Best External Hard Drive for PS3: Top 7 Picks for 2024

Roxanne updated on Jan 11, 2024 to Knowledge Center | How-to Articles

What is the best external hard drive for PS3? We will introduce the best four external hard drives for PlayStation 3, which can help you to choose a better one.

As we know, the PlayStation 3 is a home video game console developed by Sony, which can connect to either an external or internal hard drive. However, the external hard drive is relatively cheap. And the PS3 host only supports 500G on the internal hard drive, while the external hard drive can provide up to 1T or larger. Therefore, this research-based article will introduce the best external hard drive for PS3 and focus on choosing a better one. So read this article, and choose the best external hard drive you need for PS3 hard drive upgrade.

How to Choose an External Hard Drive for PS3

Before going through the best external hard drive for PS3, we need to know what we should take into consideration while selecting external hard drives. The four standards on the best external hard drive for PS3 will help us decide which one is better:

  • Capacity: We need an external hard drive for PS3 in order to have bigger storage. So capacity is our top priority when choosing the external hard drive.
  • Price: Needless to say, everyone wants an external hard drive with powerful functions but at a low price. In this article, the price of each product is marked below. 
  • Interface: The type of interface varies from each other, such as USB 2.0 vs. 3.0. Except that there are USB 1.1, USB 3.0, 3.2 Gen 2, and Type-C interfaces. Choose the interface fit to your PS3, or you will need to use an adopter.
  • Portable or Desktop: A portable hard drive is small and easy to carry, while a desktop hard drive is larger and is usually used in a stationary computer setup. Furthermore, a portable hard drive is charged through USB, so they don't need an external power source. 

Best External Hard Drive for PS3

Finding the best external hard drive is challenging since many products are in the market. Don't worry. We choose the following seven external hard drives, which have been tested and reviewed, to help you select the best one for PS3 without wasting time:

  1. WD Gaming Drive
  2. BIPRA External Portable Hard Drive
  3. Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk External Hard Drive
  4. WD My Passport 1TB Portable External Hard Drive
  5. Digistor 500GB Portable Hard Drive
  6. Digistor 1TB Portable Hard Drive
  7. Samsung - T7 Shield 2TB External USB 3.2 Gen 2 Rugged SSD IP65

Let's get straight to the case and learn about them in detail.

1. WD Black P50 Game Drive

The operating capabilities of the WD Black P50 Game Drive are combined with read speeds up to 2000MB/s. And it can spend less time on accelerating the startup process to save more time chasing victory on an external SSD for gaming. In addition, the WD Black P50 Game Drive is designed to work with Windows or Mac computers and gaming consoles like PS3.

Specifications

  • Type: Portable
  • Storage Type: HDD
  • Capacity: 500GB to 4TB
  • Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2
  • Read Speed: 2,000MB/s
  • Warranty: 3 years
  • Price: start at $129
Pros: Cons:
  • With 4TB of added storage, there's no need to clear room for new games.
  • Offering dependable, optimized speed boosts, a 5-year limited warranty, stability, and expansion.
  • The interface of the WD Black P50 Game Drive is USB 3.2 Gen 2, which sometimes will need an adopter.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/WD_BLACK-1TB-Game-Drive-WDBA3S0010BBK-WESN/dp/B07YFGTDV4?th=1

2. BIPRA External Portable Hard Drive

Bipra portable USB drives offer compact, lightweight storage solutions with one-click backup software. Equipped with USB 2.0 for fast data transfer rates. The aluminum enclosure works on two levels: it helps protect your data and gives the hard drive a sophisticated look. The aluminum enclosure is rugged but light enough to move easily, ensuring that your data always reaches its destination. It can be formatted in FAT32 for Windows, Mac, and PS3.

Specifications

  • Type: Portable
  • Storage Type: HDD
  • Capacity: 320GB to 2.5TB
  • Interface: USB 1.1
  • Warranty: 1 year
  • Price: start at $20
Pros: Cons:
  • Bipra portable USB drive offers various types of capacity.
  • The price is low compared with other products.
  • One-click backup software for Windows only.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Bipra-External-Portable-Drive-Software/dp/B0047HNEM8?th=1

3. Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk External Hard Drive

The Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk external drive delivers high-capacity storage, backup, and encryption for all files. Pair the drive with the included USB 3.0 desktop adapter or upgrade to FireWire 800/USB 2.0 GoFlex Desk desktop adapter. The GoFlex Desk drive works interchangeably between a PC and Mac computer and can be set vertically or horizontally, complementing any desktop environment.

