CPU Branch Prediction

This cluster discusses branch prediction in modern CPUs, its effectiveness against performance issues, optimizations, and comparisons to branch-free code or other techniques.

➡️ Stable 0.6x Hardware
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Comments
19
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5
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#7820
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Keywords

CS microarch.org news.yc CPU IMHO SPEC ISA wikichip.org ACM IEEE branch prediction predictor cpu branches intel instructions compiler conditional jump

Sample Comments

eggnet Jan 31, 2010 View on HN

Modern CPUs have branch prediction.

refibrillator Feb 16, 2024 View on HN

Speculating? I think branch predictors would eat this for lunch

atq2119 Oct 11, 2025 View on HN

You forgot about branch predictors.

jeff-davis Apr 21, 2021 View on HN

Wouldn't the branch predictor be overwhelmed at some point?

bratao Jan 5, 2018 View on HN

This can´t be true. Disabling branch prediction would completely destroy the CPU performance

ccarpenterg Mar 27, 2010 View on HN

What is a 'branch prediction of the CPU'?

Dracophoenix May 11, 2022 View on HN

Should branch prediction be reconsidered if not completely abandoned in future CPU designs?

Bayart Jun 21, 2021 View on HN

Hey now, it's just branch prediction !

noiv May 9, 2019 View on HN

Is this any different from branch prediction?

alexpetralia Feb 9, 2019 View on HN

This sounds like a computer processor's branch prediction algorithm.