Western Digital VelociRaptor 300 GB

This is a 300GB 3.5" HDD on the SATA interface. At roughly $0.83 per gigabyte it sits in the high-end tier. Sequential throughput tops out at 550 MB/s reads and 520 MB/s writes, backed by 16MB of cache. SATA throughput caps near 550 MB/s — fine for game libraries and backups, slower for heavy scratch work.

Expect to pay around $249.95, which lands it among high-end options. PlanMyPC's builder flags compatibility problems automatically and adds the part's price to your build total. Support and warranty service run through Western Digital, with terms that vary by region. The full specification sheet below breaks out every listed detail, and the compatibility checker flags conflicts with parts already in your build.