Brian,
When CType is simply casting I would not expect there to be any speed
difference.
However when CType is converting, then I would expect the process of
converting from one type to a different type to have more overhead then
simply casting. However I question if the difference in speed is worth the
bother.
However! I find its better to write "correct" programs first, then worry
about optimizations after a specific routine has been identified, via
profiling, to have a performance issue.
As you know, CType is the conversion operator used to convert one type into
a different type, such as a String to an Integer. While DirectCast is used
for casting, normally from a base type to a derived type, where the base
object is of the derived type. Where Type can be classes, structures or
interfaces...
Note with overloading the CType operator available in Whidbey (VS.NET 2005
due out next year) it will be even more important to use the "correct"
operator. As a CType that fails in VB.NET 2003 may suddenly work in VB.NET
2005...
Of course "correct-ness" is subjective ;-)
Hope this helps
Jay