I'm reasonably technically agile around Windows XP.

I tried Redhat Linux a number of years ago. Decided to try Fedora 8.

No problem with installation (much slicker than Micorsoft O/S's). Used
pretty much a default configuration. Installed in a system previously
running XP Pro SP2.

System is ASUS P5N-E SLI, Core 2 Duo 6600, Geforce 7950GT / 512mb, 2gb
Corsair XM2, a fast Seagate ST3250410AS 250gb hard drive (previously
running XP, all partitions removed prior to install).

After Linux installed, it seemed much slower than XP. Programs loaded
slower, seemed like the network throughput was slower, web page
rendering was especially slower. After downloading and installing all
the updates, there was no improvement in performance. System monitor
shows plenty of memory available, CPU never breaks a sweat.

So what am I doing wrong? How can I tune it for better performance? Or
is this just a hardware set-up that isn't good for Fedora?

(I had to put the system back up on XP and need to use it that way for a
couple of weeks.)

TIA,

Chip