diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index 107bda8ebcbb4c2eb039083900d8d38b4912d044..98592af21906cf23560c671055bc96604fa57a0d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ v 7.8.0 (unreleased)
   - Make sure Markdown previews always use the same styling as the eventual destination.
   - Remove deprecated Group#owner_id from API
   - Show projects user contributed to on user page. Show stars near project on user page.
+  - Improve database performance for GitLab
 
 v 7.7.2
   - Update GitLab Shell to version 2.4.2 that fixes a bug when developers can push to protected branch
diff --git a/app/controllers/dashboard_controller.rb b/app/controllers/dashboard_controller.rb
index 9e59264e41836bbd7703289c72f418b7ee7a0d69..eca7b39bcdfb41bb9c6ef26b2411d3a9a092d867 100644
--- a/app/controllers/dashboard_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/dashboard_controller.rb
@@ -12,11 +12,7 @@ class DashboardController < ApplicationController
     @groups = current_user.authorized_groups.order_name_asc
     @has_authorized_projects = @projects.count > 0
     @projects_count = @projects.count
-    @projects = @projects.limit(@projects_limit)
-
-    @events = Event.in_projects(current_user.authorized_projects.pluck(:id))
-    @events = @event_filter.apply_filter(@events)
-    @events = @events.limit(20).offset(params[:offset] || 0)
+    @projects = @projects.includes(:namespace).limit(@projects_limit)
 
     @last_push = current_user.recent_push
 
@@ -24,8 +20,16 @@ class DashboardController < ApplicationController
 
     respond_to do |format|
       format.html
-      format.json { pager_json("events/_events", @events.count) }
-      format.atom { render layout: false }
+
+      format.json do
+        load_events
+        pager_json("events/_events", @events.count)
+      end
+
+      format.atom do
+        load_events
+        render layout: false
+      end
     end
   end
 
@@ -74,4 +78,10 @@ class DashboardController < ApplicationController
   def load_projects
     @projects = current_user.authorized_projects.sorted_by_activity.non_archived
   end
+
+  def load_events
+    @events = Event.in_projects(current_user.authorized_projects.pluck(:id))
+    @events = @event_filter.apply_filter(@events).with_associations
+    @events = @events.limit(20).offset(params[:offset] || 0)
+  end
 end
diff --git a/app/controllers/groups_controller.rb b/app/controllers/groups_controller.rb
index aad3709090e0b038cd73290a6b951a447235b8b8..d011523c94f0e2425c7e6054d1f939e949a2e590 100644
--- a/app/controllers/groups_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/groups_controller.rb
@@ -10,11 +10,11 @@ class GroupsController < ApplicationController
 
   # Load group projects
   before_filter :load_projects, except: [:new, :create, :projects, :edit, :update]
+  before_filter :event_filter, only: :show
+  before_filter :set_title, only: [:new, :create]
 
   layout :determine_layout
 
-  before_filter :set_title, only: [:new, :create]
-
   def new
     @group = Group.new
   end
@@ -32,15 +32,21 @@ class GroupsController < ApplicationController
   end
 
   def show
-    @events = Event.in_projects(project_ids)
-    @events = event_filter.apply_filter(@events)
-    @events = @events.limit(20).offset(params[:offset] || 0)
     @last_push = current_user.recent_push if current_user
+    @projects = @projects.includes(:namespace)
 
     respond_to do |format|
       format.html
-      format.json { pager_json("events/_events", @events.count) }
-      format.atom { render layout: false }
+
+      format.json do
+        load_events
+        pager_json("events/_events", @events.count)
+      end
+
+      format.atom do
+        load_events
+        render layout: false
+      end
     end
   end
 
@@ -149,4 +155,10 @@ class GroupsController < ApplicationController
   def group_params
     params.require(:group).permit(:name, :description, :path, :avatar)
   end
+
+  def load_events
+    @events = Event.in_projects(project_ids)
+    @events = event_filter.apply_filter(@events).with_associations
+    @events = @events.limit(20).offset(params[:offset] || 0)
+  end
 end
diff --git a/app/controllers/projects_controller.rb b/app/controllers/projects_controller.rb
index 462ab3d4749596787cbdc497adb6233cb0211f3b..b0fde88babc9ac5cc83518e0749d3aa313ec4cd8 100644
--- a/app/controllers/projects_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/projects_controller.rb
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@ class ProjectsController < ApplicationController
 
