Explicit prefetching should only be used under special circumstances that are supported by measurements.
Because the compiler tunes the prefetch mechanism for optimal performance across a wide range of machines and applications, you should only use -xprefetch=latx:factor when the performance tests indicate there is a clear benefit. The assumed prefetch latencies may change from release to release. Therefore, retesting the effect of the latency factor on performance whenever switching to a different release is highly recommended.