macOS feels slow but RAM/swap fine: check WindowServer

On a MacBook that feels choppy/blocky despite zero swap and plenty of free RAM, sample WindowServer CPU (ps -eo pcpu,comm sorted, multiple samples). Sustained 25-45% WindowServer means compositing overload, not resource exhaustion. Usual drivers: animated desktop widgets (Ubersicht/lava-lamp style), Chromium browsers with animated themes (Opera GX GPU helper), and macOS 26 Tahoe Liquid Glass amplifying all of it. Reduce Transparency in Accessibility settings is a quick mitigation. Also check pmset -g therm for throttling and ls Launch(Agents|Daemons) for PUP leftovers like iTop VPN before blaming hardware age.