Pow(x, y) question

Until today I had a peaceful life, knowing that Pow(x, y) would (should?) be slower than doing (x*x*....) y times.

But now, this post makes me wonder:
http://www.wc3c.net/showpost.php?p=1097989&postcount=44

So, can anyone confirm that Pow is faster? Should it now be used on multiplications?

Special thanks to BlinkBoy for the benchmark.

We've always known the breakeven point between the two is around 3 (that benchmark is within the margin of error, I'd say). Pow(x, y)'s speed is pretty much O(1), while x*x*x... is O(n). Therefore saying x*x.. is faster would be silly.

So is it better to use Pow for exponents exceeding 3?

Yep

Damn ... this is something new for me ... bookmarked and thx for confirmation =D