diff --git a/piker/ui/_chart.py b/piker/ui/_chart.py
index 9b5e2b52..db71e801 100644
--- a/piker/ui/_chart.py
+++ b/piker/ui/_chart.py
@@ -339,6 +339,133 @@ class LinkedSplitCharts(QtGui.QWidget):
         return cpw
 
 
+class FastAppendCurve(pg.PlotCurveItem):
+
+    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+
+        # TODO: we can probably just dispense with the parent since
+        # we're basically only using the pen setting now...
+        super().__init__(*args, **kwargs)
+
+        self._last_line: QtCore.QLineF = None
+        self._xrange: Tuple[int, int] = self.dataBounds(ax=0)
+
+        # TODO: one question still remaining is if this makes trasform
+        # interactions slower (such as zooming) and if so maybe if/when
+        # we implement a "history" mode for the view we disable this in
+        # that mode?
+        self.setCacheMode(QtGui.QGraphicsItem.DeviceCoordinateCache)
+
+    def update_from_array(
+        self,
+        x,
+        y,
+    ) -> QtGui.QPainterPath:
+
+        profiler = pg.debug.Profiler(disabled=True)
+        flip_cache = False
+
+        # print(f"xrange: {self._xrange}")
+        istart, istop = self._xrange
+
+        prepend_length = istart - x[0]
+        append_length = x[-1] - istop
+
+        if self.path is None or prepend_length:
+            self.path = pg.functions.arrayToQPath(
+                x[:-1],
+                y[:-1],
+                connect='all'
+            )
+            profiler('generate fresh path')
+
+        # TODO: get this working - right now it's giving heck on vwap...
+        # if prepend_length:
+        #     breakpoint()
+
+        #     prepend_path = pg.functions.arrayToQPath(
+        #         x[0:prepend_length],
+        #         y[0:prepend_length],
+        #         connect='all'
+        #     )
+
+        #     # swap prepend path in "front"
+        #     old_path = self.path
+        #     self.path = prepend_path
+        #     # self.path.moveTo(new_x[0], new_y[0])
+        #     self.path.connectPath(old_path)
+
+        if append_length:
+            # print(f"append_length: {append_length}")
+            new_x = x[-append_length - 2:-1]
+            new_y = y[-append_length - 2:-1]
+            # print((new_x, new_y))
+
+            append_path = pg.functions.arrayToQPath(
+                new_x,
+                new_y,
+                connect='all'
+            )
+            # print(f"append_path br: {append_path.boundingRect()}")
+            # self.path.moveTo(new_x[0], new_y[0])
+            # self.path.connectPath(append_path)
+            self.path.connectPath(append_path)
+
+            # XXX: pretty annoying but, without this there's little
+            # artefacts on the append updates to the curve...
+            self.setCacheMode(QtGui.QGraphicsItem.NoCache)
+            self.prepareGeometryChange()
+            flip_cache = True
+
+            # print(f"update br: {self.path.boundingRect()}")
+
+        # XXX: lol brutal, the internals of `CurvePoint` (inherited by
+        # our `LineDot`) required ``.getData()`` to work..
+        self.xData = x
+        self.yData = y
+
+        self._xrange = x[0], x[-1]
+        self._last_line = QtCore.QLineF(x[-2], y[-2], x[-1], y[-1])
+
+        # trigger redraw of path
+        # do update before reverting to cache mode
+        self.prepareGeometryChange()
+        self.update()
+
+        if flip_cache:
+            self.setCacheMode(QtGui.QGraphicsItem.DeviceCoordinateCache)
+
+    def boundingRect(self):
+        hb = self.path.controlPointRect()
+        hb_size = hb.size()
+        # print(f'hb_size: {hb_size}')
+
+        w = hb_size.width() + 1
+        h = hb_size.height() + 1
+        br = QtCore.QRectF(
+
+            # top left
+            QtCore.QPointF(hb.topLeft()),
+
+            # total size
+            QtCore.QSizeF(w, h)
+        )
+        # print(f'bounding rect: {br}')
+        return br
+
+    def paint(self, p, opt, widget):
+
+        profiler = pg.debug.Profiler(disabled=True)
+        # p.setRenderHint(p.Antialiasing, True)
+
+        p.setPen(self.opts['pen'])
+        p.drawLine(self._last_line)
+        profiler('.drawLine()')
+
+        p.drawPath(self.path)
+        profiler('.drawPath()')
+
+
 class ChartPlotWidget(pg.PlotWidget):
     """``GraphicsView`` subtype containing a single ``PlotItem``.
 
@@ -550,8 +677,9 @@ class ChartPlotWidget(pg.PlotWidget):
         }
         pdi_kwargs.update(_pdi_defaults)
 
+        # curve = pg.PlotDataItem(
         # curve = pg.PlotCurveItem(
-        curve = pg.PlotDataItem(
+        curve = FastAppendCurve(
             y=data[name],
             x=data['index'],
             # antialias=True,
@@ -663,6 +791,7 @@ class ChartPlotWidget(pg.PlotWidget):
         """Update the named internal graphics from ``array``.
 
         """
+
         if name not in self._overlays:
             self._ohlc = array
         else:
@@ -670,11 +799,13 @@ class ChartPlotWidget(pg.PlotWidget):
 
         curve = self._graphics[name]
 
-        # TODO: we should instead implement a diff based
-        # "only update with new items" on the pg.PlotCurveItem
-        # one place to dig around this might be the `QBackingStore`
-        # https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qbackingstore.html
-        curve.setData(y=array[name], x=array['index'], **kwargs)
+        if len(array):
+            # TODO: we should instead implement a diff based
+            # "only update with new items" on the pg.PlotCurveItem
+            # one place to dig around this might be the `QBackingStore`
+            # https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qbackingstore.html
+            # curve.setData(y=array[name], x=array['index'], **kwargs)
+            curve.update_from_array(x=array['index'], y=array[name], **kwargs)
 
         return curve
 
@@ -1061,6 +1192,7 @@ async def chart_from_quotes(
                     mn_in_view = min(price, mn_in_view)
 
                 if mx_in_view > last_mx or mn_in_view < last_mn:
+                    print('scaling')
                     chart._set_yrange(yrange=(mn_in_view, mx_in_view))
                     last_mx, last_mn = mx_in_view, mn_in_view