diff --git a/spec/editor-component-spec.coffee b/spec/editor-component-spec.coffee
index 113a05620..850e2e9b8 100644
--- a/spec/editor-component-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/editor-component-spec.coffee
@@ -199,6 +199,16 @@ describe "EditorComponent", ->
       atom.config.set("editor.showInvisibles", false)
       expect(component.lineNodeForScreenRow(10).textContent).toBe nbsp
 
+    it "gives the lines div the same background color as the editor to improve GPU performance", ->
+      linesNode = componentNode.querySelector('.lines')
+      backgroundColor = getComputedStyle(wrapperNode).backgroundColor
+      expect(linesNode.style.backgroundColor).toBe backgroundColor
+
+      wrapperNode.style.backgroundColor = 'rgb(255, 0, 0)'
+      advanceClock(component.domPollingInterval)
+      runSetImmediateCallbacks()
+      expect(linesNode.style.backgroundColor).toBe 'rgb(255, 0, 0)'
+
     describe "when showInvisibles is enabled", ->
       invisibles = null
 
@@ -374,12 +384,6 @@ describe "EditorComponent", ->
         expect(line2LeafNodes[2].textContent).toBe '  '
         expect(line2LeafNodes[2].classList.contains('indent-guide')).toBe false
 
-    getLeafNodes = (node) ->
-      if node.children.length > 0
-        flatten(toArray(node.children).map(getLeafNodes))
-      else
-        [node]
-
     describe "when the buffer contains null bytes", ->
       it "excludes the null byte from character measurement", ->
         editor.setText("a\0b")
@@ -401,6 +405,12 @@ describe "EditorComponent", ->
         foldedLineNode = component.lineNodeForScreenRow(4)
         expect(foldedLineNode.querySelector('.fold-marker')).toBeFalsy()
 
+    getLeafNodes = (node) ->
+      if node.children.length > 0
+        flatten(toArray(node.children).map(getLeafNodes))
+      else
+        [node]
+
   describe "gutter rendering", ->
     [gutter] = []
 
@@ -494,6 +504,18 @@ describe "EditorComponent", ->
       runSetImmediateCallbacks()
       expect(componentNode.querySelector('.line-numbers').offsetHeight).toBe componentNode.offsetHeight
 
+    it "applies the background color of the gutter or the editor to the line numbers to improve GPU performance", ->
+      gutterNode = componentNode.querySelector('.gutter')
+      lineNumbersNode = gutterNode.querySelector('.line-numbers')
+      {backgroundColor} = getComputedStyle(wrapperNode)
+      expect(lineNumbersNode.style.backgroundColor).toBe backgroundColor
+
+      # favor gutter color if it's assigned
+      gutterNode.style.backgroundColor = 'rgb(255, 0, 0)'
+      advanceClock(component.domPollingInterval)
+      runSetImmediateCallbacks()
+      expect(lineNumbersNode.style.backgroundColor).toBe 'rgb(255, 0, 0)'
+
     describe "when the editor.showLineNumbers config is false", ->
       it "doesn't render any line numbers", ->
         expect(component.refs.gutter).toBeDefined()
diff --git a/src/editor-component.coffee b/src/editor-component.coffee
index 543212e81..51a5d21f4 100644
--- a/src/editor-component.coffee
+++ b/src/editor-component.coffee
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ EditorComponent = React.createClass
 
   visible: false
   autoHeight: false
+  backgroundColor: null
+  gutterBackgroundColor: null
   pendingScrollTop: null
   pendingScrollLeft: null
   selectOnMouseMove: false
@@ -91,12 +93,12 @@ EditorComponent = React.createClass
     className += ' has-selection' if hasSelection
 
     div {className, style, tabIndex: -1},
-      if not mini and showLineNumbers
+      if @shouldRenderGutter()
         GutterComponent {
           ref: 'gutter', onMouseDown: @onGutterMouseDown, lineDecorations,
           defaultCharWidth, editor, renderedRowRange, maxLineNumberDigits, scrollViewHeight,
           scrollTop, scrollHeight, lineHeightInPixels, @pendingChanges, mouseWheelScreenRow,
-          @useHardwareAcceleration, @performedInitialMeasurement
+          @useHardwareAcceleration, @performedInitialMeasurement, @backgroundColor, @gutterBackgroundColor
         }
 
       div ref: 'scrollView', className: 'scroll-view', onMouseDown: @onMouseDown,
@@ -118,7 +120,7 @@ EditorComponent = React.createClass
           showIndentGuide, renderedRowRange, @pendingChanges, scrollTop, scrollLeft,
           @scrollingVertically, scrollHeight, scrollWidth, mouseWheelScreenRow, invisibles,
           @visible, scrollViewHeight, @scopedCharacterWidthsChangeCount, lineWidth, @useHardwareAcceleration,
-          placeholderText, @performedInitialMeasurement
+          placeholderText, @performedInitialMeasurement, @backgroundColor
         }
 
         ScrollbarComponent
@@ -157,6 +159,9 @@ EditorComponent = React.createClass
     {editor} = @props
     Math.max(1, Math.ceil(editor.getHeight() / editor.getLineHeightInPixels()))
 
