What sort algorithm provides the best worst-case performance?

Question

What is the fastest known sort algorithm for absolute worst case? I don\'t care about best case and am assuming a gigantic data set if that even matters.

Answer 1

The lowest upper bound on Turing machines is achieved by merge sort, that is O(n log n). Though quick sort might be better on some datasets.

You can't go lower than O(n log n) unless you're using special hardware (e.g. hardware supported bead sort, other non-comparison sorts).