be label-side up to the open air. If you flip it over you should see the actual meat and potatoes (green circuit board, spindle, etc.) of the hard drive protected by the bottom of the caddy (it has holes drilled through it for heat dissipation and air flow). After removing the four screws the old hard drive should slip quite easily from the caddy. Put it aside.
7. Pick up the new hard drive and place it into the caddy as the previous one had been; label-side up, pin-side facing out of the open side of the caddy, gut-side facing down against the meshed side of the caddy. On one side of the caddy there are slot holes, or holes that are variable in where they accept the screws. On the other are more precise single holes. Insert the screws here first. Then to the slotted side.
8. Reinstallation into the PS3 is reversed. Slide it back in gently and seat it by using the paperclip tab to push the assembly towards the back of the PS3. If you've done it correctly you'll see that the assembly's lined up perfectly to accept the small blue screw. Screw that in now. Don't over-tighten it. Hand tight will do it.
9. Reapply the small plastic cover.
10. Put your PS3 back in its original home, plug in the cables and boot up the system. It's going to tell you that it needs to format the new hard drive. Follow along with these prompts until you're finally back at the XMB. Restore your game saves and any files.
Note: If you look at your system information and the capacity seems a little low (I think mine said 296GB after I did this) it's normal. The PS3 requires this space.
Check back on this thread shortly. I'll be writing more, specifically on media serving (TVersity and Windows Media Player) and file transfers. In the mean time... enjoy.