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Back to the 6-step Process for Vectorization
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Intel Vectorization Toolkit: Step 1. Measure Baseline Release Build Performance

It is important to work with a release build (and not a debug build) because:

1. The compiler will optimze your code and may change which loop is in a hotspot.
2. You need to know what baseline time your application has so that you can determine if vectorization has improved performance.

You should have a goal for performance so you know when you are done (when the release build is fast enough).

A release build is the default in the Intel Compiler. You have to specifically turn off optimizations by doing a DEBUG build on Windows (or using the -Zi switch) or using the -Od switch on Linux or MacOS.

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Additional Resources for this Step
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Documentation: How to time your application