GConf requires you to call gconf_client_add_dir() and gconf_client_notify_add() to get change notification. With GSettings, this is not necessary; signals get emitted automatically for every change.

The "changed" signal is emitted for each changed key. There is also a "change-event" signal that you can handle if you need to see groups of keys that get changed at the same time.

GSettings also notifies you about changes in writability of keys, with the "writable-changed" signal (and the "writable-change-event" signal).