Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 500 GB

This is a 500GB 2.5" HDD on the SATA interface. Sequential throughput tops out at 550 MB/s reads and 520 MB/s writes, backed by 8MB of cache. At roughly $0.1 per gigabyte it sits in the mid-range tier. SATA throughput caps near 550 MB/s — fine for game libraries and backups, slower for heavy scratch work.

At $50.00 it sits in the mid-range drive bracket. Drop it into the PlanMyPC builder to check compatibility with the rest of your parts and compare current drive prices across retailers. Support and warranty service run through Hitachi, with terms that vary by region.