the only way 2x can be faster is if you have loads of slow columns
(but then again as you say your explorer is much slower so there could be another problem there)
also keep in mind the delay loading feature. You can start working with x2 almost immediately, as soon as the wait cursor is turned to normal. It may seem that x2 is still busy but it won't interfere with your work
again this is an optimizationthe update is significantly slower. It can take up to one full second
instead of updating immediately when a change is sensed, x2 will wait for 1 second to see if there are any other relevant events coming and will then process everything in one stroke
this makes a lot of sense in large/slow folders