Effective optimization strategies on modern C++ compilers

Question

I\'m working on scientific code that is very performance-critical. An initial version of the code has been written and tested, and now, with profiler in hand, it\'s time to

Answer 1

1. Use of memory buffer pools can be of great performance benefit vs. dynamic allocation. More so if they reduce or prevent heap fragmentation over long execution runs.

2. Be aware of data location. If you have a significant mix of local vs. global data you may be overworking the cache mechanism. Try to keep data sets in close proximity to make maximum use of cache line validity.

3. Even though compilers do a wonderful job with loops, I still scrutinize them when performance tuning. You can spot architectural flaws that yield orders of magnitude where the compiler may only trim percentages.

4. If a single priority queue is using a lot of time in its operation, there may be benefit to creating a battery of queues representing buckets of priority. It would be complexity being traded for speed in this case.

5. I notice you didn't mention the use of SSE type instructions. Could they be applicable to your type of number crunching?

Best of luck.