To our knowledge, the fastest hardware you can get your hands on is any fat PS3 with a fast SSD (high read/write speed). While the PS3's SATA port is capped 300MB/s r/w, you want a fast SSD to consistently stay above this threshold to have consistently fast performance.

Brands do matter; i.e. Samsung is always a safe bet. Stray away from OCZ SSDs. There are plenty of guides out there, detailing how to install an SSD into a PS3; a quick google search should be all you need.

#General list of speediness ##PS3 Fat (any) > Slim (any) > Super Slim (any) SSD (high r/w) > 7200RPM HDD > 5400RPM HDD (standard)

##Game Digital > Disc Korean (NTSC-J) > American (NTSC-U) > European++ (PAL)

My PS3's model number is CECHK04 (PAL) and my SSD is a Samsung 850 EVO 120GB (540/520 r/w). With optimal reset technique this gives high 38s/low 39s (without H&S), timing from opening the PS menu/last bass string to the 1st frame back in the safehouse.

#Reset technique: Exit out as early as possible On PS3, as long as the auto save animation has started, you're good to exit out of the game. The autosave animation starts as a black line on the right side of the screen, and moves quickly to the left side before displaying the thievius raccoonus with your current percentage. You can start to hold the PS-button slightly before the signature appears on the job complete screen to exit out as early as possible. I recommend to look at the bottom right corner to see if it starts displaying the autosave animation when resetting.

#Tips/optimizations ##Main menu resolution equal to the game's resolution The game caps out at 720p60, and unless you're using an SD capture card or something, you'll have it at 720p60. To minimize the changes the PS3 has to make every time you exit the game, set your main menu resolution to 720p. Display Settings -> Video Output Settings -> (your output connector) -> Custom -> Highest checked resolution should be 720p.

##Get rid of unnecessary stuff Auto logged into PSN? Why? Custom theme/fancy settings for your main menu? Why? 120 games installed? Why? Have a game disc in your PS3? Why?