I've been following this thread, well, for since it started. I have 3/4 gig memory, 1gig processor, it's an old machine. Tried KDE 4.5 2010 Full Monty (loved it), LXDE (good but couldn't get one outside ap to run [I know no outside ap's, it's a password manager called Dragon, and I gotta have it]).
Well I popped in Gnome, updated it, solved a problem in Skype (I use a c260 logitech, plus headphones - need a tweak) and fell in love with Gnome version. Found out that like KDE 3.5 I had to delete pulseaudio to get Skype to work with my card & usb camera.
The short of this long story is for me the 3.5 was the bee's knees. But, I finally upgraded to another GUI, and it's Gnome. At least now I won't have to worry about the 3.5 KDE repro. So if you were in my shoes, you might like to try Gnome. I added just a few KDE I needed (well just Open Office). It is working out good for me. And, I hope this post helps out another. Have a great day!
