diff --git a/debug/org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core/cdi/org/eclipse/cdt/debug/core/cdi/model/ICDITargetConfiguration2.java b/debug/org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core/cdi/org/eclipse/cdt/debug/core/cdi/model/ICDITargetConfiguration2.java
index 5ae1cb042b1..09a50345f41 100644
--- a/debug/org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core/cdi/org/eclipse/cdt/debug/core/cdi/model/ICDITargetConfiguration2.java
+++ b/debug/org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core/cdi/org/eclipse/cdt/debug/core/cdi/model/ICDITargetConfiguration2.java
@@ -30,9 +30,15 @@ public interface ICDITargetConfiguration2 extends ICDITargetConfiguration {
 	 * maintaining its own variable cache and having to keep it in sync with
 	 * CDT's. Targets that support this feature will need to be able to detect
 	 * when a variable value has changed and fire a changedEvent in its
-	 * implementation of ICDIValue.getValueString().
+	 * implementation of ICDIValue.getValueString(). 
 	 * 
-	 * @return whether this target supports passive variable updating.
+	 * Also, targets that support this feature will not have their variables
+	 * disposed when the user disables them in the GUI. Such a dispose only 
+	 * serves to reduce step-time overhead in the debugger engine. As such
+	 * overhead is negligible for engines with passive variables, the dispose
+	 * is unnecessary.
+	 *  
+ 	 * @return whether this target supports passive variable updating.
 	 */
 	boolean supportsPassiveVariableUpdate();
 	
diff --git a/debug/org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/debug/internal/core/model/CVariable.java b/debug/org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/debug/internal/core/model/CVariable.java
index 5a2ad5a2b17..4c1ab6f4fd0 100644
--- a/debug/org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/debug/internal/core/model/CVariable.java
+++ b/debug/org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/debug/internal/core/model/CVariable.java
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ import org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core.cdi.event.ICDIMemoryChangedEvent;
 import org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core.cdi.event.ICDIResumedEvent;
 import org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core.cdi.model.ICDIObject;
 import org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core.cdi.model.ICDITarget;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core.cdi.model.ICDITargetConfiguration;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core.cdi.model.ICDITargetConfiguration2;
 import org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core.cdi.model.ICDITargetConfiguration3;
 import org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core.cdi.model.ICDIVariable;
 import org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core.cdi.model.ICDIVariableDescriptor;
@@ -142,12 +144,25 @@ public abstract class CVariable extends AbstractCVariable implements ICDIEventLi
 	 * @see org.eclipse.cdt.debug.core.model.ICVariable#setEnabled(boolean)
 	 */
 	public void setEnabled( boolean enabled ) throws DebugException {
-		IInternalVariable iv = getOriginal();
-		if ( iv != null )
-			iv.dispose( true );
-		iv = getShadow();
-		if ( iv != null )
-			iv.dispose( true );
+		// Debugger engines that use active variable objects will benefit
+		// performance-wise if we dispose the internal variable when it's 
+		// disabled by the user (it will automatically get lazily recreated if 
+		// it's ever needed again). Engines using passive variables probably 
+		// won't, so we can defer the dispose until we have no use for the 
+		// variable altogether.
+		boolean disposeVariable = true;
+		ICDITargetConfiguration configuration = getParent().getCDITarget().getConfiguration();
+		if (configuration instanceof ICDITargetConfiguration2) {
+			disposeVariable = !((ICDITargetConfiguration2)configuration).supportsPassiveVariableUpdate();
+		}
+		if (disposeVariable) {
+			IInternalVariable iv = getOriginal();
+			if ( iv != null )
+				iv.dispose( true );
+			iv = getShadow();
+			if ( iv != null )
+				iv.dispose( true );
+		}
 		fIsEnabled = enabled;
 		fireChangeEvent( DebugEvent.STATE );
 	}