Would an external HD speed things up?

Perseus

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I currently have a dual 500 mhz G4 etc, with a 30 gig HD. I am using 27 gigs, so I have roughly 3.2 gigs left. My comp is really starting to run slowly, I was wondering if I purchase an external HD, and put all of my stuff on there, and completely wipeout the HD on the computer, would that speed things up at all?
 
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Added 14 Oct 2005, 21.27.

Would an external HD speed things up?, not if you continued to boot from the 30 GB internal hard disk drive, hdd. Yes, if you booted from the external Firewire hdd; however, it is best to boot primarily from an internal hdd.

Suggestions follow ...
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'... a dual 500 mhz G4 etc, with a 30 gig HD. I am using 27 gigs, so I have roughly 3.2 gigs left.', vvvvverryyyy interesting!; since the dual 500 MHz PowerPC G4 PowerMac shipped with a 40 GB IBM hdd.

' etc ' is non helpful in an original post. Providing the current, and any intended future System / MacOS X installation, is helpful.

While adding an external hdd is possible, with respect to using MacOS X on the internal boot drive - it is a better choice to purchase a hdd of less than 130 GB (such as the Western Digital 120 GB, model number: WD1200JB [note the 'J' in WD1200JB, if you see a WD1200BB - do not get it, it has only a 2 MB RAM buffer, whereas the 'JB' has an 8 MB RAM buffer]) and install it internally - an use it as the 'primary' boot drive.

You can place up to three (< 130 GB) hdds in the dual 500 MHz. Two in the hdd bay, where the 30 GB hdd is currently (the 30 GB is current configured as 'master', the additional drive can be set a 'slave' [you can wire them oppositely; but, you will have to place the 120 GB on the bottom and the 30 GB above it]), and a third (configured as a 'slave') in the zip drive bay beneath the DVD-RAM drive.
Actually, two more hdds can be added internally, as long as - you install a PCI to SCSI or PCI to ATA / IDE card.

By adding a 120 GB hdd (as the 'master') and leaving the 30 GB hdd (as a 'slave') you can install a new System / MacOS X on the 120 GB drive, and still have access to the contents on the 30 GB ('slave') drive. Naturally, as time goes on - you can install additional (less than 130 GB) hdds; maybe, moving the 30 GB to an external Firewire enclosure.

How do I know the above?, I performed such installations - including, replacing the DVD-RAM drive with a Pioneer DVR-106D. Also, I am, at this moment, partitioning the dual 500 MHz PPC G4 PM's original 40 GB IBM into three partitions (2 - 9.54 GB partitions, and 1 - 19.08 GB partition) in an external Firewire enclosure.

Note 'primary' boot drive and 'master' are not the same.
You can keep the 30 GB hdd as the 'master', install the 120 GB hdd as a 'slave', and yet install a System / MacOS X on the 120 GB hdd and make it your 'primary' boot drive.
However, by placing the 30 GB 'on top' (and thus configuring it as the 'slave') will allow easier access in the future to replace it - with a larger capacity hdd.

But why the 120 GB as the master? (you may ask). Well, with respect to MacOS X - there will be virtual memory swapfiles in excess of 1 GB created, as well as - many many cache and log files created over the course of the Mac's use. While some versions of MacOS X properly manage the just mentioned files, there will be times when the files consume hdd space until handled by the OS itself, or via you - with various utility software, and / or script files. Then there are the files you download; applications and peripheral drivers you install; etc.
 
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