diff --git a/src/core/instance/state.js b/src/core/instance/state.js
index 326f7f36bf7..b1549b0dcc4 100644
--- a/src/core/instance/state.js
+++ b/src/core/instance/state.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 import config from '../config'
 import Watcher from '../observer/watcher'
-import { pushTarget, popTarget } from '../observer/dep'
+import Dep, { pushTarget, popTarget } from '../observer/dep'
 import { isUpdatingChildComponent } from './lifecycle'
 
 import {
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ export function getData (data: Function, vm: Component): any {
   }
 }
 
-const computedWatcherOptions = { computed: true }
+const computedWatcherOptions = { lazy: true }
 
 function initComputed (vm: Component, computed: Object) {
   // $flow-disable-line
@@ -244,8 +244,13 @@ function createComputedGetter (key) {
   return function computedGetter () {
     const watcher = this._computedWatchers && this._computedWatchers[key]
     if (watcher) {
-      watcher.depend()
-      return watcher.evaluate()
+      if (watcher.dirty) {
+        watcher.evaluate()
+      }
+      if (Dep.target) {
+        watcher.depend()
+      }
+      return watcher.value
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/core/observer/watcher.js b/src/core/observer/watcher.js
index 725480d9215..3c4e533c08b 100644
--- a/src/core/observer/watcher.js
+++ b/src/core/observer/watcher.js
@@ -29,11 +29,10 @@ export default class Watcher {
   id: number;
   deep: boolean;
   user: boolean;
-  computed: boolean;
+  lazy: boolean;
   sync: boolean;
   dirty: boolean;
   active: boolean;
-  dep: Dep;
   deps: Array<Dep>;
   newDeps: Array<Dep>;
   depIds: SimpleSet;
@@ -58,16 +57,16 @@ export default class Watcher {
     if (options) {
       this.deep = !!options.deep
       this.user = !!options.user
-      this.computed = !!options.computed
+      this.lazy = !!options.lazy
       this.sync = !!options.sync
       this.before = options.before
     } else {
-      this.deep = this.user = this.computed = this.sync = false
+      this.deep = this.user = this.lazy = this.sync = false
     }
     this.cb = cb
     this.id = ++uid // uid for batching
     this.active = true
-    this.dirty = this.computed // for computed watchers
+    this.dirty = this.lazy // for lazy watchers
     this.deps = []
     this.newDeps = []
     this.depIds = new Set()
@@ -90,12 +89,9 @@ export default class Watcher {
         )
       }
     }
-    if (this.computed) {
-      this.value = undefined
-      this.dep = new Dep()
-    } else {
-      this.value = this.get()
-    }
+    this.value = this.lazy
+      ? undefined
+      : this.get()
   }
 
   /**
@@ -166,24 +162,8 @@ export default class Watcher {
    */
   update () {
     /* istanbul ignore else */
-    if (this.computed) {
-      // A computed property watcher has two modes: lazy and activated.
-      // It initializes as lazy by default, and only becomes activated when
-      // it is depended on by at least one subscriber, which is typically
-      // another computed property or a component's render function.
-      if (this.dep.subs.length === 0) {
-        // In lazy mode, we don't want to perform computations until necessary,
-        // so we simply mark the watcher as dirty. The actual computation is
-        // performed just-in-time in this.evaluate() when the computed property
-        // is accessed.
-        this.dirty = true
-      } else {
-        // In activated mode, we want to proactively perform the computation
-        // but only notify our subscribers when the value has indeed changed.
-        this.getAndInvoke(() => {
-          this.dep.notify()
-        })
-      }
+    if (this.lazy) {
+      this.dirty = true
     } else if (this.sync) {
       this.run()
     } else {
@@ -197,54 +177,47 @@ export default class Watcher {
    */
   run () {
     if (this.active) {
-      this.getAndInvoke(this.cb)
-    }
-  }
-
-  getAndInvoke (cb: Function) {
-    const value = this.get()
-    if (
-      value !== this.value ||
-      // Deep watchers and watchers on Object/Arrays should fire even
-      // when the value is the same, because the value may
-      // have mutated.
-      isObject(value) ||
-      this.deep
-    ) {
-      // set new value
-      const oldValue = this.value
-      this.value = value
-      this.dirty = false
-      if (this.user) {
-        try {
-          cb.call(this.vm, value, oldValue)
-        } catch (e) {
-          handleError(e, this.vm, `callback for watcher "${this.expression}"`)
+      const value = this.get()
+      if (
+        value !== this.value ||
+        // Deep watchers and watchers on Object/Arrays should fire even
+        // when the value is the same, because the value may
+        // have mutated.
+        isObject(value) ||
+        this.deep
+      ) {
+        // set new value
+        const oldValue = this.value
+        this.value = value
+        if (this.user) {
+          try {
+            this.cb.call(this.vm, value, oldValue)
+          } catch (e) {
+            handleError(e, this.vm, `callback for watcher "${this.expression}"`)
+          }
+        } else {
+          this.cb.call(this.vm, value, oldValue)
         }
-      } else {
-        cb.call(this.vm, value, oldValue)
       }
     }
   }
 
