• The hard drive stores the data on a computer.hard drive interior image by Curtis Sorrentino from Fotolia.com
  
  It's cheaper to upgrade a hard drive than it is to buy a new computer. You or a computer professional can install a new hard drive in less than an hour. Just as you need a strong engine in your car, you need a speedy, reliable, and energy-efficient hard drive in your computer, one with enough space for your files and software.
  
  

Space

• High quality music and video files take up large amounts of hard drive space.folder: music image by Marina Bartel from Fotolia.com
  
  Manufacturers release larger hard drives every year. Upgrading an older hard drive will provide you with more space for more software, games, videos, photos and documents. Depending on the size of your old hard drive, you might need a new and larger drive to meet system requirements for running a new operating system or upgrading other software.
  
  

Speed

• Boosting your drive's speed will also boost your computer's performance.race cars image by Warren Rosenberg from Fotolia.com
  
  Just as hard drives increase in size when new models come out, drives have also become faster over time. The speed boost you receive from upgrading a hard drive won't be as noticeable as the amount of new storage space a new drive offers, but a faster drive will increase computer performance. Software and large files should load faster.
  
  

Reliability

• Avoid the hassle of data loss by upgrading a hard disk before it dies.computer problems image by kuhar from Fotolia.com
  
  Hard drives become less reliable as they grow older. Waiting for your current drive to fail before upgrading to a new one puts your data at risk. If the old drive fails, you could lose your files.
  
  

Energy

• Upgrade an old hard drive to an environmentally friendly model that uses less energy.Pine Trees image by Antonio Oquias from Fotolia.com
  
  Hard drive manufacturers compete to produce the biggest and fastest hard drives. They also compete to produce the most energy-efficient drives. Hard drives are available that consume as much as 40 percent less energy than old models.