Quick Guide: PS3 (Slim) SSD Upgrade Without Losing Data

User case: How do I make a PS3 SSD upgrade?

About PlayStation 3 (PS3)

The PlayStation 3 (PS3) the successor to PlayStation 2 is a home video game console developed by Sony and released in 2006. Then PlayStation 3 Slim was released in 2009, which is lighter and thinner than the original version, and no longer provided the hardware ability to run PS2 games. 

Three years later, the PS3 Super Slim was published. The PS3 series products include PS3, PS3 Slim (120GB, 250GB, 320GB, 500GB, etc.) and PS3 Super Slim. Therefore, PS3 Slim and PS3 Super Slim are the most popular game consoles among these devices. Now, the PS5 is the latest game console that was released on November 12, 2020. But PS3 storage for today's players is not ideal, too slow, and too small for 3A games. Some users might want to find ways to make a PS3 SSD upgrade.

Why make an SSD upgrade for PS3 (Slim)

In the view of PS3 Slim characteristic, you can download large games to play, and watch videos on that device. But with daily use, you will find the PS3 Slim hard drive capacity is not enough for storage. Thus, changing the PS3 (Slim) hard drive (or SSD) to a larger one is the best way to resolve this issue.

🚩Improved Performance: Upgrading to an SSD can significantly enhance the overall performance of your PS3 Slim. It speeds up boot times, reduces load times for games and applications, and makes system navigation much smoother.
🚩Enhanced Reliability: SSDs are more reliable than traditional HDDs because they have no moving parts. This reduces the risk of mechanical failures, ensuring a longer lifespan for your storage drive.
🚩Lower Power Consumption: SSDs consume less power compared to HDDs, which can be beneficial for the PS3 Slim. This not only helps in reducing the overall power consumption of your gaming console.
🚩Quieter Operation: Since SSDs have no moving parts, they operate silently. This can make your gaming experience more enjoyable by reducing the noise level compared to the often noisy spinning hard drives.

Before PS3 Storage Upgrade

Before PS3 (Slim) hard drive replacement, there is something you have to prepare.

• Since the PS3 can only detect FAT32/exFAT file system hard drive, you have to format the HDD or SSD drive to FAT32/exFAT to make sure it can be recognized by PlayStation 3.

• To change the PS3 (Slim) hard drive to a larger one, you have to take out the PS3 (Slim) hard drive carefully with the extracting tool.

• Insert the two hard drives, one is the PS3 (Slim) hard drive, the other is the target hard drive (HDD) or SSD.

• Download hard drive cloning software to do PS3 Slim hard drive replacement. In our article, we will give you the best disk cloning software - AOMEI Backupper Professional to have a try. This software is highly recommended by users due to its comprehensive functions and intuitive interface.

Best PS3 SSD Upgrade Alternative

Now, let’s explore the best options for upgrading your PS3 hard drive. When choosing a replacement, consider the capacity, interface, and overall performance. Here are three top recommendations, each with its own set of benefits:

1. Samsung 860 EVO: Known for its high speed and reliability, the Samsung 860 EVO offers excellent read and write speeds, available in various sizes from 250GB to 2TB. It is a dependable choice with high endurance and a 5-year warranty, making it ideal for enhancing your PS3’s performance.

2. Crucial MX500: The Crucial MX500 delivers impressive read and write speeds, boosting game load times and overall system responsiveness. Available in capacities ranging from 250GB to 2TB, it offers a good balance between price and performance, making it a cost-effective option for upgrading your PS3.

3. WD Blue 3D NAND: This SSD provides solid read and write speeds, enhancing your gaming and application performance on the PS3. Available from 250GB to 2TB, it features low power consumption, which helps keep your console cool and extends its lifespan.

When upgrading your PS3 with an SSD, choose a drive with sufficient capacity for your gaming needs and one that fits within your budget. You might also need a 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch adapter to properly fit the SSD into your PS3 Slim.

Perform PS3 (Slim) SSD Upgrade Quickly

AOMEI Backupper Professional offers two solutions to replace a PS3 (Slim) hard drive or SSD: 

• Backup PS3 (Slim) hard drive first, then restore data to the destination HDD or SSD;

• Clone PS3 (Slim) hard drive to a larger HDD or SSD.

It’s strongly recommended to upgrade PS3 storage with the Clone feature because it’s much easier. And the two ways also apply to the PS3 Super Slim storage upgrade.

Thus, the following words describe the details about changing the PS3 (Slim) SSD to a larger SSD.

1. Launch AOMEI Backupper Professional, and choose Clone -> Disk Clone to upgrade PS3 (Slim) SSD.

2. Choose the PS3 (Slim) SSD as the source disk to clone.

3. Select the larger SSD as the target location, and click Next >>.

★Tip: The destination disk will be overwritten after the operation, please backup data on that drive in advance.

4. Tick SSD Alignment to speed up your SSD automatically and click Start Clone to perform PS3 (Slim) SSD upgrade in Windows 10/8/7.

★Tips:
✍To fully use the storage space on your larger destination disk, please check Edit Partitions to adjust the partition size automatically while cloning. It also has the ability to convert disk type, from MBR to GPT or GPT to MBR. 
✍Setor by sector clone: It enables you to clone all sectors on the source disk, like blank sectors, bad sectors, and the used sectors, the time will be much longer. If you uncheck this option, it will only clone the used sectors.

All the above steps are applied to the PS3 hard drive upgrade (The destination disk should be formatted with FAT32 or exFAT). Well, you should be aware of the cost time depending on the data size of the source disk, wait for a few minutes, and the operation will be finished.

How to Replace PS 3 Slim Hard Drive

1. Turn the PS3 over and place it on its back. Open the small access door on the bottom cover near the front of the PS3 and remove the blue Phillips screw hidden underneath.

2. Slide the hard drive bay cover to the right side of the lower case, then pull it away from the front edge to remove it from the PS3.

3. Using the attached metal handle, pull the hard drive out of its bay. The drive is a SATA 2.5" Hard Drive, which can be swapped with another HDD or an SSD that meets these specifications.

4. Remove the four 4.3 mm Phillips screws securing the hard drive to its tray.

The Epilogue

It’s easy to change the PS3 (slim) hard drive to a larger one or perform a PS3 SSD upgrade with the help of AOMEI Backupper. Do the above steps to do PS3 hardware upgrades if required.

In addition, AOMEI Backupper Professional allows you to clone individual partitions to other locations, like external hard drives, local disks, NAS devices, network share, and even the cloud. You can even migrate OS to SSD without reinstalling, real-time file sync to network path, restore to dissimilar hardware computer, and more.