diff -r 48468ad48e4c -r f359304c1856 hotspot/src/share/vm/compiler/compileBroker.cpp
--- a/hotspot/src/share/vm/compiler/compileBroker.cpp	Wed Jan 25 18:58:59 2012 -0800
+++ b/hotspot/src/share/vm/compiler/compileBroker.cpp	Thu Jan 26 20:06:06 2012 -0500
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright (c) 1999, 2011, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 1999, 2012, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
  * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS FILE HEADER.
  *
  * This code is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
@@ -855,23 +855,23 @@
     // Note that this only sets the JavaThread _priority field, which by
     // definition is limited to Java priorities and not OS priorities.
     // The os-priority is set in the CompilerThread startup code itself
+
     java_lang_Thread::set_priority(thread_oop(), NearMaxPriority);
-    // CLEANUP PRIORITIES: This -if- statement hids a bug whereby the compiler
-    // threads never have their OS priority set.  The assumption here is to
-    // enable the Performance group to do flag tuning, figure out a suitable
-    // CompilerThreadPriority, and then remove this 'if' statement (and
-    // comment) and unconditionally set the priority.
+
+    // Note that we cannot call os::set_priority because it expects Java
+    // priorities and we are *explicitly* using OS priorities so that it's
+    // possible to set the compiler thread priority higher than any Java
+    // thread.
 
-    // Compiler Threads should be at the highest Priority
-    if ( CompilerThreadPriority != -1 )
-      os::set_native_priority( compiler_thread, CompilerThreadPriority );
-    else
-      os::set_native_priority( compiler_thread, os::java_to_os_priority[NearMaxPriority]);
-
-      // Note that I cannot call os::set_priority because it expects Java
-      // priorities and I am *explicitly* using OS priorities so that it's
-      // possible to set the compiler thread priority higher than any Java
-      // thread.
+    int native_prio = CompilerThreadPriority;
+    if (native_prio == -1) {
+      if (UseCriticalCompilerThreadPriority) {
+        native_prio = os::java_to_os_priority[CriticalPriority];
+      } else {
+        native_prio = os::java_to_os_priority[NearMaxPriority];
+      }
+    }
+    os::set_native_priority(compiler_thread, native_prio);
 
     java_lang_Thread::set_daemon(thread_oop());
 
@@ -879,6 +879,7 @@
     Threads::add(compiler_thread);
     Thread::start(compiler_thread);
   }
+
   // Let go of Threads_lock before yielding
   os::yield(); // make sure that the compiler thread is started early (especially helpful on SOLARIS)