Comment on Linux Commands for DevelopersparentComments−alexfoo14yWho said NOPs are free? NOPs still take at least one clock cycle.−zvrba14yIt's not that simple anymore... In modern CPUs, NOPs are discarded by the decoding units so they never occupy the exeuction units. If decoding BW is not saturated (and most often, it's not), NOPs are indeed "free".
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Who said NOPs are free? NOPs still take at least one clock cycle.
It's not that simple anymore... In modern CPUs, NOPs are discarded by the decoding units so they never occupy the exeuction units. If decoding BW is not saturated (and most often, it's not), NOPs are indeed "free".