[thetechgenius]

I have been running SSL on my entire forum since I first setup my forum. I have it enabled throughout the entire forum, not just on the Login Page. I haven't had any problems at all, and my forum still loads very very fast. Actually, I tested my site on a few speed test sites, and it says my site is about faster then 75%+ of all sites tested. And my site is heavily customized with a bunch of custom addons made by me, and a lot of custom CSS/HTML.

HTTPS doesn't really make your site slower, as long as your server network has a decent speed, you should be fine. My server runs on a Fiber Network with its own dedicated IP, 90Mbps Upload and 90Mbps Download.

If you can afford it, SSL/HTTPS is the way to go. It tells your users that you care about their security and privacy, and it also makes your forum look more legit and professional. (Even though you really don't need SSL on a forum. But its never a bad idea to run SSL)