I wasn't a GIMP user until recently. I have downloaded version 2.6 and 2.8 In terms of interface, I prefer 2.8, but I'm not sure why is that version run much slower than 2.6 on my laptop. I'm not a tech savvy person, and I'm fine with version 2.6, I just want to know what is going on.
Here is my computer specs:
MacBook Pro 2013 (non-retina)
OS X version 10.8.3 Mountain Lion
2.9 GHz Intel Core i7
8GB RAM 1600MHz DDR 3
Intel HD Graphic 4000 (on board)
750GB 5400 rpm HDD
This is what happens when I move my image. And this is a 640x400 px resolution image. The only application running when I take this screenshot is my web browser. Needless to say, this kind of problem is more apparent with larger files, or when using 'heavier' tools.
![Image](http://gimpchat.com/files/3323_Screen%20Shot%202014-01-09%20at%203.09.24%20PM.png)
Could it be my graphic card is causing a bottleneck? I have heard that Intel graphic card sucks, but some also said that Intel HD 4000 is a big jump than 3000. Most people says that Intel graphic cards are not suitable for gaming, but I wonder if it's fine for image editing.
Or perhaps it's because of the HDD? My version of MacBook Pro doesn't come with SSD (which I find amazingly fast), but is a 5400 rpm HDD really that bad? Also, isn't when I'm using an application, the file is loaded to the application, which makes this rather irrelevant?
Or perhaps GIMP is actually a rather heavy application? I mean, I used Photoshop CS3 in my previous PC laptop with Dual Core processor and 4GB RAM, and it runs without this kind of lag... despite crashes occasionally when I do certain commands (perhaps something went wrong on installation, I used a pirated software, though), but it works smoothly in terms of moving and scaling images.
Or does GIMP tend to run slower on Mac somehow?