External HDD USB Powered Or Wall Powered?

[Llannccee]

I have a Bc Fat ps3 and im wanting to run games of an external hdd. Can i just buy a portable 2tb hdd or does it need and external power supply. How searched the internet and keep getting conflicting answers.

 

[master801]

Depends on the external hard drive type. If it's a portable (2.5") hard drive, you should be fine with a Y-cable. If it's a desktop (3.5") hard drive, use an external power supply.

I don't recommend using an external hard drive without using either. The console may not send enough power to the hard drive if not using a Y-cable or external power supply.

Overall however, I recommend using an external power supply if you can.

 

[Eveldee]

I use a 2.5" HDD with a single USB cable for both my PS3 and Wii and didn't get any issue in years, of course power usage are different even among 2.5" disks. Both the disks I use are from laptop and they work fine

 

[puch666]

I'm also using 2.5" portable usb disks and works fine without extra power or cable.
The only issue is that some usb disks (Toshiba in my case) get in sleep mode after 2 minutes (i think) without access. This is a problem in some games. It causes issues and freezes.
There's a hack in some CFWs that keep the disk "awake" sending a read command every few secs. Maybe you should check this before buy one.

 

[godreborn]

The ps3 isn't like the wiiu. Both it and the 360 don't need a y-cable. Just don't plug more than one hdd in the same port at the same time or you'll likely kill both hdds instantly. There's a notification error that will pop up if you're taxing the usb ports btw.