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LXDE is faster, the main reason being that it uses Openbox as its window manager, which is smaller and quicker than XFWM. Its components are also smaller, making them quick as well.
However, be aware that you'll be making a sacrifice for the extra speed. The LXDE components are very minimalistic, meaning you'll have less convenience with those tools. If you're a newer Linux user, you may find that the components are lacking features that you're used to having.
If you're using a fairly recent computer, you probably won't notice the difference between the two. But if you're using a netbook or a very old machine, LXDE is probably your best choice.
I think the choice depends on what configuration you need to do. The desktops give you GUI tools, the window managers expect you to edit files; but the files are laid out, with comments, to make them easy to edit. LXDE tends to fall between two stools. Some things can be configured by GUI, but if you have to edit a file (e.g. to set keyboard shortcuts for launching programs) it's not easy to see how it works.
Actual comparative data (all for Salix):
Xfce: 118 tasks running in ca 100MB
LXDE: 104 tasks running in ca 80MB
Fluxbox: 97 tasks running in ca 70MB
Icewm: 69 tasks running in ca 60MB
For a comparison
KDE in Mepis: 127 tasks running in ca 250MB
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