I was a gnome 2 user with until ubuntu went to unity which I hated.
I now use LXDE and like how it is fast even with some of my older hardware.

If I have to use a Desktop Environment, it's Xfce.

I used to like Gnome, but Gnome 3 slows me down and can't be configured to do what I want.

Kde :)

Xfce!
 

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XFCE. Why?

GNOME3, Unity, KDE (sorry this always seems to crash on me and I feel weird using it)

Or I just fall back to GNOME2 like I have with current Debian install.

I used to be an a die hard xfce user, however upon playing around with lxde via a install of debian with lxdm/lxde as the de/dm i fell a\i love with the combination of the two and have not looked back to gnome or kde for the past 2.5 years. I started out as a newbie on Ubuntu back in the dapper drake days with gnome 2.0

I used to use GNOME exclusively...but now have switched to LXDE

Xfce was my lifesaver
 

That was the first DE I've ever used. Afterwards I've switched to Gnome because it's the Ubuntu default (although I've still had Xfce on a Debian machine) and I had much more powerful laptop for it than before; I was content with it, but then everything fell apart - Gnome 3 came and nothing was as it did before. So, I switched back to my old and trusty Xfce and it still works as great as it always did. And my (now old) laptop even works faster now. I've also discovered that, contrary to when I used Xfce on the laptop for the last time, the latest Xfce now has everything I need, so I don't think I'd switch away from it again.

All the active desktop environments available for linux:

GNOME
KDE SC
LXDE
XFCE
Mezzo
Étoilé
ROX Desktop
Project Looking
Sugar
EDE
UDE
Unity
Marble

XFCE very light...

if project bluebubble was an option, i wouldve voted for it.

XFCE suits me well, although tends to become a heavy DE.

Well, KDE surprisingly.
Slackware made me believe that KDE can be well implemented to consume less than 200MB RAM at idling. :D

Regards.

less than (sic) 200MB RAM at idling. What a beast!

I managed to get Debian kde4 idling at around 150MB RAM

Anyhow, for those that cannot 'afford' such RAM intensive desktop environments, go for an extremely light xfce, lxde (not my cup of tea, but others swear by it) or IMO the best solution a light window manager running Rox desktop. (icewm plus rox-desktop = less than 60 MB RAM)

Well Gnome2 was/is my all time favorite, but since its going away. I'm torn between xfce/lxde, along with Openbox, the others are for family members to use.

Mageia has Gnome2/Kde4 installed, I use G2 the most.

Salix have Xfce4 installed and I'm beginning to like it more and more.