I just picked up a new system about the same time I started using 09. It's a Dell, Intel Core 2 Duo E7500, 3ghz and 3 GB of ram. I don't get to have any say in the computers I get, so I wasn't exactly happy with this machine since it came loaded with Windows 7 and half of the programs I use were not even compatible with the system. The IT guy stripped this machine down and load XP back on it. But 09 still has these issues in it. I'm not running any strange lisp programs, just some very simple ones that I have had for like 6 years now. The network connection is pretty good, so I don't think it is that.