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Subject: hash table size - is a power of 2 still an advantage these days?

Author: William Penn

Date: 08:20:13 09/24/03


For example, is 512MB hash table size really better than 513MB (512+1), or
better than 528MB (512+16)?

Another example, is 768MB (3x256) better than 784MB (3x256+16)?

I'm also wondering if these old rules (truisms) regarding optimum numbers for
hash table size only apply to the Windows 9x/Me op systems which had problems
with allocation of resources? I'm doubtful that they still apply to 2000/XP op
systems.

Does anyone really know?

I'm not interested in old truisms, or hand-me-down story tales, or second had
advice. I mean... Does anyone who writes this kind of code know whether it
really makes a difference anymore exactly what hash table size is allocated?

My only knowledge here is that I once wrote some code to proofread chess game
scores, requiring me to define legal chess moves. There was some advantage to
indirect addressing of memory, it used a cycle less per instruction, if it was a
particular bank size such as exactly 256 bytes (or whatever), i.e. a power of 2.
But that was with the old Commodore 64's processor, and I don't know how the
current processor instruction sets work.

Thanks,
WP



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