   /**
-   * Evaluate and return the value of the watcher.
-   * This only gets called for computed property watchers.
+   * Evaluate the value of the watcher.
+   * This only gets called for lazy watchers.
    */
   evaluate () {
-    if (this.dirty) {
-      this.value = this.get()
-      this.dirty = false
-    }
-    return this.value
+    this.value = this.get()
+    this.dirty = false
   }
 
   /**
-   * Depend on this watcher. Only for computed property watchers.
+   * Depend on all deps collected by this watcher.
    */
   depend () {
-    if (this.dep && Dep.target) {
-      this.dep.depend()
+    let i = this.deps.length
+    while (i--) {
+      this.deps[i].depend()
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/test/unit/features/options/computed.spec.js b/test/unit/features/options/computed.spec.js
index fc606072e7d..edc20bad3bf 100644
--- a/test/unit/features/options/computed.spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/features/options/computed.spec.js
@@ -216,40 +216,4 @@ describe('Options computed', () => {
     })
     expect(() => vm.a).toThrowError('rethrow')
   })
-
-  // #7767
-  it('should avoid unnecessary re-renders', done => {
-    const computedSpy = jasmine.createSpy('computed')
-    const updatedSpy = jasmine.createSpy('updated')
-    const vm = new Vue({
-      data: {
-        msg: 'bar'
-      },
-      computed: {
-        a () {
-          computedSpy()
-          return this.msg !== 'foo'
-        }
-      },
-      template: `<div>{{ a }}</div>`,
-      updated: updatedSpy
-    }).$mount()
-
-    expect(vm.$el.textContent).toBe('true')
-    expect(computedSpy.calls.count()).toBe(1)
-    expect(updatedSpy.calls.count()).toBe(0)
-
-    vm.msg = 'baz'
-    waitForUpdate(() => {
-      expect(vm.$el.textContent).toBe('true')
-      expect(computedSpy.calls.count()).toBe(2)
-      expect(updatedSpy.calls.count()).toBe(0)
-    }).then(() => {
-      vm.msg = 'foo'
-    }).then(() => {
-      expect(vm.$el.textContent).toBe('false')
-      expect(computedSpy.calls.count()).toBe(3)
-      expect(updatedSpy.calls.count()).toBe(1)
-    }).then(done)
-  })
 })
diff --git a/test/unit/modules/observer/watcher.spec.js b/test/unit/modules/observer/watcher.spec.js
index ba96b28ffce..724a3cc8637 100644
--- a/test/unit/modules/observer/watcher.spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/modules/observer/watcher.spec.js
@@ -144,70 +144,26 @@ describe('Watcher', () => {
     }).then(done)
   })
 
-  it('computed mode, lazy', done => {
-    let getterCallCount = 0
+  it('lazy mode', done => {
     const watcher = new Watcher(vm, function () {
-      getterCallCount++
       return this.a + this.b.d
-    }, null, { computed: true })
-
-    expect(getterCallCount).toBe(0)
-    expect(watcher.computed).toBe(true)
+    }, null, { lazy: true })
+    expect(watcher.lazy).toBe(true)
     expect(watcher.value).toBeUndefined()
     expect(watcher.dirty).toBe(true)
-    expect(watcher.dep).toBeTruthy()
-
-    const value = watcher.evaluate()
-    expect(getterCallCount).toBe(1)
-    expect(value).toBe(5)
+    watcher.evaluate()
     expect(watcher.value).toBe(5)
     expect(watcher.dirty).toBe(false)
-
-    // should not get again if not dirty
-    watcher.evaluate()
-    expect(getterCallCount).toBe(1)
-
     vm.a = 2
     waitForUpdate(() => {
-      expect(getterCallCount).toBe(1)
       expect(watcher.value).toBe(5)
       expect(watcher.dirty).toBe(true)
-
-      const value = watcher.evaluate()
-      expect(getterCallCount).toBe(2)
-      expect(value).toBe(6)
+      watcher.evaluate()
       expect(watcher.value).toBe(6)
       expect(watcher.dirty).toBe(false)
     }).then(done)
   })
 
-  it('computed mode, activated', done => {
-    let getterCallCount = 0
-    const watcher = new Watcher(vm, function () {
-      getterCallCount++
-      return this.a + this.b.d
-    }, null, { computed: true })
-
-    // activate by mocking a subscriber
-    const subMock = jasmine.createSpyObj('sub', ['update'])
-    watcher.dep.addSub(subMock)
-
-    const value = watcher.evaluate()
-    expect(getterCallCount).toBe(1)
-    expect(value).toBe(5)
-
-    vm.a = 2
-    waitForUpdate(() => {
-      expect(getterCallCount).toBe(2)
-      expect(subMock.update).toHaveBeenCalled()
-
-      // since already computed, calling evaluate again should not trigger
-      // getter
-      watcher.evaluate()
-      expect(getterCallCount).toBe(2)
-    }).then(done)
-  })
-
   it('teardown', done => {
     const watcher = new Watcher(vm, 'b.c', spy)
     watcher.teardown()