Specifications

  • Type: Portable
  • Storage Type: HDD
  • Capacity: 2TB
  • Interface: USB 1.1
  • Read Speed: 480 MB/s
  • Warranty: 2 years
  • Price: start at $186
Pros: Cons:
  • Offers both vertical and horizontal drive orientation.
  • Easy-to-use preloaded backup and encryption software.
  • The most expensive among the seven products with similar performance.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-FreeAgent-GoFlex-External-STAC2000101/dp/B004S6YH5G

4. WD My Passport 1TB Portable External Hard Drive

This USB drive provides plug-and-play simplicity with the included 18-inch USB 3.0 cable. It can also back up yesterday's memories and today's documents, even on the go. 

Specifications

  • Type: Portable
  • Storage Type: HDD
  • Capacity: 1TB
  • Interface: USB 3.0/2.0
  • Read Speed: 120 MB/s
  • Warranty: 2 years
  • Price: $61
Pros: Cons:
  • Easily store and access 2TB of content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive
  • No software is required while connecting the portable hard drive to a computer.
  • Read speed is slower than other external hard drives.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=WD+My+Passport+1TB+Portable+External+Hard+Drive

5. Digistor 500GB Portable Hard Drive

The Digistor 500GB Portable Hard Drive is compatible with PlayStation 3, with a 500 GB data capacity external hard drive for storing PS3 movies, music, and photos on the device. It can transfer data via USB 3.0 / 2.0 ports. You can easily carry your data anywhere you want without having to carry the entire laptop. The Digistor is shock resistant and can survive a fall of about 1 meter high.

Specifications

  • Type: Portable
  • Storage Type: HDD
  • Capacity: 500GB
  • Interface: USB 3.0/2.0
  • Warranty: 3 years
  • Price: $20
Pros: Cons:
  • Compatible - Share files with both PC and Mac.
  • It is cheap and has a three-year warranty.
  • 500GB drive space cannot download large files.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Digistor+500GB+Portable+Hard+Drive

6. Digistor 1TB Portable Hard Drive

As you can see, Digistor 1TB Portable Hard Drive has no other differences but has a larger capacity than Digistor 500GB Portable Hard Drive.

Specifications

  • Type: Portable
  • Storage Type: HDD
  • Capacity: 1TB
  • Interface: USB 3.0/2.0
  • Warranty: 3 years
  • Price: $40

Purchase Link:  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Digistor+1TB+Portable+Hard+Drive

7. Samsung - T7 Shield 2TB External USB 3.2 Gen 2 Rugged SSD IP65

The SAMSUNG T7 Shield 2TB Portable SSD is an outstanding storage solution for anyone in need of reliable and fast data storage. This SSD is incredibly speedy, with a read and write speed of up to 1050MB/s, making it a great choice for people working with large files, such as video editors or photographers. T7 Shield is compatible with PCs, Macs, gaming consoles, and more. Extend 1 TB or 2 TB of massive space.

Specifications

  • Type: Portable
  • Storage Type: HDD
  • Capacity: 2TB
  • Interface: USB 3.2 Gen.2
  • Read Speed: 1,050 MB/s
  • Warranty: 3 years
  • Price: $129
Pros: Cons:
  • Rugged durability: rugged SSD IP65 is tough because of an IP65 rating dust and water resistance.
  • Keep cool at high speed: the high-tech rubber exterior can control heat to maintain steady performance.
  • Compared with other 2TB external hard drives, the SAMSUNG T7 Shield 2TB Portable SSD is more expensive.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Samsung+-+T7+Shield+2TB+External+USB+3.2+Gen+2+Rugged+SSD+IP65

Conclusion

After learning about the top 7 external hard drives for PS3, it can be concluded that all have their advantages and disadvantages. Depending upon your budget and requirements, any of the above-mentioned hard drives can be the best external hard drive for PS3.

  • For large storage capacity - choose Samsung - T7 Shield 2TB External USB 3.2 Gen 2 Rugged SSD IP65 and Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk External Hard Drive.
  • For the most affordable - choose Digistor 500GB Portable Hard Drive and BIPRA External Portable Hard Drive.
  • For the read speed - choose Samsung - T7 Shield 2TB External USB 3.2 Gen 2 Rugged SSD IP65 and Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk External Hard Drive.

There is no one-for-all best external hard drive because people who make a choice are different from each other. I hope this article can help you make the right decision.