PS3 SSD Performance Test - Should You Upgrade?

In this PS3 SSD performance test, find out if you will get better game performance over your HDD.
PS3 Fat Hard Drive Upgrade 1TB + Slim & Super Slim Guide

If this video has been helpful, buy me a coffee to support the channel!

Show note: games that use the Unreal engine, like Rage, have also shown in-game lood time performance boosts from an SSD upgrade. Thanks to Jesse at Ivory Tower Collections for this tip!

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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒

00:00 Should You Upgrade To An SSD?
00:29 Why Get An SSD?
00:57 The Problem With PS3 and SATA
01:31 What's In The PS3 From The Factory?
02:19 How The Tests Were Done
03:07 Direct Disc Copy To HDD/SSD
03:58 Load Times From HDD/SSD
05:20 Next Steps

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𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐒

WD 1TB 2.5" SSD for PS3

WD 1TB Internal 2.5" HDD for PS3

I Used This SATA USB 3.0 Dock In The Video - It's GREAT!

𝐏𝐒𝟑 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐋𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄!

Dual Controller Charging Dock (this thing is AMAZING!)

PS3 2-Pack Controller Charging Cables

Bypass HDCP so you can capture your PS3 output (I use this on videos for this channel and it’s PERFECT)

PS3 Wireless Controller

USB 3.1 128GB Slimline Fit Drive for PS3

SATA-To-USB 3.0 HDD Dock (PC & PS3 compatible!)

WD 1TB Internal Hard Drive

Treat your PS3 to an SSD - it’ll love you for it!

Toolkit to open/fix PS3, and just about everything else!

Replacement battery for your PS3 controller

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𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐂

Chiptunes = WIN, available from the BandCamp website here:

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𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄

I often review or link to products & services I regularly use and think you might find helpful. Wherever possible I use referral links, which means if you click one of the links in this video or description and make a purchase I may receive a small commission or other compensation.

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#blainelocklair

PS3 SSD Performance Test - Should You Upgrade?

[dreamcastergaming]

People also forget that the SSD doesn't make noise and produces very little heat. Two things that help your overall gaming experience.

[evilst]

I just wanted to increase the size of my storage while also eliminating sound and heat from the drive area. The fact that there is even any difference in performance makes it totally worth it to me.

[MrDarkSephirot]

SATA 1 won't matter that much because it only affects sequential speeds, while SSD's biggest advantage over HDD's are random speeds (measured in IOPS). In short, the time it takes to jump between each little file is instantaneous, while HDD's had to physically move their head (needle) across the disk. This is what greatly improves overall speed in many tasks, regardless of the maximum sequential speed, or whether you are using NVME or SATA.

[SomeGuyFromNY]

The XMB menu is much more snappy when using a SSD. It's worth installing an SSD for that alone.

[adrianslavkovsky]

I upgraded my PS3 fat with Crucial SSD and it speeds up the system pretty well, mostly in open world games like GTA 5 or RDR, another great video. Thanks!

[MrMario]

Great detail on this! I'll be sure to link to it when people ask about getting a giant boost in performance on the PS3. Not particularly worth it to me, but people like to see numbers to match up to results.

[Tanzu]

Ssd stops texture pop in, and improves FPS and stability. system response is greatly improved, ssd literally makes the PS3 like a PS3 pro.

[hellomiakoda]

I upgraded my PS3 to SSD, stock firmware, not for faster loading, but a gentler power draw, and increased drive life.

[aegonthedragon]

I have an SSD in my CECHA01 (fully backwards compatible) mainly because it doesn’t produce as much heat but compared to my 2501b with its stock HDD, there really isn’t much of a difference, but it does seem a smidge bit smoother overall.

[randym.]

Discussion of the SSD and PS3 starts at 2:20

[thescepterofjudah]

I would’ve loved to see Metal Gear Solid 4 over The Last of Us. MGS4 was the biggest game I’ve ever seen on a disc.

[jaycee]

Thanks for this video. I recently modified 2 PS3 Slim consoles using your video, so much easier than the first PS3 mod using another person's video. Well, this here helped tremendously. I was contemplating if I should go SSD or HDD, but your video helped me decide. Going to stick to getting HDD 1 TB....less expensive and it performs just about the same... Thanks Mr. Blaine!!!!

[kornweed]

the only reason it's not loading as fast as expected is because there are certain animations in between each load time, it first has to finish each animation before actually loading, and not only that but there is alot more that an SSD does to a PS3 than just load times stand alone

[commanderkeen]

Blaine you should have ten million subscribers. Great videos, informative and helpful. Really amazing

[dethwsh]

GTA V was nearly unplayable without me putting an SSD in. whole buildings would pop in just a block down the street with the old hdd.

[vgnlda]

I saw a video of another youtuber that made the same experiment with a complete SSD installation of GTA V - from press start to the actual gameplay: SSD= 22 seconds HD= 1min 44sec...

[poseidon]

There is something you didn't test is the gameplay smoothness when going from one area to another. Sad that Sony and AMD stuck with SATA I, but must have been about cutting costs. It seems the benefits of a SSD upgrade is rather negligible.

[kdeclinetostatendeclinetos]

It would be nice if you tested loading times using OFW with DVD and using CFW when whole DVD is placed as ISO on the ssd drive. This would be meaningful comparison, please :)

[TKIvanov]

I know these are made and sold in the tens of millions, so every bit of cost cutting makes a difference, but the PS3 having SATA 1 and the PS4 having SATA 2 is bizarre to me..

[retroquest]

I thought about doing this, but I think that I want to just go the flash drive route and store/play the files directly from USB instead. 1tb flash drives are dropping in price these days and you can get as many as you need to create a massive collection library. I'm also not too worried about the xmb loading a second faster.