Should I create a new array or use array.clear?

Question

I have an array of data that gets zeroed out from time to time. To do that, should I instantiate a new array, or use the Array.Clear method?

For instance,

int workingSet = new int[5000];

// Other code here

workingSet = new int[5000];
// or
Array.Clear(workingSet, 0, 5000);

Answer 1

When you make a new array instead of an old one, C# will:

1. Make the old array eligible for garbage collection, and eventually deallocate it
2. Allocate a new array
3. Fill the new array with zeros.

When you keep an old array, C# will

1. Fill the old array with zeros.

Everything else being equal, the second approach is more efficient.