What kind of External HDD should I get?
 

Hi guys
I finally bought my PS3 and I've been studying about it so I could understand about that manager stuff and CFWs and all, I read all that noobs guide but maybe I missed something.. :dontknow:

I downloaded some really big files and my ps3 internal drive started to fill up, not yet, but i feel that will happen very soon. :afraid:

With that in mind, I started looking for an External HDD that's big enough (I was thinking about 1TB) so I could download and store/run my backup games without worries..

So here are my questions:
Any portable USB drive will do?
If not, what kind of External HDD do I need?
Does it have to be in a special case or something/Is there a heat problem I should be aware of?
Could someone recommend me one?

I actually didn't find any useful information about this on the internet, maybe cause it's so simple that no one bothers to ask....

but I'm new to this stuff and I'm a really poor college student :P, so I wanted to see what my options are, I really shouldn't be spending so much money on videogames considering my situation, but what can I do, I really love to play :P

Thanks for the help in advance

@mimi
I brought this up earlier so you can check out some of my discussion down here:
http://www.ps3hax.net/showthread.php?t=30210&page=2

PS3 can't handle anything over 2TB so that is your limit. As you are a college student, I would suggest investing in some quality hard drives as you'd probably be bringing it around the campus and that sorta stuff.

Yes, just about any HDD will do. If you can't find one within your budget, buy a cheap internal HDD and a HD enclosure (it's basically a DIY option). You just put the HDD in your enclosure and voila!! you have an external hard drive!

Some enclosures are really savvy and have fans and all that sorta stuff and because you'll b using it to play games (i assume on ur ps3) you might want to invest in that as it will increase the life of your HDD.

The biggest companies are Western Digital and in close second Seagate but their product is down because of the recent floods in Thailand. This will increase the price of hard drives by around 300% over the next 6 months (apparently).

I use an external HDD with eSata, then removed the PS3 internal HDD, and routed a cable from inside the PS3, so it actually works as an internal. No need for splitting files and whatnot.

i also using a docking station with my e3 flasher.. but is ftp the only way so place stuff on your internal disk?

It is the easiest, fastest way; and the only way to place files over 4GB on there. The docking station is rather pointless if you are not swapping drives; you can just stick the hard drive inside the PS3. Internal only supports 1TB, and you can get 1TB in a size that fits inside the system.

For externals, I would avoid Samsung, Hitachi, and Seagate. WD makes a good external if you get the smaller ones that don't need an AC adapter, but the full size ones tend to overheat a lot. The "My Passport" series works wonderfully.

Thanks a lot guys..
I was hoping someone could recommend a good and cheap one (at least in my surroundings prices), looks like I've found it...
Gonna wait and see if I can get myself a WD's My Passport in this friday's offers =)
I'm still looking for options till then tho.

Thanks again

For us to be more helpful in recommending some prices we'll need to know:

• What country you live in
• What is your price range
• Are you willing to import from overseas?

Well I don't think you can help me more if you know this, but here we go..

Im from Brazil, and because of that I can't import from overseas, the prices over here are at least doubled when the product arrives in Brazil.

I was hoping I could spend less than US$150, but that does not reflect the USA prices, so based on today's dolar price let's say products that cost about US$80~90 over there are within my price range

You should wait for a few months since the HDD prices are going crazy all over the world at the moment, as @FunkyGanja said.

Also, I can't see if anybody pointed it out, make sure the HDD you buy is NOT USB 3.0 since it won't work.

3.0 is backwards compatible with 2.0 but NOT with the PS3 for some reason. You can buy a good Seagate or WD hard drive and get an interchangeable desktop adaptor for an extra $20 or something and that will allow you to run USB 3.0 speeds on a USB 3.0 compatible device (like your PC or Laptop).