I'm probably not your typical gamer as I'm a widowed grandmother of 6. I have sons who were into the original Dungeon's and Dragons games and I started playing Baldur's Gate when it first came out and loved it and recenly went looking for something similiar.
I discovered I could purchase an Enhanced version of Baldur's Gate on Steam but I kept running into issues with it and I've reached a point where I can't even play it anymore because the game slowly jerks along and spells take forever.
I'm talking about the specific area (can't remember exactly where now) where I have to kill 4 baddies and go down an elevator.
I had given it up about 6 months ago and started playing Icewind Dale purchased from GOG and it plays perfectly.
I have a friend who is asking me about the games and I'd like to introduce her to Baldur's Gate but I don't want her to end up as frustrated as I was.
My bottom line question is, if I re-purchase the original Baldur's Gate from GOG, am I going to run into the same jerking, stuttering issues? I see discussions about fixes, etc, but I'd have no idea how to install them.

Any help for grandma?

The first thing to note is that you were playing the Enhanced version of Baldur's Gate. That version has support for much higher resolutions, which could effect the game as you suggest if running in high resolutions. The original BG will be a far different experience for you, graphically, and should not present any jerkiness whatsoever, though you may find the rather ancient (by comparison) UI a bit of a shock -- many people, myself included, actually prefer it; I actually detest the EE version.

Baldur's Gate 2 uses an updated game engine, with better graphic capabilities, and there is actually a couple of community mods that allows you to play Baldur's Gate 1 in the Baldur's Gate 2 engine.

Keep in mind that you do not need ANY fixes or mods to play the GOG version right off the bat, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

I would recommend you try it, but keep in mind that the original is how it was designed, not the enhanced version.

The original Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, Icewind Dale 1 & 2, and Planescape Torment all use basically the same technology. Yes there were tweaks & minor updates, but for me, they all run about the same on my current computer. I'm fairly sure that GOG's Baldur's Gate will run about as well as Icewind Dale did (again minus the slight technological improvements that were introduced).

I don't have the "Enhanced Edition" because I'm loath to buy another copy, but it may allow you to lower the graphics resolution. Depending on your monitor, try reducing the resolution for better performance. Some examples:

800x600-----4:3
1280x720-----16:9
1280x800-----16:10

Also, you might want to have Steam check the integrity of Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. You can do this by going to your Steam Library, then find the listing for your game and right clicking on the name. this will bring up a menu. Left click on "Properties" which will bring up a window. Now left click on the "LOCAL FILES" tab which will reveal yet more options. Left click on "VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME CACHE..." Steam will validate the game files and, if necessary, download the missing files.

Sorry I didn't get back sooner, but thanks for the help. I think I might purchase the original from GOG and start over.