http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=56484
--- Comment #7 from Jakub Jelinek <jakub at gcc dot gnu.org> 2013-03-05 11:06:26 UTC --- Actually, looking more at this, I'd say combiner is innocent here, the problem is earlier , during ce1 pass, which transforms: 16: ax:SI=call [`output_play'] argc:0 REG_DEAD di:DI REG_DEAD si:SI 17: r60:SI=ax:SI REG_DEAD ax:SI 18: flags:CCGOC=cmp(r59:SI,0) 19: pc={(flags:CCGOC>=0)?L21:pc} REG_DEAD flags:CCGOC REG_BR_PROB 0x1c84 20: NOTE_INSN_BASIC_BLOCK 4 6: r60:SI=r59:SI REG_DEAD r59:SI 21: L21: 22: NOTE_INSN_BASIC_BLOCK 5 into: 16: ax:SI=call [`output_play'] argc:0 REG_DEAD di:DI REG_DEAD si:SI 17: r60:SI=ax:SI REG_DEAD ax:SI 18: flags:CCGOC=cmp(r59:SI,0) 53: flags:CCGOC=cmp(r59:SI,0) 54: r60:SI={(flags:CCGOC>=0)?ax:SI:r59:SI} 22: NOTE_INSN_BASIC_BLOCK 4 i.e. does what combiner tries to avoid with hard registers. I don't understand why it can't use r60:SI instead of ax:SI.