Selective use of branch prediction hints

A method comprising:

• receiving, by a branch predictor, a branch instruction with a hint;
• making a prediction;
• determining whether the prediction was based on stored information about the branch instruction;
• setting a hint-override indicator if the prediction was based on stored information;
• and
• overriding the hint if the hint-override indicator indicates that the prediction was based on stored information.

A method comprising:

• executing code including branch instructions having hints on a processor having a branch predictor to provide a prediction and a hint-override indicator, wherein the hint-override indicator is to indicate whether the prediction is based on stored information about the branch instruction;
• overriding the hints if the hint-override indicator indicates that the prediction is based on stored information about the corresponding branch instruction;
• and
• counting mispredictions for conditional branch instructions for which the branch predictor had no stored information and for which the prediction was to not take a branch.