Computer data storage company Western Digital recently confirmed that it is starting to ship out a new hard drive for the Raspberry Pi minicomputer system. The aptly named PiDrive has a 314GB storage capacity and sports a very slim form factor which makes it an ideal match with the diminutive computer.

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 One of the biggest hurdles Raspberry Pi users will have to face is the lack of storage options. They can use SD cards but it don't hold much data while USB drives requires too much power for a mini PC like the Raspberry Pi.

In a statement acquired by The Inquirer, WD Labs said, "The WD PiDrive 314 GB HDD is designed to support Raspberry Pi growth by addressing barriers to hard drive adoption such as affordability, power loading and system set-up."

The PiDrive provides the answers to all those questions as it will not overwhelm the Pi's power system and it is also fast enough to make full use of the USB connection. The PiDrive also has a special version of the BerryBoot, a multi-operational system tool that helps users to load the platform of their choice and stuff the storage space with apps. BerryBoot also allows users to load multiple programs or operating system into the drive at boot.

According to Engadget, interested users of the BerryBoot software can download the installer on Western Digital's official website.

The PiDrive is also available in 1TB models, although it comes with a $79.99 price tag. The 314GB currently has a promotional cost of $31, which although cheaper than the 1TB model, is still a bit expensive for a hard drive of with the capacity. The regular price of the 314GB PiDrive is $45.

The PiDrive was developed and manufactured by WDLabs, a division of Western Digital, together with Raspberry Pi. While not all external hard drives work with boards manufactured by Raspberry Pi, the PiDrives are fully compatible. The team behind it claims that they tweaked that hard drive's magnetic recording and electrical set points in order to reduce the power draw.

The PiDrive has a USB 3.0 interface which is fully compatible with the USB 2.0 port of the Raspberry Pi.