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I need high performance. Will there be a difference if I use C or C++?

Asked 2009-11-17T18:45:48.563
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I need to write a program (a project for university) that solves (approx) an NP-hard problem. It is a variation of Linear ordering problems. In general, I will have very large inputs (as Graphs) and will try to find the best solution (based on a function that will 'rate' each solution)

Will there be a difference if I write this in C-style code (one main, and functions) or build a Solver class, create an instance and invoke a 'run' method from a main (similar to Java)

Also, there will be alot of floating point math going on in each iteration.

Thanks!

c++ c performance np-hard
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As long as you don't use any virtual functions etc. you won't note any considerable performance differences. Early C++ was compiled to C, so as long as you know the pinpoints where this creates any considerable overhead (such as with virtual functions) you can clearly calculate for the differences.

In addition I want to note that using C++ can give you a lot to gain if you use the STL and Boost Libraries. Especially the STL provides very efficient and proven implementations of the most important data structures and algorithms, so you can save a lot of development time.

Effectively it also depends on the compiler you will be using and how it will optimize the code.

answered 2009-11-17T18:51:06.503

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