Integer to Number conversions, can we go faster?

Given an integer :

var i:int;

How to quickly convert it to a Number?

var n:Number = Number(i);

what about:

var n:Number = i;


Can we go faster ? Well, I tried various bit tricks, but I could not get a faster version than the simple n=i;

here one version I tried (for positive integers):

const D_DOUBLE_MAGIC:Number					= 6755399441055744.0; 	    //2^52 * 1.5, uses limited precision to floor
//set exponent and bit sign:
fastmem.fastSetI32(0x43380000,4);	

now the conversion:

fastmem.fastSetI32(i,0);
n = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;

unfortunately, this alchemy version is slower:

I also tried this scenario : given a byteArray containing a serie of integers, starting at the end of the byteArray,and walking back, we can convert each integer to number, by adding 4 bytes to the next integer with the magic 0x43380000, and read the 8 bytes as a Number.. but even with this scenario, the alchemy trick is slower than a direct conversion.

What do you get ?

integer to number code:

protected function integerToNumber():void
		{
			
			//alchemy initialization - using Azoth
			var ba:ByteArray= new ByteArray();
			ba.endian = Endian.LITTLE_ENDIAN;
			ba.length = 1024;
			fastmem.fastSelectMem(ba); //azoth
			
			var i:int = 0;
			var a:Number;			
			var val:int;
			
			
			const D_DOUBLE_MAGIC:Number					= 6755399441055744.0; 	    //2^52 * 1.5, uses limited precision to floor
			fastmem.fastSetI32(0x43380000,4);	
	
			
			var time1:uint = getTimer();
						
			for(i= 0;i<5000000;i++)
			{
				val = i;//-2500000;
				a = Number(val);	
				a = Number(val);	
				a = Number(val);	
				a = Number(val);	
				a = Number(val);	
				a = Number(val);	
				a = Number(val);	
				a = Number(val);	
				a = Number(val);	
				a = Number(val);	
			}
			var time2:uint = getTimer();
			
			for(i= 0;i<5000000;i++)
			{
				val = i;//-2500000;
				a =val;
				a =val;
				a =val;
				a =val;
				a =val;
				a =val;
				a =val;
				a =val;
				a =val;
				a =val;
				
			}
			var time3:uint = getTimer();
				
			for(i= 0;i<5000000;i++)
			{
				val = i;
				
				fastmem.fastSetI32(val,0);
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(val,0);
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(val,0);
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(val,0);
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(val,0);
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(val,0);
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(val,0);
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(val,0);
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(val,0);
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(val,0);
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;

			}
			var time4:uint = getTimer();
			
			startTest();
			setTest( "n=Number(i)"    , "IntegerToNumber", time2-time1 );
			setTest( "n=i"   	  , "IntegerToNumber", time3-time2  );
			setTest( "=Alchemy_BenSree(n)"   	  , "IntegerToNumber", time4-time3  );
			endTest();					
			
			
		}

integer to number in ByteArray code:

		protected function byteArray_intToNumber():void
		{
			
			//alchemy initialization - using Azoth
			var ba:ByteArray= new ByteArray();
			ba.endian = Endian.LITTLE_ENDIAN;
			ba.length = 1024;
			fastmem.fastSelectMem(ba); //azoth
			
			var a:Number;
			var i:int;
			
			const D_DOUBLE_MAGIC:Number					= 6755399441055744.0; 	    //2^52 * 1.5, uses limited precision to floor
			
			var time1:uint = getTimer();
			
			for(i=0;i<5000000;i++)
			{
				a = fastmem.fastGetI32(0);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetI32(0);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetI32(0);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetI32(0);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetI32(0);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetI32(0);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetI32(0);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetI32(0);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetI32(0);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetI32(0);	
			}
			var time2:uint = getTimer();
			
			for(i=0;i<5000000;i++)
			{
				fastmem.fastSetI32(0x43380000,4);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(0x43380000,4);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(0x43380000,4);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(0x43380000,4);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(0x43380000,4);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(0x43380000,4);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(0x43380000,4);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(0x43380000,4);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(0x43380000,4);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
				fastmem.fastSetI32(0x43380000,4);	
				a = fastmem.fastGetDouble(0)-D_DOUBLE_MAGIC;
			}
			
			var time3:uint = getTimer();
			
			startTest();
			setTest( "direct conversion"    , "ByteArray_IntegerToNumber", time2-time1 );
			setTest( "alchemy trick"   	  , "ByteArray_IntegerToNumber", time3-time2  );
			endTest();		
		}