R in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

Chapter 24. Optimizing R Programs

In my experience, R runs well on modern computers and moderate-size data sets, returning results in seconds or minutes. If you’re dealing with small data sets and doing normal calculations, you probably don’t have to worry too much about performance. However, if you are dealing with big data sets or doing very complex calculations, then you could run into trouble.

This chapter includes some tips for making R run faster, especially when tackling unusually large or complicated problems.