STS slow - any tips on speeding it up?

[SpringConsultant]

For a time I thought I was due for a faster machine (currently using quad core), but I've read on Stackoverflow of others with similar complaints, on a i7 machine.
This is what I observe: STS is slow. Switching from java to debug perspective takes forever. Switching between files in the java perspective is also slow.
I've unchecked all validations, with little improvement.

Do you have recommendations on speeding up STS? Would deactivating lesser-used features speed it up? Granted the tool is feature-rich but that ought to come at a price. Maybe you've managed to configure a nimble STS-light? Any tip on speeding STS up is welcome.