CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c++benchmarking
user304584
user304584

Reputation: 507

What is the most accurate way to estimate the time performance of a code in C++

I am writing a C++ code that runs on Ubuntu. I use pthreads as well. I am doing my research in an algorithm performance area.

I have this algorithm that I have improved on, it could run for 6~ 10 hours. But the time measurements I am taking also include things that are very minute, like in ms.

Also, the computer I am running it on is also running other processes, so how do I make sure that the time measured does not include the time processing for other processes.

Upvotes: 3

Views: 144

Answers (1)

Marcus Müller
Marcus Müller

Reputation: 36472

There is no single "most accurate way". As with any measurement, you will have to define what you want to measure first. If you just want to measure execution time, repeatedly doing the same task and stopping the time is appropriate.

If you want to measure the time the CPU(s) is (are) actually busy doing your task, top might be a program of interest to you.

If you need to know how much time is spend in what subroutine, the linux-utils package contains perf, which can measure individual call times.

Often, non-CPU latencies dominate runtime. It, for example, doesn't make sense to just measure the time spent by the CPU when you're waiting on network input or hard drive data.

So: your question is actually a question for yourself: What do you want to measure? "Algorithm Performance" suggests you're doing computer science, in which case you should have access to extensive literature that explains what might be of interest. There's no single "solution" to the question "what is the most accurate measurement", unless you define "measurement" more closely; that's your job, and usually it's the harder part of measuring things.

Upvotes: 4

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