Improving performance in PS3 with changing HDD?

[xade43]

Hello all,

 

I am starting this new thread because I am not 100% satisfied withGTA V´s performance on my PS3 (fat, 40Gb version). The main reasons I am not completely happy are:

 

- I suffer from some "pop in" whilst driving fast, which I find very annoying

- Textures some times don´t load at their highest quality until the character is very close to them, or when I am driving thru the city very fast

 

I have formatted the PS3 system completely and rebuilt the database, with very little improvement to be honest.

 

So my main question here is: will I get any improvements in GTA V´s performance if I change PS3´s stock HDD with a 7200rpm one? Has anyone done this and if so, have you noted any worth improvements?

 

I am not willing to pay the premium price for a SSD because I think it won´t be worth it. However, a cheaper 7200rpm HDD could do the job?

 

Thanks a lot for reading and looking forward for your answers!

[idrift]

The "pop in" is the game failing to render the scene fast enough for the speed you are travelling and it seems to be a problem with the optimization of the game. The mipmaps of the textures are a similar issue (black ops Zombies suffers from the same thing). The consoles have been pushed to the limit to run this game I just wish they would allow us to turn off AntiAnalysing as our FPS would be a ton better and the game would run a lot smoother.

[Spuds725]

My old PS3 was a FAT 80gb-- I needed more space so upgraded the hard drive. I read somewhere when I was trying to select the hard drive that the 7200RPM ones could cause heating issues-- I honestly didn't know if this was true or not but went with a 5400 rpm (500gb) one since this was what I pulled out of the PS3.

 

This PS3 died (after 5 years) in June-- I no longer use this PS3 so couldn't tell you what the performance would be on a Fat 80gb one.

 

I've only experienced what you described once when playing on my new super slim ps3.

 

Regarding your question-- have you checked with Sony??

 

//edit//

 

One other thing-- not sure if you are backing up the PS3/Saves-- however it is a common misconception if you use the back up utility your saves are not preserved-- THIS IS FALSE-- if you are restoring to the same PS3 (even with a new hard drive)-- your saves will be restored too--

 

The saves will not be restored if you restore your backup to a new PS3.

 

I can confirm both of the above from my personal experience.

 

I only mention this as many people have gotten a PS+ membership just to preserve their saves when upgrading a hard drive.

Edited October 26, 2013 by Spuds725

[trevdaperv]

2 years old 3 page article on eurogamer

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-ps3-hard-drive-upgrade-guide

[xade43]

Thank you very much for the quick answers, found them quite useful. However, I would still like to know if someone has done this upgrade and experienced better in-game performance in GTA V.

 

 

2 years old 3 page article on eurogamer

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-ps3-hard-drive-upgrade-guide

I have read that article, however I posted this thread in the GTA forums in order to know if someone has experienced improvements with GTA V, because apparently it really depends on the game.

Thanks a lot and looking forward for more opinions and experiences!

[ToolOGT92]

I have a 200GB 7200rpm HDD in my PS3 for about 2 years. I have had no issues, the PS3 runs great (fat boy, not backwards compatible). I bought it for Gran Turismo 5. I don't think it makes any difference vs the stock drive. If I were you I would spend $150 and get a solid state drive (SSD) which will get you a 240-256GB, that would be the best performing drive. You can get a smaller drive if you don't need to space and want to save some money.

[trevdaperv]

I have a 200GB 7200rpm HDD in my PS3 for about 2 years. I have had no issues, the PS3 runs great (fat boy, not backwards compatible). I bought it for Gran Turismo 5. I don't think it makes any difference vs the stock drive. If I were you I would spend $150 and get a solid state drive (SSD) which will get you a 240-256GB, that would be the best performing drive. You can get a smaller drive if you don't need to space and want to save some money.

 

Problem with SSD is that PS3 does not support Trim function and actually system has way 2 many bottlenecks to reach the SSD potential, you might see initial loading improved but performance varies between games like crazy

[xade43]

 

I have a 200GB 7200rpm HDD in my PS3 for about 2 years. I have had no issues, the PS3 runs great (fat boy, not backwards compatible). I bought it for Gran Turismo 5. I don't think it makes any difference vs the stock drive. If I were you I would spend $150 and get a solid state drive (SSD) which will get you a 240-256GB, that would be the best performing drive. You can get a smaller drive if you don't need to space and want to save some money.

 

Problem with SSD is that PS3 does not support Trim function and actually system has way 2 many bottlenecks to reach the SSD potential, you might see initial loading improved but performance varies between games like crazy

 

 

 

Exactly, and SSDs are quite pricey and you cannot get all the SSD's benefits on a PS3.

 

I think I might upgrade to a 7200rpm HDD if I can find an affordable one here in the UK. Any ideas where to buy from?

 

Thanks a lot for your help and comments!

[trevdaperv]

Amazon UK ?

[xade43]

Thanks. Found one in Amazon.co.uk, a WD Scorpio Black 160gb 7200rpm with 16mb cache. Any opinions about this HDD or its specs?

 

Thanks a lot!