diff --git a/pystencils/include/aesni_rand.h b/pystencils/include/aesni_rand.h
index 09327f27b8bc0b3cdd0b16cb8a64e3237b555797..1e2b05bd28a01d64dcbd709d4018dcb7adfd69cd 100644
--- a/pystencils/include/aesni_rand.h
+++ b/pystencils/include/aesni_rand.h
@@ -1,11 +1,16 @@
-#if !defined(__AES__) || !defined(__SSE2__)
-#error AES-NI and SSE2 need to be enabled
+#if !defined(__AES__) || !defined(__SSE4_1__)
+#error AES-NI and SSE4.1 need to be enabled
 #endif
 
 #include <emmintrin.h> // SSE2
 #include <wmmintrin.h> // AES
 #ifdef __AVX512VL__
 #include <immintrin.h> // AVX*
+#else
+#include <smmintrin.h>  // SSE4
+#ifdef __FMA__
+#include <immintrin.h> // FMA
+#endif
 #endif
 #include <cstdint>
 
@@ -44,14 +49,19 @@ QUALIFIERS __m128 _my_cvtepu32_ps(const __m128i v)
 #endif
 }
 
+#if !defined(__AVX512VL__) && defined(__GNUC__) && __GNUC__ >= 5
+__attribute__((optimize("no-associative-math")))
+#endif
 QUALIFIERS __m128d _my_cvtepu64_pd(const __m128i x)
 {
 #ifdef __AVX512VL__
     return _mm_cvtepu64_pd(x);
 #else
-    uint64 r[2];
-    _mm_storeu_si128((__m128i*)r, x);
-    return _mm_set_pd((double)r[1], (double)r[0]);
+    __m128i xH = _mm_srli_epi64(x, 32);
+    xH = _mm_or_si128(xH, _mm_castpd_si128(_mm_set1_pd(19342813113834066795298816.)));          //  2^84
+    __m128i xL = _mm_blend_epi16(x, _mm_castpd_si128(_mm_set1_pd(0x0010000000000000)), 0xcc);   //  2^52
+    __m128d f = _mm_sub_pd(_mm_castsi128_pd(xH), _mm_set1_pd(19342813118337666422669312.));     //  2^84 + 2^52
+    return _mm_add_pd(f, _mm_castsi128_pd(xL));
 #endif
 }
 
@@ -71,18 +81,22 @@ QUALIFIERS void aesni_double2(uint32 ctr0, uint32 ctr1, uint32 ctr2, uint32 ctr3
     y = _mm_srli_si128(y, 4);
 
     // calculate z = x ^ y << (53 - 32))
-    __m128i z = _mm_sll_epi64(y, _mm_set_epi64x(53 - 32, 53 - 32));
+    __m128i z = _mm_sll_epi64(y, _mm_set1_epi64x(53 - 32));
     z = _mm_xor_si128(x, z);
 
     // convert uint64 to double
     __m128d rs = _my_cvtepu64_pd(z);
     // calculate rs * TWOPOW53_INV_DOUBLE + (TWOPOW53_INV_DOUBLE/2.0)
-    rs = _mm_mul_pd(rs, _mm_set_pd1(TWOPOW53_INV_DOUBLE));
-    rs = _mm_add_pd(rs, _mm_set_pd1(TWOPOW53_INV_DOUBLE/2.0));
+#ifdef __FMA__
+    rs = _mm_fmadd_pd(rs, _mm_set1_pd(TWOPOW53_INV_DOUBLE), _mm_set1_pd(TWOPOW53_INV_DOUBLE/2.0));
+#else
+    rs = _mm_mul_pd(rs, _mm_set1_pd(TWOPOW53_INV_DOUBLE));
+    rs = _mm_add_pd(rs, _mm_set1_pd(TWOPOW53_INV_DOUBLE/2.0));
+#endif
 
     // store result
-    double rr[2];
-    _mm_storeu_pd(rr, rs);
+    alignas(16) double rr[2];
+    _mm_store_pd(rr, rs);
     rnd1 = rr[0];
     rnd2 = rr[1];
 }
@@ -100,14 +114,19 @@ QUALIFIERS void aesni_float4(uint32 ctr0, uint32 ctr1, uint32 ctr2, uint32 ctr3,
     // convert uint32 to float
     __m128 rs = _my_cvtepu32_ps(c128);
     // calculate rs * TWOPOW32_INV_FLOAT + (TWOPOW32_INV_FLOAT/2.0f)
-    rs = _mm_mul_ps(rs, _mm_set_ps1(TWOPOW32_INV_FLOAT));
-    rs = _mm_add_ps(rs, _mm_set_ps1(TWOPOW32_INV_FLOAT/2.0f));
+#ifdef __FMA__
+    rs = _mm_fmadd_ps(rs, _mm_set1_ps(TWOPOW32_INV_FLOAT), _mm_set1_ps(TWOPOW32_INV_FLOAT/2.0f));
+#else
+    rs = _mm_mul_ps(rs, _mm_set1_ps(TWOPOW32_INV_FLOAT));
+    rs = _mm_add_ps(rs, _mm_set1_ps(TWOPOW32_INV_FLOAT/2.0f));
+#endif
 
     // store result
-    float r[4];
-    _mm_storeu_ps(r, rs);
+    alignas(16) float r[4];
+    _mm_store_ps(r, rs);
     rnd1 = r[0];
     rnd2 = r[1];
     rnd3 = r[2];
     rnd4 = r[3];
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+