AMD 250 Manuale Utente

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Branch Optimizations
Chapter 6
25112
Rev. 3.06
September 2005
Software Optimization Guide for AMD64 Processors
6.9
Far Control-Transfer Instructions
Optimization
Use far control-transfer instructions only when necessary. (Far control-transfer instructions include 
the far forms of JMP, CALL, and RET, as well as the INT, INTO, and IRET instructions.)
Application
This optimization applies to:
32-bit software
64-bit software
Rationale
The processor’s branch-prediction unit, which is used for both conditional and unconditional 
branches, does not predict far branches.