https://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=70773
--- Comment #23 from PeteVine <tulipawn at gmail dot com> --- $ gcov-dump-6 sudoku.gcda.bad sudoku.gcda.bad:data:magic `gcda':version `603*' sudoku.gcda.bad:stamp 46515746 sudoku.gcda.bad: a3000000: 77:PROGRAM_SUMMARY checksum=0x12ec1c02 sudoku.gcda.bad: counts=29, runs=1, sum_all=342403001, run_max=58689000, sum_max=58689000 sudoku.gcda.bad: counter histogram: sudoku.gcda.bad: 0: num counts=2, min counter=0, cum_counter=0 sudoku.gcda.bad: 1: num counts=1, min counter=1, cum_counter=1 sudoku.gcda.bad: 35: num counts=6, min counter=1000, cum_counter=6000 sudoku.gcda.bad: 41: num counts=1, min counter=3000, cum_counter=3000 sudoku.gcda.bad: 48: num counts=3, min counter=9000, cum_counter=27000 sudoku.gcda.bad: 54: num counts=1, min counter=27000, cum_counter=27000 sudoku.gcda.bad: 55: num counts=1, min counter=29000, cum_counter=29000 sudoku.gcda.bad: 60: num counts=3, min counter=81000, cum_counter=243000 sudoku.gcda.bad: 82: num counts=1, min counter=3531000, cum_counter=3531000 sudoku.gcda.bad: 86: num counts=4, min counter=6469000, cum_counter=26033000 sudoku.gcda.bad: 92: num counts=1, min counter=19563000, cum_counter=19563000 sudoku.gcda.bad: 98: num counts=5, min counter=58411000, cum_counter=292941000 sudoku.gcda.bad: 01000000: 3:FUNCTION ident=108032747, lineno_checksum=0x0ceca33f, cfg_checksum=0x73ff2042 sudoku.gcda.bad: 01a10000: 6:COUNTERS arcs 3 counts sudoku.gcda.bad: 01b10000: 2:COUNTERS time_profiler 1 counts sudoku.gcda.bad: 01000000: 3:FUNCTION ident=82881, lineno_checksum=0x3ae31d81, cfg_checksum=0x707619b8 sudoku.gcda.bad: 01a10000: 14:COUNTERS arcs 7 counts sudoku.gcda.bad: 01b10000: 2:COUNTERS time_profiler 1 counts sudoku.gcda.bad: 01000000: 3:FUNCTION ident=1633341470, lineno_checksum=0xf25ea178, cfg_checksum=0x88a084d7 sudoku.gcda.bad: 01a10000: 22:COUNTERS arcs 11 counts sudoku.gcda.bad: 01b10000: 2:COUNTERS time_profiler 1 counts sudoku.gcda.bad: 01000000: 3:FUNCTION ident=535938890, lineno_checksum=0x375a9f34, cfg_checksum=0x5d41b59e sudoku.gcda.bad: 01a10000: 16:COUNTERS arcs 8 counts sudoku.gcda.bad: 01b10000: 2:COUNTERS time_profiler 1 counts whereas: $ gcov-dump-8 sudoku.gcda.good sudoku.gcda.good:data:magic `gcda':version `A80e' sudoku.gcda.good:stamp 46451024 sudoku.gcda.good:tag `00000052' is invalid sudoku.gcda.good: 00000052:459670006:UNKNOWN so it looks like the profile data is not usable and hence no pessimization? That's probably not the fix I was hoping for, oops!