Storage

The PlayStation 3 comes with a 20GB hard drive in its basic configuration. If you get the Premium model like this one, it will come with a 60GB hard drive instead. The hard drive is located at the side of the console (or the bottom, if you are placing the PlayStation 3 vertically) and is protected by a plastic cover.

Now, you are probably thinking that Sony, being Sony, would use a fancy proprietary hard drive, or at least rig the PlayStation 3 to use only official Sony hard drives that they can charge at insane prices (remember the XBOX 360's 20GB hard drive for $100?). Well, we are really happy to tell you that inside the chassis is a hard drive that YOU can replace with just about any notebook hard drive with a SATA interface!

To access the hard drive, the first thing you have to do is to pry off the plastic cover. Gently, mind you, as it's not very tough. Once that plastic cover is off, you will see a hard drive caddy with a bright blue screw and a handle on a hinge.

Simply unscrew the bright blue one (yes, the one under the handle) and now you can remove the hard drive. See the gap towards the right? Use the handle and push it in that direction. The hard drive will slide to the side, unhooking it from the SATA connector. Now, go ahead and yank the hard drive out. Be gentle though, it is a hard drive, not a wrench.

Are you guys ready to meet what everyone presumed to be a proprietary hard drive? Behold! Meet the 60GB Seagate Momentus 5400.2 ST96812AS notebook hard drive.

Here are the specifications of the ST96812AS hard drive :

• 8 MB cache buffer
• SATA 1.5Gb/s NCQ interface
• Low power consumption for maximum battery life
• QuietStep ramp load technology for improved durability and inaudible load and unload acoustics
• 5400-RPM spin speed
• Rugged mobility
• 5-year warranty

For more information on the Seagate Momentus 5400.2, take a look at our comprehensive review!

Don't like the hard drive? Well, very unlike Sony, they have given you the option of changing it to something else (higher capacity, anyone?). You are free to swap out the hard drive with any SATA hard drive of your choice.

I, for one, applaud this move as it gives the customer the freedom to change hard drives especially when higher capacity drives come around. By not getting into the business of daylight robbery (come on, if 100 bucks for 20GB isn't daylight robbery, I don't know what is), they will strike high notes with PS3 users.