Does it really matter to distinct between short, int, long?

Question

In my C# app, I would like to know whether it is really important to use short for smaller numbers, int for bigger etc. Does the memory consumption really matter?

Answer 1

There are a few cases where I really bother choosing.

1. When I have memory limitations
2. When I do bitshift operations
3. When I care about x86/x64 portability

Every other case is int all the way

Edit : About x86/x64

In x86 architecture, an int is 32 bits but in x64, an int is 64 bits

If you write "int" everywhere and move from one architecture to another, it might leads to problems. For example you have an 32 bits api that export a long. You cast it to an integer and everything is fine. But when you move to x64, the hell breaks loose.

The int is defined by your architecture so when you change architecture you need to be aware that it might lead to potential problems