performance - Which is faster? Comparison or assignment?

Question

I'm doing a bit of coding, where I have to write this sort of code:

if( array[i]==false )
    array[i]=true;

I wonder if it should be re-written as

array[i]=true;

This raises the question: are comparisions faster than assignments?

What about differences from language to language? (contrast between java & cpp, eg.)

NOTE: I've heard that "premature optimization is the root of all evil." I don't think that applies here :)

Answer 1

This isn't just premature optimization, this is micro-optimization, which is an irrelevant distraction.

Assuming your array is of boolean type then your comparison is unnecessary, which is the only relevant observation.