The FIRST thing to remember in programming, is it's not an ultimate sprint. There will always be faster cpu's, etc., to move your program along. Speed HAS to take a back seat.
Your looking for:
*Accuracy,
*Clarity of the code,
*well-chosen algorithms,
*good interface for the end user's,
Then, speed!
If you're coding up something to intercept a speeding missile in mid-air, then speed gets moved up, considerably, but in general, the above characteristics of a good program, hold up well.
Your first choice code example is better for speed. If statements can cause a lot more work because of the way they're handled in the cache memory.
Adak