Weld, Trim, Etc...

Anyone else get MAJOR lag with these tools? I am current trying to "distress" a vector object using a wood grain fill (converted to black and white, tone curve, then vector etc.) but each time I do this it can take up to an hour to finish, if it finishes at all without becoming unresponsive. I'm pretty sure its my hardware but honestly I keep upgrading and see no improvement. 

System Info: 

Window's 7 

Processor: AMD FX 4300 Quad 3.8 GHz

RAM: 2x8gb 1600 

Pretty new to design but I'm tech savvy when it comes to computers so don't be afraid to throw so tech info at me. If all else fails their is always google! 

Thanks