   # Authorize
   before_filter :authorize_admin_project!, only: [:edit, :update, :destroy, :transfer, :archive, :unarchive]
+  before_filter :set_title, only: [:new, :create]
+  before_filter :event_filter, only: :show
 
   layout 'navless', only: [:new, :create, :fork]
-  before_filter :set_title, only: [:new, :create]
 
   def new
     @project = Project.new
@@ -56,9 +57,6 @@ class ProjectsController < ApplicationController
     end
 
     limit = (params[:limit] || 20).to_i
-    @events = @project.events.recent
-    @events = event_filter.apply_filter(@events)
-    @events = @events.limit(limit).offset(params[:offset] || 0)
 
     @show_star = !(current_user && current_user.starred?(@project))
 
@@ -76,7 +74,12 @@ class ProjectsController < ApplicationController
         end
       end
 
-      format.json { pager_json('events/_events', @events.count) }
+      format.json do
+        @events = @project.events.recent
+        @events = event_filter.apply_filter(@events).with_associations
+        @events = @events.limit(limit).offset(params[:offset] || 0)
+        pager_json('events/_events', @events.count)
+      end
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/app/controllers/users_controller.rb b/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
index e4f588c6a6007519fbbb96c1020a2a19a6e01a87..8c5605c8b4b19b20d55aeeeb37ec7b1a7243a129 100644
--- a/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
@@ -9,17 +9,18 @@ class UsersController < ApplicationController
     authorized_projects_ids = visible_projects.pluck(:id)
 
     @contributed_projects = Project.where(id: authorized_projects_ids).
-      in_group_namespace
+      in_group_namespace.includes(:namespace)
 
     @projects = @user.personal_projects.
-      where(id: authorized_projects_ids)
+      where(id: authorized_projects_ids).includes(:namespace)
 
     # Collect only groups common for both users
     @groups = @user.groups & GroupsFinder.new.execute(current_user)
 
     # Get user activity feed for projects common for both users
     @events = @user.recent_events.
-      where(project_id: authorized_projects_ids).limit(30)
+      where(project_id: authorized_projects_ids).
+      with_associations.limit(30)
 
     @title = @user.name
     @title_url = user_path(@user)
diff --git a/app/helpers/application_helper.rb b/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
index e45f4650309d3632eb1176d1dd6b877d7f0cabbc..f65c5335a626177bc2cfb085adbb9cf0760a9419 100644
--- a/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
@@ -51,7 +51,13 @@ module ApplicationHelper
   end
 
   def project_icon(project_id, options = {})
-    project = Project.find_with_namespace(project_id)
+    project =
+      if project_id.is_a?(Project)
+        project = project_id
+      else
+        Project.find_with_namespace(project_id)
+      end
+
     if project.avatar.present?
       image_tag project.avatar.url, options
     elsif project.avatar_in_git
diff --git a/app/models/event.rb b/app/models/event.rb
index cae7f0be85b4b8be0127bc5a55ac2e64f146a25a..5579ab1dbb0e665db7e93f314895f5b6f9c15b98 100644
--- a/app/models/event.rb
+++ b/app/models/event.rb
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ class Event < ActiveRecord::Base
   scope :recent, -> { order("created_at DESC") }
   scope :code_push, -> { where(action: PUSHED) }
   scope :in_projects, ->(project_ids) { where(project_id: project_ids).recent }
+  scope :with_associations, -> { includes(project: :namespace) }
 