+  shouldRenderGutter: ->
+    not @props.mini and @state.showLineNumbers
+
   getInitialState: -> {}
 
   getDefaultProps: ->
@@ -221,6 +226,7 @@ EditorComponent = React.createClass
     @updatesPaused = true
     @measureLineHeightAndDefaultCharWidth()
     @measureHeightAndWidth()
+    @sampleBackgroundColors()
     @measureScrollbars()
     @props.editor.setVisible(true)
     @updatesPaused = false
@@ -673,6 +679,7 @@ EditorComponent = React.createClass
 
   onStylesheetsChanged: (stylesheet) ->
     @refreshScrollbars() if @containsScrollbarSelector(stylesheet)
+    @sampleBackgroundColors()
     @remeasureCharacterWidthsIfVisibleAfterNextUpdate = true
     @requestUpdate() if @visible
 
@@ -772,6 +779,7 @@ EditorComponent = React.createClass
     if @visible = @isVisible()
       if wasVisible
         @measureHeightAndWidth()
+        @sampleBackgroundColors()
       else
         @performInitialMeasurement()
         @forceUpdate()
@@ -813,6 +821,21 @@ EditorComponent = React.createClass
     clientWidth -= paddingLeft
     editor.setWidth(clientWidth) if clientWidth > 0
 
+  sampleBackgroundColors: (suppressUpdate) ->
+    {parentView} = @props
+    {showLineNumbers} = @state
+    {backgroundColor} = getComputedStyle(parentView.element)
+
+    if backgroundColor isnt @backgroundColor
+      @backgroundColor = backgroundColor
+      @requestUpdate() unless suppressUpdate
+
+    if @shouldRenderGutter()
+      gutterBackgroundColor = getComputedStyle(@refs.gutter.getDOMNode()).backgroundColor
+      if gutterBackgroundColor isnt @gutterBackgroundColor
+        @gutterBackgroundColor = gutterBackgroundColor
+        @requestUpdate() unless suppressUpdate
+
   measureLineHeightAndDefaultCharWidthIfNeeded: (prevState) ->
     if not isEqualForProperties(prevState, @state, 'lineHeight', 'fontSize', 'fontFamily')
       if @visible
diff --git a/src/gutter-component.coffee b/src/gutter-component.coffee
index ede951657..e9eeddaf9 100644
--- a/src/gutter-component.coffee
+++ b/src/gutter-component.coffee
@@ -16,12 +16,16 @@ GutterComponent = React.createClass
   measuredWidth: null
 
   render: ->
-    {scrollHeight, scrollViewHeight, onMouseDown} = @props
+    {scrollHeight, scrollViewHeight, onMouseDown, backgroundColor, gutterBackgroundColor} = @props
+
+    if gutterBackgroundColor isnt 'rbga(0, 0, 0, 0)'
+      backgroundColor = gutterBackgroundColor
 
     div className: 'gutter', onClick: @onClick, onMouseDown: onMouseDown,
       div className: 'line-numbers', ref: 'lineNumbers', style:
         height: Math.max(scrollHeight, scrollViewHeight)
         WebkitTransform: @getTransform()
+        backgroundColor: backgroundColor
 
   getTransform: ->
     {scrollTop, useHardwareAcceleration} = @props
@@ -47,7 +51,7 @@ GutterComponent = React.createClass
   shouldComponentUpdate: (newProps) ->
     return true unless isEqualForProperties(newProps, @props,
       'renderedRowRange', 'scrollTop', 'lineHeightInPixels', 'mouseWheelScreenRow', 'lineDecorations',
-      'scrollViewHeight', 'useHardwareAcceleration'
+      'scrollViewHeight', 'useHardwareAcceleration', 'backgroundColor', 'gutterBackgroundColor'
     )
 
     {renderedRowRange, pendingChanges, lineDecorations} = newProps
diff --git a/src/lines-component.coffee b/src/lines-component.coffee
index 14135089a..c4c2980ff 100644
--- a/src/lines-component.coffee
+++ b/src/lines-component.coffee
@@ -19,12 +19,13 @@ LinesComponent = React.createClass
     {performedInitialMeasurement} = @props
 
     if performedInitialMeasurement
-      {editor, highlightDecorations, scrollHeight, scrollWidth, placeholderText} = @props
+      {editor, highlightDecorations, scrollHeight, scrollWidth, placeholderText, backgroundColor} = @props
       {lineHeightInPixels, defaultCharWidth, scrollViewHeight, scopedCharacterWidthsChangeCount} = @props
       style =
         height: Math.max(scrollHeight, scrollViewHeight)
         width: scrollWidth
         WebkitTransform: @getTransform()
+        backgroundColor: backgroundColor
 
     div {className: 'lines', style},
       div className: 'placeholder-text', placeholderText if placeholderText?
@@ -50,7 +51,7 @@ LinesComponent = React.createClass
       'renderedRowRange', 'lineDecorations', 'highlightDecorations', 'lineHeightInPixels', 'defaultCharWidth',
       'scrollTop', 'scrollLeft', 'showIndentGuide', 'scrollingVertically', 'invisibles', 'visible',
       'scrollViewHeight', 'mouseWheelScreenRow', 'scopedCharacterWidthsChangeCount', 'lineWidth', 'useHardwareAcceleration',
-      'placeholderText', 'performedInitialMeasurement'
+      'placeholderText', 'performedInitialMeasurement', 'backgroundColor'
     )
 
     {renderedRowRange, pendingChanges} = newProps