Is a logical right shift by a power of 2 faster in AVR?

Question

I would like to know if performing a logical right shift is faster when shifting by a power of 2

For example, is

myUnsigned >> 4

Answer 1

It depends on how the processor is built. If the processor has a barrel-rotate it can shift any number of bits in one operation, but that takes chip space and power budget. The most economical hardware would just be able to rotate right by one, with options regarding the wrap-around bit. Next would be one that could rotate by one either left or right. I can imagine a structure that would have a 1-shifter, 2-shifter, 4-shifter, etc. in which case 4 might be faster than 3.