diff --git a/Makefile.target b/Makefile.target
index 4d56298bbf..44ec4b630c 100644
--- a/Makefile.target
+++ b/Makefile.target
@@ -158,9 +158,6 @@ GENERATED_FILES += hmp-commands.h hmp-commands-info.h
 
 endif # CONFIG_SOFTMMU
 
-# Workaround for http://gcc.gnu.org/PR55489, see configure.
-%/translate.o: QEMU_CFLAGS += $(TRANSLATE_OPT_CFLAGS)
-
 dummy := $(call unnest-vars,,obj-y)
 all-obj-y := $(obj-y)
 
diff --git a/audio/alsaaudio.c b/audio/alsaaudio.c
index 362a2276fd..635be73bf4 100644
--- a/audio/alsaaudio.c
+++ b/audio/alsaaudio.c
@@ -28,9 +28,7 @@
 #include "audio.h"
 #include "trace.h"
 
-#if QEMU_GNUC_PREREQ(4, 3)
 #pragma GCC diagnostic ignored "-Waddress"
-#endif
 
 #define AUDIO_CAP "alsa"
 #include "audio_int.h"
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 0a3c6a72c3..0886f45bf4 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1840,6 +1840,31 @@ if test "$bogus_os" = "yes"; then
     error_exit "Unrecognized host OS (uname -s reports '$(uname -s)')"
 fi
 
+# Check whether the compiler matches our minimum requirements:
+cat > $TMPC << EOF
+#if defined(__clang_major__) && defined(__clang_minor__)
+# ifdef __apple_build_version__
+#  if __clang_major__ < 5 || (__clang_major__ == 5 && __clang_minor__ < 1)
+#   error You need at least XCode Clang v5.1 to compile QEMU
+#  endif
+# else
+#  if __clang_major__ < 3 || (__clang_major__ == 3 && __clang_minor__ < 4)
+#   error You need at least Clang v3.4 to compile QEMU
+#  endif
+# endif
+#elif defined(__GNUC__) && defined(__GNUC_MINOR__)
+# if __GNUC__ < 4 || (__GNUC__ == 4 && __GNUC_MINOR__ < 8)
+#  error You need at least GCC v4.8 to compile QEMU
+# endif
+#else
+# error You either need GCC or Clang to compiler QEMU
+#endif
+int main (void) { return 0; }
+EOF
+if ! compile_prog "" "" ; then
+    error_exit "You need at least GCC v4.8 or Clang v3.4 (or XCode Clang v5.1)"
+fi
+
 gcc_flags="-Wold-style-declaration -Wold-style-definition -Wtype-limits"
 gcc_flags="-Wformat-security -Wformat-y2k -Winit-self -Wignored-qualifiers $gcc_flags"
 gcc_flags="-Wno-missing-include-dirs -Wempty-body -Wnested-externs $gcc_flags"
@@ -1911,21 +1936,7 @@ else
   QEMU_CFLAGS="$QEMU_CFLAGS -Wno-missing-braces"
 fi
 
-# Workaround for http://gcc.gnu.org/PR55489.  Happens with -fPIE/-fPIC and
-# large functions that use global variables.  The bug is in all releases of
-# GCC, but it became particularly acute in 4.6.x and 4.7.x.  It is fixed in
-# 4.7.3 and 4.8.0.  We should be able to delete this at the end of 2013.
-cat > $TMPC << EOF
-#if __GNUC__ == 4 && (__GNUC_MINOR__ == 6 || (__GNUC_MINOR__ == 7 && __GNUC_PATCHLEVEL__ <= 2))
-int main(void) { return 0; }
-#else
-#error No bug in this compiler.
-#endif
-EOF
-if compile_prog "-Werror -fno-gcse" "" ; then
-  TRANSLATE_OPT_CFLAGS=-fno-gcse
-fi
-
+# Static linking is not possible with modules or PIE
 if test "$static" = "yes" ; then
   if test "$modules" = "yes" ; then
     error_exit "static and modules are mutually incompatible"
@@ -5123,11 +5134,6 @@ fi
 
 int128=no
 cat > $TMPC << EOF
-#if defined(__clang_major__) && defined(__clang_minor__)
-# if ((__clang_major__ < 3) || (__clang_major__ == 3) && (__clang_minor__ < 2))
-#  error __int128_t does not work in CLANG before 3.2
-# endif
-#endif
 __int128_t a;
 __uint128_t b;
 int main (void) {
@@ -6963,7 +6969,6 @@ echo "LIBS_QGA+=$libs_qga" >> $config_host_mak
 echo "TASN1_LIBS=$tasn1_libs" >> $config_host_mak
 echo "TASN1_CFLAGS=$tasn1_cflags" >> $config_host_mak
 echo "POD2MAN=$POD2MAN" >> $config_host_mak
-echo "TRANSLATE_OPT_CFLAGS=$TRANSLATE_OPT_CFLAGS" >> $config_host_mak
 if test "$gcov" = "yes" ; then
   echo "CONFIG_GCOV=y" >> $config_host_mak
   echo "GCOV=$gcov_tool" >> $config_host_mak
diff --git a/hw/i2c/bitbang_i2c.h b/hw/i2c/bitbang_i2c.h
index 3a7126d5de..9443021710 100644
--- a/hw/i2c/bitbang_i2c.h
+++ b/hw/i2c/bitbang_i2c.h
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
 
 #include "hw/i2c/i2c.h"
 
