Drag is a very big issue. Especially when having to go long distances. Drag is exponentially increased with speed so going twice the speed induces > 2x drag. IF I can carry the same weapons load internally, and not exposing the weapons to environmental effects at high speed and long duration, while not incurring the associated drag with external weapons, why would I not carry them internally. A practical demonstration of this can be to compare a UH-60M and an MH-60M (DAP). The DAP is several tens of knots slower than the "slick" Blackhawk, both due to weight, but more so the drag associated with all of the scabbed-on sensors and weapons.
The reasons the venerable Chinook can go faster than any other U.S. Army is installed power, and it has very little drag because everything is inside. When it does sling loads the Apache's are faster.