Hi... it's slow yes... if you don't configure it, right now it's as fast as I want it to be, go to Vidalia, click on the Network Map, and then sort nodes by connection speed... now open your torrc and add:
ExitNodes your,chosen,nodes,here,separated,by,commas
StrictNodes 1
Of course don't pick those ones from the top list, they will be all overused, try to pick at least 4, and try to pick nodes that are relatively near to your exit node. That way the connection is as direct as possible.
Tor will always be shitty if you use it with the defaults, you could do more than just download it and read the suggestions documents. Run a relay, so you don't leech the network (and it protects you that all the connections that passes through you aren't yours, in case of anything, it's the connection of other people always).
It can be fast, but you'll have to change some of your accustomed surfing usage. If you're like me, for sure you'll have 6 downloads and 20 tabs always opened. That'll have to change in pro of the "important things" to pass quickly. It isn't meant to be raw fast always, you just have to administer yourself, prioritise what you'll want in a given moment and you're good to go.
On a side note, don't use the "ExitNodes {NL}" (just an example) or the country code you want. It's guaranteed to NOT work at all. It's always better to tidy the paths you want, and change these every week or so. Safety and privacy, will always be an added overhead to your common tasks.
