i just bought a new samsung desktop HDD 2tb usb 3.0.
so iv had never wither running on the xbox originl hdd since release and last night i thought what the hell, i decided to move my neverwinter game to the external HDD and since doing so the fps has improved so much i can run around town now without jerking about on my horse:) and yes i know the difference between lag and frame rate the game loads faster and just feels smoother overall
this is the HDD i got sorry if im not allowed to post it
http://www.cclonline.com/product/112781/HX-D201TDB/G/External-Storage/Samsung-D3-Station-STSHX-D201TDB-2TB-Hard-Drive-USB-3-0-Black-External-/BAK3721/
Comments
USB 3.0 can transfer data at up to 5 Gbit/s = 625 MB/s
So USB should be faster than your HD, most external HD won't reach that speed unless its a higher end HD or SSD, but what you are experiencing is lag/rubber banding which is server/internet speed related not HD. So yes the external HD theoretically is faster when running games.
per reapermech86, hold the power button for at least 10secs, alternately unplug power for 30-60secs. when you restart you wil see the Xbox starting up scratch, rather than stored image.
This ^^^^^ Plus you can also look at the white light on the power supply, it should turn orange(ish) when it has actually stop powering the xbox console. That means its ok to unplug, you could pull the plug earlier but I would wait for the light to switch.