Mac’s do run faster after a rebuild!!!

My mac pro recently started to get me concerned with its lack of responsiveness and thus I had to make a decision… I have always read that mac’s do not require rebuild and are usually self sufficient if you do the various maintenance tasks. I tried the permissions repair and ran a few utilities to ‘clean out’ the system…all to no avail.
Symptoms:
Sluggish Response
Would sometimes not sleep
Lots of Hard Drive Crunching
Strange issues rendering java based web pages
Configuration:
Mac Pro – Dual – Quad Core 3.0ghz – 12gb Ram
Main HD: Velociraptor 300gb
Second HD: SATA 500gb
Video – NVidia Geforce 8800 x 2
Various Software – But Nothing Out of the ordinary.
Decision:
Rebuild the entire OS and reinstall all applications.
NOTE: Backup all Data, De-Authorize iTunes, Etc.
Read On for the process and final result….
Before I begin it should be duly noted that I did have regular time machine backups and all of my data is backed up at 3 locations so as to avoid any loss what so ever. I decided against using my time machine backup because whatever it was that was causing my woes was probably in that image….no need to go back to the old once I know my data is secured.
The process was quite simple. I first took a screenshot of my applications folder to remind me what various applications I had purchased and installed…this way you never forget to install software that you will need at some point when its crunch time. After I made sure all of my data was backed up and my iTunes (very important) was de-authorized I went on to start a full rebuild with my Mac Pro OS X 10.5.2 discs. I inserted disc 1 and restarted the machine…which hung up on me (thus the rebuild). Once the machine restarted I held down the C key on the keyboard to boot from the CD. The OS X installer came up rather quickly and I proceeded to the Disk Utility so that I could format my Velociraptor 300gb hdd…I wanted it 100% clean. Once complete I proceeded to install the OS (1 hour) and then go through the rituals of updating etc…..(another 1hr). Updates are necessary, and according to me should be done before you start installing your software.
The above process was quite simple and my Mac Pro was already running at-least 50% faster and now more responsive to restart commands, etc. Voila. Now on to installing my barrage of software and trying to ascertain if my problems re-appear. The software install process is one that takes a LOT of time…hours to be specific. I took my time, installing one application suite after another, running updates, making my usual configuration changes, my default personal view settings, etc… So far so good and this MAC was running better then it had since the day it was purchased. I think the decision to rebuild was a good one and my problems have been resolved.
The reason I posted this entry to the site is because you will often hear MAC technologists speak of the rock solid OS X performance and the fact that it is not plagued by ‘rebuilds’. In-Correct – a MAC is a computer and its operating system (like any other) will eventually get bogged down. It needs a clean up, like any other. Most users will never know how good or bad their system is running until they do a rebuild like this……the improvement is noticeable very very quickly.
I am not recommending that you run out and rebuild your entire OS X machine, but if you are having strange problems and spending hours trying to ascertain why…..go ahead…back up your data and rebuild your computer. The end result will amaze you … as it has me!

Please share your experiences with MAC OS X in the comments….it is important for me to know whats happening with others.  Thanks.