Here is an idea you might use to distinguish yourself from the pack -- internal defragging.
1. Sort the MFT internally by last access date so that the most recently accessed files are at the end. This way new files and frequently used entries will be contiguous and hence efficiently cached in RAM.
2. Sort the directories internally by last access date so that the the most recently accessed files are at the end.
This also packs out dead entries.
You would have to do this at boot time. To make it safe, you build a new MFT and new directory tree, then when they are built, hook them up in two writes. That way if you abort, there is no harm done.