   class << self
     def reset_event_cache_for(target)
diff --git a/app/views/dashboard/_activities.html.haml b/app/views/dashboard/_activities.html.haml
index fdf96dd6f562c577a50b6f0ded048e4a0edb1abe..c1fc1602d0a2a4bea19efffb85df499d9836c229 100644
--- a/app/views/dashboard/_activities.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/dashboard/_activities.html.haml
@@ -1,9 +1,4 @@
 = render "events/event_last_push", event: @last_push
 = render 'shared/event_filter'
-
-- if @events.any?
-  .content_list
-- else
-  .nothing-here-block Projects activity will be displayed here
-
+.content_list
 = spinner
diff --git a/app/views/dashboard/_project.html.haml b/app/views/dashboard/_project.html.haml
index f0fb2c1881b999523265be8c785fb55585135ca1..fa9179cb249e888e8e669f219669f1cb30d3b19b 100644
--- a/app/views/dashboard/_project.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/dashboard/_project.html.haml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 = link_to project_path(project), class: dom_class(project) do
   .dash-project-avatar
-    = project_icon(project.to_param, alt: '', class: 'avatar project-avatar s40')
+    = project_icon(project, alt: '', class: 'avatar project-avatar s40')
   .dash-project-access-icon
     = visibility_level_icon(project.visibility_level)
   %span.str-truncated
diff --git a/app/views/groups/_projects.html.haml b/app/views/groups/_projects.html.haml
index a2f1d28a2757f50cb1ba12ce67b0fa8af68ca637..b505760fa8f166c514a35ec8849e53bec53db46e 100644
--- a/app/views/groups/_projects.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/groups/_projects.html.haml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
       %li.project-row
         = link_to project_path(project), class: dom_class(project) do
           .dash-project-avatar
-            = project_icon(project.to_param, alt: '', class: 'avatar s40')
+            = project_icon(project, alt: '', class: 'avatar s40')
           .dash-project-access-icon
             = visibility_level_icon(project.visibility_level)
           %span.str-truncated
diff --git a/app/views/groups/show.html.haml b/app/views/groups/show.html.haml
index f2e591c1939f54168cb6a4721ee9e2eae1402329..d5af859ee62ce0aaa8c6d11f3a9e090f51d034cc 100644
--- a/app/views/groups/show.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/groups/show.html.haml
@@ -13,10 +13,7 @@
       - if current_user
         = render "events/event_last_push", event: @last_push
         = render 'shared/event_filter'
-      - if @events.any?
-        .content_list
-      - else
-        .nothing-here-block Project activity will be displayed here
+      .content_list
       = spinner
     %aside.side.col-md-4
       = render "projects", projects: @projects
diff --git a/app/views/projects/_home_panel.html.haml b/app/views/projects/_home_panel.html.haml
index 5697f9ea1afbc1cfa95f952df3178d68f864a538..d8545dd2c855cffa03b6ccf95db215cd9f349827 100644
--- a/app/views/projects/_home_panel.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/projects/_home_panel.html.haml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 - empty_repo = @project.empty_repo?
 .project-home-panel{:class => ("empty-project" if empty_repo)}
   .project-identicon-holder
-    = project_icon(@project.to_param, alt: '', class: 'avatar project-avatar')
+    = project_icon(@project, alt: '', class: 'avatar project-avatar')
   .project-home-row
     .project-home-desc
       - if @project.description.present?
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/current_settings.rb b/lib/gitlab/current_settings.rb
index 93e7edf508c1bf516568b78ff71e292b66ed487c..1a25eebe7d1184f2b7196948b86f1a587d4ca04f 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/current_settings.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/current_settings.rb
@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 module Gitlab
   module CurrentSettings
     def current_application_settings
-      if ActiveRecord::Base.connected? && ActiveRecord::Base.connection.table_exists?('application_settings')
-        ApplicationSetting.current ||
-          ApplicationSetting.create_from_defaults
-      else
-        fake_application_settings
+      key = :current_application_settings
+
+      RequestStore.store[key] ||= begin
+        if ActiveRecord::Base.connected? && ActiveRecord::Base.connection.table_exists?('application_settings')
+          RequestStore.store[:current_application_settings] =
+            (ApplicationSetting.current || ApplicationSetting.create_from_defaults)
+        else
+          fake_application_settings
+        end
       end
     end