Intro

If you're like me and your PS3 does not have the storage capacity that you require for the system disk then we will upgrade. I am running Yellow Dog Linux and I'm going to need more room on the hard disk for installs and files that I want locally. With all the demos and videos that the Sony store is dumping it really begins to add up fast. Not only that, what about games requiring installs, PS1 downloads, photos, music and videos.

I already have a NAS server at home with SMB/CIFS, NFS, FTP, HTTP yadda, yadda, yadda. It's large and fast but the PS3 is currently unable mount and utilize my server's storage logically so I'm going to upgrade the PS3's hard disk.

I provide a simple solution using a 3.5" SATA hard disk. 3.5" drives are all around much much faster, cheaper and have much larger capacities than 2.5" laptop hard disk drives like the one installed in your PS3. No the 3.5" drive will not fit in to your PS3...

Towards the bottom the bottom of the page using the method prescribed here one can expand beyond that of a single disk solution. Such things are for people who want and bigger, better, faster equipment; developers, researchers, hackers, modders, pirates, music and movie freaks.

I found better cables which require no cutting so the mod would now take less work.

Simple 3.5" HDD Mod Requirements

• Your brain (or a borrowed one from a retarded baby monkey).
• Enough of #1 to figure out how to remove the OEM HDD (If you can't figure this part out read this...)
• 1 medium Phillips screw driver. (for removing the old drive)
• 1 3.5" SATA HDD - find one yourself start here...
• 1 3.5" SATA HDD enclosure. Like this one.
• 1 7-pin internal SATA extension cable, female to male. Like this one
• This is an enclosure in which to out a 3.5" SATA drive, if you really have to; use the instructions that came with the enclosure, gosh!

  

  

• Male SATA 7-Pin DATA to Female SATA 7-Pin Cable

  The male end goes to the PS3 and the female end to the HDD enclosure. If you get one that looks like this, you will need to remove part of the male end as shown below.

  

• I used a pair of chef scissors and a small file to smooth it down flush. Use a utility knife if you like but don't cry to me if you trash the cable or your hand.

  

• When you are done cutting it should look like the male connector pictured here. And if you look at this picture and say to yourself that you need to cut the connector from the cable, don't! If you do why do you have a knife to begin with? Maybe you should go play in the corner with a plush toy by yourself.

  

Notes

• ***Important*** SATA is not Hot-Swappable, in other words turn off the PS3 or computer before connecting or disconnecting the drive.
• ***Important*** If you plan to disconnect the drive a lot leave the extension cable plugged into the PS3. If you plan on hooking it up to another PS3 or computer via SATA buy another cable. SATA connections were not designed to be disconnected and reconnected more the fifty times, it will wear out. Buying another $6 cable and or $30-50 drive enclosure is much cheaper than having your PS3 repaired or replaced, so don't screw up your PS3.
• The PS3 does not have the power to handle most 3.5" SATA drives. It is best that you get an enclosure like the one I recommend; it has it's own power source. Some people have suggested that you can use a 22 pin male to female power and data sata adapter(picture w/link below) with a 3.5" drive. Your 3.5" HDD will draw too much power from the PS3 and make it freeze up. These work great if you want to leave your 2.5" drive outside of the PS3 or if you are swapping drives all the time, otherwise forget it.



• If you want proof of concept (i.e. pics) don't ask me it works. I used a loose 160GB SATA drive to test it out. I'm not dumping the change for a 750GB drive yet, though a 500GB is looking kinda sweet right now.

Thoughts

• An individual on Team Xecuter's forums asked about the use of RAID with the PS3. A Team Xecuter forum Mod said, 'No.' That is B.S. Let us look at it this way You can buy a RAID sub-system that has a single SATA channel and hook it right up to your PS3, Bam!!! Can you say Tera Bytes? I knew you could. A RAID sub-system or DAS with have an embedded RAID controller. This embedded RAID controller will make the RAID array tranparent to the PS3, in other words the PS3 will see it as one device.

  Here is an example of a two disk RAID sub-system. This means that it has it's own RAID hardware and the Host (PS3) that you connect it to will see it as a single SATA device.

  

  Take note of the switch.

  

• Attention!!!

  You say you're made of money and you need to make up up for the lack of something else. You want the most for your PS3. You want 5TB of local storage capacity for your PS3.

  Then this and others like it are for you, meet the MR5CT1. The MR5CT1 is a 5 Disk RAID sub-system costing roughly $1500 w/out drives ($1300 from Newegg.com). You can figure out how much you want to spend on 1-5 drives of the capacity of your choosing. At the time I originally created this page I ran a search and with 5 750GB drives at Newegg and it ran you about $3000 for a big'ol fat 3.75TB storage device.

  Here is a RAID calculator for you.

  Here is the link to the manufacturer's web site.

  

  

  You will need a Shielded eSATA to SATA cable. Buy one here.