[ruby-core:18303] Ruby 1.8.6 yields 50%-100% performance gain when compiled at full optimization

After compiling Ruby 1.8.6 with '-O3 -mtune=K8 -march=K8' on an AMD 4800
+, I decided to run Antonio Cangiano's benchmark suite to see what
performance gain, if any, the new interpreter realized. Needless to say
I was impressed with the results. The specifics:

control: ruby 1.8.6 (2007-09-24 patchlevel 111) [x86_64-linux] (apt-get
install ruby)
test:      ruby 1.8.6 (2008-08-11 patchlevel 287) [x86_64-linux] (source
compiled with '-O3 -mtune=K8 -march=K8')
kernel:   2.6.24-19-server
test-suite: git://github.com/acangiano/ruby-benchmark-suite.git

Notes:

The default timeout for any given test was set at the default of 30
seconds. Twenty-for tests exceeded the timeout therefore the ratio is
unknown. In two of the tests: bm_regex_dna.rb and bm_hilbert_matrix.rb
the optimized version of ruby was actually *slower*. The patch level of
the two interpreters is different so this is not exactly
apples-to-apples comparison. Two tests which reported a 'stack to deep'
error.

                                                Default
Optim(O3,native)   Optim/Default
/core-features/bm_app_answer.rb:                1.29            0.8
0.62
/core-features/bm_app_factorial.rb:             Error
Error             ?
/core-features/bm_app_factorial2.rb:            Error
Error             ?
/core-features/bm_app_fib.rb:                   T/O
T/O              ?
/core-features/bm_app_raise.rb:                 6.63            6.01
0.91
/core-features/bm_app_tak.rb:                   12.4            8.38
0.68
/core-features/bm_app_tarai.rb:                 9.91            6.88
0.69
/core-features/bm_loop_times.rb:                7.97            3.69
0.46
/core-features/bm_loop_whileloop.rb:            T/O
10.2            ?
/core-features/bm_loop_whileloop2.rb:           T/O
21.77          ?
/core-features/bm_so_ackermann.rb:              T/O
T/O              ?
/core-features/bm_so_nested_loop.rb:            9.31            5.33
0.57
/core-features/bm_so_object.rb:                 11.74           9.26
0.79
/core-features/bm_so_random.rb:                 T/O              2.35
-2.35
/core-features/bm_startup.rb:                   0               0
0.71
/core-features/bm_vm1_block.rb:                 T/O
23.67           ?
/core-features/bm_vm1_const.rb:                 T/O
T/O              ?
/core-features/bm_vm1_ensure.rb:                27.68           15.82
0.57
/core-features/bm_vm1_length.rb:                22.99           19.91
0.87
/core-features/bm_vm1_rescue.rb:                T/O
12.86           ?
/core-features/bm_vm1_simplereturn.rb:          T/O
18.3            ?
/core-features/bm_vm1_swap.rb:                  T/O
T/O              ?
/core-features/bm_vm2_method.rb:                21.01           11.65
0.55
/core-features/bm_vm2_poly_method.rb:           T/O
15.72           ?
/core-features/bm_vm2_poly_method_ov.rb:        5.59            4.88
0.87
/core-features/bm_vm2_proc.rb:                  8.92            6.2
0.69
/core-features/bm_vm2_send.rb:                  5.69            4.67
0.82
/core-features/bm_vm2_super.rb:                 6.97            4.46
0.64
/core-features/bm_vm2_unif1.rb:                 5.11            3.65
0.71
/core-features/bm_vm2_zsuper.rb:                7.47            4.93
0.66
/core-library/bm_app_strconcat.rb:              1.44            1.13
0.78
/core-library/bm_pathname.rb:                   T/O
T/O              ?
/core-library/bm_so_array.rb:                   9.1             5.6
0.62
/core-library/bm_so_concatenate.rb:             3.42            1.84
0.54
/core-library/bm_so_count_words.rb:             0.03
0.03            ?
/core-library/bm_so_exception.rb:               7.58            5.28
0.7
/core-library/bm_so_lists.rb:                   T/O
T/O              ?
/core-library/bm_so_matrix.rb:                  2.62            1.79
0.68
/core-library/bm_vm2_array.rb:                  9.55            6.18
0.65
/core-library/bm_vm2_regexp.rb:                 4.72            6.4
*1.35
/core-library/bm_vm3_thread_create_join.rb:     0.08            0.03
0.34
/micro-benchmarks/bm_app_pentomino.rb:          T/O
T/O              ?
/micro-benchmarks/bm_binary_trees.rb:           T/O
T/O              ?
/micro-benchmarks/bm_fannkuch.rb:               T/O
T/O              ?
/micro-benchmarks/bm_fasta.rb:                  T/O
T/O              ?
/micro-benchmarks/bm_fractal.rb:                T/O
T/O              ?
/micro-benchmarks/bm_knucleotide.rb:            2.21            1.55
0.70
/micro-benchmarks/bm_lucas_lehmer.rb:           7.32            6.44
0.88
/micro-benchmarks/bm_mandelbrot.rb:             T/O
T/O              ?
/micro-benchmarks/bm_mergesort.rb:              2.91            2.62
0.9
/micro-benchmarks/bm_meteor_contest.rb:         T/O
T/O              ?
/micro-benchmarks/bm_monte_carlo_pi.rb:         24.83           19.52
0.79
/micro-benchmarks/bm_nbody.rb:                  T/O
T/O              ?
/micro-benchmarks/bm_nsieve.rb:                 24.55           21.47
0.87
/micro-benchmarks/bm_nsieve_bits.rb:            T/O
T/O              ?
/micro-benchmarks/bm_partial_sums.rb:           27.83           25.13
0.9
/micro-benchmarks/bm_quicksort.rb:              10.76           6.06
0.56
/micro-benchmarks/bm_recursive.rb:              T/O
28.06            ?
/micro-benchmarks/bm_regex_dna.rb:              1.54            2.05
*1.33
/micro-benchmarks/bm_reverse_compliment.rb:     T/O
T/O              ?
/micro-benchmarks/bm_so_sieve.rb:               T/O
T/O              ?
/micro-benchmarks/bm_spectral_norm.rb:          T/O
T/O              ?
/micro-benchmarks/bm_sum_file.rb:               20.89           16.44
0.79
/micro-benchmarks/bm_thread_ring.rb:            T/O
T/O              ?
/micro-benchmarks/bm_word_anagrams.rb:          12.24           8.79
0.72
/real-world/bm_hilbert_matrix.rb:               24.74           T/O
*?
/standard-library/bm_app_mandelbrot.rb:         0.81            0.61
0.75