Benchmark: test branching or no branching (fix control)

Script Preparation code:

window.regularSmallerThan = (a, b) => {
  if (a < b) return a;
  return b;
};

window.branchlessSmallerThan = (a, b) => {
  return a * (a < b) + b * (b < a);
};

Tests:

with if statement
regularSmallerThan(Math.random(), Math.random());
with branchless
branchlessSmallerThan(Math.random(), Math.random());
control
(Math.random(), Math.random());

Rendered benchmark preparation results:

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Previous results

Test case name	Result
with if statement
with branchless
control

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

Latest run results:

No previous run results

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Autogenerated LLM Summary (model llama3.2:3b, generated one year ago):

LLMs can make mistakes. Check important info.

Let's break down the provided benchmark and explain what's being tested.

**Benchmark Overview**

The benchmark compares three approaches to determine which is faster:

1. **Control**: A straightforward comparison using an `if` statement.
2. **Branchless**: A more efficient approach that avoids branching by leveraging arithmetic properties.
3. **Regular Smaller Than**: An alternative implementation with a different logic.

**Options Compared**

* The benchmark tests the performance of each approach on random input values generated by `Math.random()`.
* The options are compared in terms of execution speed, which is measured as the number of executions per second (ExecutionsPerSecond).

**Pros and Cons of Each Approach**

1. **Control (if statement)**:
	* Pros: Easy to understand and implement.
	* Cons: May be slower due to branching.
2. **Branchless Smaller Than**:
	* Pros: Avoids branching, which can improve performance in some cases.
	* Cons: Requires a good understanding of arithmetic properties to implement correctly.
3. **Regular Smaller Than**:
	* Pros: Simple and easy to understand.
	* Cons: May not be as efficient as Branchless Smaller Than.

**Library Usage**

The benchmark uses the `window` object to define two custom functions:

1. **regularSmallerThan**: A function that takes two numbers, `a` and `b`, as input and returns the smaller value using an `if` statement.
2. **branchlessSmallerThan**: A function that also takes two numbers, `a` and `b`, as input and returns the smaller value without branching.

These functions are likely intended to demonstrate the performance difference between the control flow and branchless approaches.

**Special JS Feature or Syntax**

The benchmark does not use any special JavaScript features or syntax beyond what's typically used in web development. It relies on standard JavaScript functionality, such as `Math.random()`.

**Other Considerations**

When interpreting these results, consider the following:

* The test environment is a desktop browser (Chrome 96) running on Mac OS X 10.15.7.
* The input values are randomly generated using `Math.random()`, which may not represent real-world usage scenarios.
* The benchmark only measures execution speed and does not account for other factors, such as memory usage or code complexity.

**Alternative Approaches**

If you wanted to modify the benchmark or explore alternative approaches, consider the following options:

1. **Use a different programming language**: Benchmarking performance differences in other languages, like C++ or Java, could provide interesting insights.
2. **Add more test cases**: Increase the number of input values, edge cases, or scenarios to better represent real-world usage and identify potential issues with the benchmark.
3. **Explore optimization techniques**: Analyze the code generated by each approach and look for opportunities to optimize its performance using various programming language features or libraries.

Keep in mind that benchmarking is an iterative process, and these findings might not hold true for all use cases or environments.

Related benchmarks:

test branching or no branching (fix control) (version: 0)

test branching or no branching

Comparing performance of: with if statement vs with branchless vs control

Created: 4 years ago by: Guest

Jump to the latest result

with if statement

with branchless

control

Suite status: <idle, ready to run>

Fastest: N/A

Slowest: N/A

No previous run results

Autogenerated LLM Summary (model llama3.2:3b, generated one year ago):