I use the above server at home and the real/full edition at work. I have the same database at home and office (small one).
My home computer is i7/4GB/single 2.5" SATA2 HD.
My office computer is i3/8GB/1GB Single 3.5" SATA2 HD.
The office server runs the same queries faster.
Any suggestions regarding how to manually configure the express edition to work faster?
If you are using it for development only, then install developer edition on your home machine, has the same specs as enterprise edition and is free with MSDN subscription or about $50 otherwise.