I'd be more than glad if we sacrificed new sign ups and the search feature for a faster server. It's not like new members bring anything interesting to the table.
The lag issues have certainly impacted the number of posts I personally have per day. I don't even bother to come on sometimes because I know it will be miserably slow.
The lagging is what causes a lot of people to avoid posting or even reading threads and the search function should be disabled for a while if that guarantees a faster forum.
Not having new members makes it seem like ATRL is fading. Old members post less and less and without new members joining to make up for the lack of posters posting regularly, it seems the site is fading.