This is a list of all ARM V7 Cortex-A17's performance counter event types. See Cortex-A17 MPCore Technical Reference Manual Cortex A7 DDI (ARM DDI 0535B)
| Name | Description | Counters usable | Unit mask options |
| CPU_CYCLES | Processor cycles | all | |
| INSTRUCTIONS | Instructions completed | all |
Measurement is a crucial component of performance improvement since reasoning and intuition are fallible guides and must be supplemented with tools like timing commands and profilers.- The Practice of Programming, Brian W. Kernighan and Rob Pike