When using containers like `unordered_map`, `unordered_set`, or vectors in performance-critical code, always pre-allocate space by calling `reserve()` before adding elements. This prevents expensive rehashing or reallocation operations during insertion, which can cause significant performance degradation, especially in rendering loops or frequently called functions. For string-heavy lookups and comparisons, consider using specialized containers like `StringIndexer` with `unordered_set` instead of storing and comparing raw strings directly. Example: ```cpp // Suboptimal: May cause multiple reallocations std::unordered_map textureMap; // Add many elements... // Better: Pre-allocate expected capacity std::unordered_map textureMap; textureMap.reserve(expectedCount); // Prevent rehashing during insertion // Add many elements... // Even better for string comparisons in hot paths: std::unordered_set propertiesAsUniforms; propertiesAsUniforms.reserve(expectedPropertyCount); // This optimization can help with performance in methods called per frame ``` This simple practice can significantly reduce memory allocation overhead, especially in data structures accessed in rendering loops or hot paths in your graphics code.