Where Are Value Types Stored In (C#) Generic Collections

Question

It is true that generic collections perform better than non-generic collections for value types. (i.e. List vs. ArrayList).

But why is that, other than the boxing-unboxing step? Where are the value type objects stored once added to the collection? In non-generic collections, they'll be boxed and stored on heap, what is different in generics?

Answer 1

In generics, such as List<T>, they're still stored on the heap. The difference is that, internally, a List<int> makes a single array of integers, and can store the numbers directly. WIth ArrayList, you end up storing an array of references to boxed integer values.