Ruth Samuel

• Aug 30th, 2005

 

Preincrement can be faster on systems where the increment can not begin until the comparison is complete -such as a Pentium. The P6 core can use register aliasing to start the increment (using 'load effective address' so as not to ruin the comparison test).

GAURAV MODY

• Dec 30th, 2006

 

the pre inc operator increments the value of that particular variable on that line itself

the post inc operator increments the value of that particular variable  after going on the next line

in simple words

eg.

e=5;    on this line value of e=5

e++;     on this line value of e=5

++e;     on this line value of e=7.

gaurav mody.

Freighter

 Profile Answers by Freighter 

• Sep 17th, 2009

 

"Postincrement is usually less efficient than preincrement because it has to remember & return its original value"

That is, apart from also doing the increment operation, Postincrement has to remember & return its original value.

Exceptional C++, Herb Sutter, Item #6, p19

navneetgoyal2000

 Profile Answers by navneetgoyal2000 Questions by navneetgoyal2000

• Jan 5th, 2011

 

Post Increment / Decrement is always slower and costlier than their Pre forms (Pre Inc- or Pre Decrement).

Both do Increment / Decrement, but in case of Post, it has to return the OLD value of the variable / object.

So, another instruction for CPU to retain old value, and another local variable is required to hold old value.

Its like (just an ex in crude ways):

Pre:

int& preInc(int& x)

{

x=x+1;

return x;

}

post:

int& postInc(int& x)

{

int y = x;

x=x+1;

return y;

}