> You may be significantly underestimating your ability to get phenomenal gains from algorithmic improvements. Implementation differences in the exact same, sa

> You may be significantly underestimating your ability to get phenomenal gains from algorithmic improvements. Implementation differences in the exact same, say, simple linear algorithm, can still add up to a tenfold difference. Compiler optimisations can take it further, though some are not generally applicable. E.g. I have made good experiences with PGO (careful analysis and/or knowing your workload is needed), but it's obviously not an option for the typical open source software distribution model. Obviously, combining a better algorithm with a better implementation that is optimized will be fastest.