-typedef struct bitbang_i2c_interface bitbang_i2c_interface;
-
 #define BITBANG_I2C_SDA 0
 #define BITBANG_I2C_SCL 1
 
diff --git a/include/hw/i2c/i2c.h b/include/hw/i2c/i2c.h
index 5dc166158b..cf4c45a98f 100644
--- a/include/hw/i2c/i2c.h
+++ b/include/hw/i2c/i2c.h
@@ -82,6 +82,8 @@ int i2c_recv(I2CBus *bus);
 
 DeviceState *i2c_create_slave(I2CBus *bus, const char *name, uint8_t addr);
 
+typedef struct bitbang_i2c_interface bitbang_i2c_interface;
+
 /* lm832x.c */
 void lm832x_key_event(DeviceState *dev, int key, int state);
 
diff --git a/include/hw/i2c/ppc4xx_i2c.h b/include/hw/i2c/ppc4xx_i2c.h
index 0891a9c948..b3450bacf7 100644
--- a/include/hw/i2c/ppc4xx_i2c.h
+++ b/include/hw/i2c/ppc4xx_i2c.h
@@ -31,9 +31,6 @@
 #include "hw/sysbus.h"
 #include "hw/i2c/i2c.h"
 
-/* from hw/i2c/bitbang_i2c.h */
-typedef struct bitbang_i2c_interface bitbang_i2c_interface;
-
 #define TYPE_PPC4xx_I2C "ppc4xx-i2c"
 #define PPC4xx_I2C(obj) OBJECT_CHECK(PPC4xxI2CState, (obj), TYPE_PPC4xx_I2C)
 
diff --git a/include/qemu/compiler.h b/include/qemu/compiler.h
index 6b92710487..261842beae 100644
--- a/include/qemu/compiler.h
+++ b/include/qemu/compiler.h
@@ -28,12 +28,6 @@
 
 #define QEMU_SENTINEL __attribute__((sentinel))
 
-#if QEMU_GNUC_PREREQ(4, 3)
-#define QEMU_ARTIFICIAL __attribute__((always_inline, artificial))
-#else
-#define QEMU_ARTIFICIAL
-#endif
-
 #if defined(_WIN32)
 # define QEMU_PACKED __attribute__((gcc_struct, packed))
 #else
@@ -127,7 +121,7 @@
 #define __has_builtin(x) 0 /* compatibility with non-clang compilers */
 #endif
 
-#if __has_builtin(__builtin_assume_aligned) || QEMU_GNUC_PREREQ(4, 7)
+#if __has_builtin(__builtin_assume_aligned) || !defined(__clang__)
 #define HAS_ASSUME_ALIGNED
 #endif
 
diff --git a/include/qemu/host-utils.h b/include/qemu/host-utils.h
index 38da849be9..4cd170e6cd 100644
--- a/include/qemu/host-utils.h
+++ b/include/qemu/host-utils.h
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ static inline int cto64(uint64_t val)
  */
 static inline int clrsb32(uint32_t val)
 {
-#if QEMU_GNUC_PREREQ(4, 7)
+#if __has_builtin(__builtin_clrsb) || !defined(__clang__)
     return __builtin_clrsb(val);
 #else
     return clz32(val ^ ((int32_t)val >> 1)) - 1;
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ static inline int clrsb32(uint32_t val)
  */
 static inline int clrsb64(uint64_t val)
 {
-#if QEMU_GNUC_PREREQ(4, 7)
+#if __has_builtin(__builtin_clrsbll) || !defined(__clang__)
     return __builtin_clrsbll(val);
 #else
     return clz64(val ^ ((int64_t)val >> 1)) - 1;
diff --git a/scripts/checkpatch.pl b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
index 60f6f89a27..a892a6cc7c 100755
--- a/scripts/checkpatch.pl
+++ b/scripts/checkpatch.pl
@@ -202,7 +202,6 @@ our $Attribute	= qr{
 			QEMU_NORETURN|
 			QEMU_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT|
 			QEMU_SENTINEL|
-			QEMU_ARTIFICIAL|
 			QEMU_PACKED|
 			GCC_FMT_ATTR
 		  }x;
diff --git a/scripts/cocci-macro-file.h b/scripts/cocci-macro-file.h
index 9f2e72e7e1..7e200a1023 100644
--- a/scripts/cocci-macro-file.h
+++ b/scripts/cocci-macro-file.h
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@
 #define QEMU_NORETURN __attribute__ ((__noreturn__))
 #define QEMU_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT __attribute__((warn_unused_result))
 #define QEMU_SENTINEL __attribute__((sentinel))
-#define QEMU_ARTIFICIAL __attribute__((always_inline, artificial))
 #define QEMU_PACKED __attribute__((gcc_struct, packed))
 
 #define cat(x,y) x ## y
diff --git a/tcg/tcg.h b/tcg/tcg.h
index f4efbaa680..f9a56a9520 100644
--- a/tcg/tcg.h
+++ b/tcg/tcg.h
@@ -230,11 +230,9 @@ typedef uint64_t tcg_insn_unit;
 
 #if defined CONFIG_DEBUG_TCG || defined QEMU_STATIC_ANALYSIS
 # define tcg_debug_assert(X) do { assert(X); } while (0)
-#elif QEMU_GNUC_PREREQ(4, 5)
+#else
 # define tcg_debug_assert(X) \
     do { if (!(X)) { __builtin_unreachable(); } } while (0)
-#else
-# define tcg_debug_assert(X) do { (void)(X); } while (0)
 #endif
 
 typedef struct TCGRelocation {