I am not sure if this is the same for other people.
But I run Windows 7, on a Core 2 E6750, 4 gig ram.
But a battle between 8 ships can last 3-4 hours, the majority of the time is due to missiles, every 5 seconds there is a launch and the AI launches seem to go on forever, each 5 sec increment is 20-30 secs long, waiting for the next 5 sec increment.
Also there seem to be an action every 5 seconds, such as a new thermal or a counter launch and automatic turns only help every once in a while.
1) is 20-30 secs usuals everyone elses wait time.
2) is there anything I can do to make it easier on myself instead of a million time clicking the 5 sec interval.