diff --git a/backends/cxxrtl/cxxrtl.cc b/backends/cxxrtl/cxxrtl.cc
index 710462e96..6fd63548f 100644
--- a/backends/cxxrtl/cxxrtl.cc
+++ b/backends/cxxrtl/cxxrtl.cc
@@ -827,7 +827,7 @@ struct CxxrtlWorker {
 			}
 			RTLIL::Memory *memory = cell->module->memories[cell->getParam(ID(MEMID)).decode_string()];
 			std::string valid_index_temp = fresh_temporary();
-			f << indent << "std::pair<bool, size_t> " << valid_index_temp << " = memory_index(";
+			f << indent << "auto " << valid_index_temp << " = memory_index(";
 			dump_sigspec_rhs(cell->getPort(ID(ADDR)));
 			f << ", " << memory->start_offset << ", " << memory->size << ");\n";
 			if (cell->type == ID($memrd)) {
@@ -844,8 +844,8 @@ struct CxxrtlWorker {
 				// larger program) will never crash the code that calls into it.
 				//
 				// If assertions are disabled, out of bounds reads are defined to return zero.
-				f << indent << "assert(" << valid_index_temp << ".first && \"out of bounds read\");\n";
-				f << indent << "if(" << valid_index_temp << ".first) {\n";
+				f << indent << "assert(" << valid_index_temp << ".valid && \"out of bounds read\");\n";
+				f << indent << "if(" << valid_index_temp << ".valid) {\n";
 				inc_indent();
 					if (writable_memories[memory]) {
 						std::string addr_temp = fresh_temporary();
@@ -854,17 +854,22 @@ struct CxxrtlWorker {
 						f << ";\n";
 						std::string lhs_temp = fresh_temporary();
 						f << indent << "value<" << memory->width << "> " << lhs_temp << " = "
-						            << mangle(memory) << "[" << valid_index_temp << ".second].curr;\n";
-						for (auto memwr_cell : transparent_for[cell]) {
+						            << mangle(memory) << "[" << valid_index_temp << ".index];\n";
+						std::vector<const RTLIL::Cell*> memwr_cells(transparent_for[cell].begin(), transparent_for[cell].end());
+						std::sort(memwr_cells.begin(), memwr_cells.end(),
+							[](const RTLIL::Cell *a, const RTLIL::Cell *b) {
+								return a->getParam(ID(PRIORITY)).as_int() < b->getParam(ID(PRIORITY)).as_int();
+							});
+						for (auto memwr_cell : memwr_cells) {
 							f << indent << "if (" << addr_temp << " == ";
 							dump_sigspec_rhs(memwr_cell->getPort(ID(ADDR)));
 							f << ") {\n";
 							inc_indent();
 								f << indent << lhs_temp << " = " << lhs_temp;
 								f << ".update(";
-								dump_sigspec_rhs(memwr_cell->getPort(ID(EN)));
-								f << ", ";
 								dump_sigspec_rhs(memwr_cell->getPort(ID(DATA)));
+								f << ", ";
+								dump_sigspec_rhs(memwr_cell->getPort(ID(EN)));
 								f << ");\n";
 							dec_indent();
 							f << indent << "}\n";
@@ -875,7 +880,7 @@ struct CxxrtlWorker {
 					} else {
 						f << indent;
 						dump_sigspec_lhs(cell->getPort(ID(DATA)));
-						f << " = " << mangle(memory) << "[" << valid_index_temp << ".second];\n";
+						f << " = " << mangle(memory) << "[" << valid_index_temp << ".index];\n";
 					}
 				dec_indent();
 				f << indent << "} else {\n";
@@ -890,22 +895,18 @@ struct CxxrtlWorker {
 					f << indent << "}\n";
 				}
 			} else /*if (cell->type == ID($memwr))*/ {
-				// FIXME: handle write port priority, here and above in transparent $memrd cells
 				log_assert(writable_memories[memory]);
 				// See above for rationale of having both the assert and the condition.
 				//
 				// If assertions are disabled, out of bounds writes are defined to do nothing.
-				f << indent << "assert(" << valid_index_temp << ".first && \"out of bounds write\");\n";
-				f << indent << "if (" << valid_index_temp << ".first) {\n";
+				f << indent << "assert(" << valid_index_temp << ".valid && \"out of bounds write\");\n";
+				f << indent << "if (" << valid_index_temp << ".valid) {\n";
 				inc_indent();
-					std::string lhs_temp = fresh_temporary();
-					f << indent << "wire<" << memory->width << "> &" << lhs_temp << " = ";
-					f << mangle(memory) << "[" << valid_index_temp << ".second];\n";
-					f << indent << lhs_temp << ".next = " << lhs_temp << ".curr.update(";
-					dump_sigspec_rhs(cell->getPort(ID(EN)));
-					f << ", ";
+					f << indent << mangle(memory) << ".update(" << valid_index_temp << ".index, ";
 					dump_sigspec_rhs(cell->getPort(ID(DATA)));
-					f << ");\n";
+					f << ", ";
+					dump_sigspec_rhs(cell->getPort(ID(EN)));
+					f << ", " << cell->getParam(ID(PRIORITY)).as_int() << ");\n";
 				dec_indent();
 				f << indent << "}\n";
 			}
@@ -1122,8 +1123,8 @@ struct CxxrtlWorker {
 		});
 
 		dump_attrs(memory);
-		f << indent << "memory_" << (writable_memories[memory] ? "rw" : "ro")
-		            << "<" << memory->width << "> " << mangle(memory)
+		f << indent << (writable_memories[memory] ? "" : "const ")
+		            << "memory<" << memory->width << "> " << mangle(memory)
 		            << " { " << memory->size << "u";
 		if (init_cells.empty()) {
 			f << " };\n";
@@ -1135,8 +1136,7 @@ struct CxxrtlWorker {
 					RTLIL::Const data = cell->getPort(ID(DATA)).as_const();
 					size_t width = cell->getParam(ID(WIDTH)).as_int();
 					size_t words = cell->getParam(ID(WORDS)).as_int();
-					f << indent << "memory_" << (writable_memories[memory] ? "rw" : "ro")
-					            << "<" << memory->width << ">::init<" << words << "> { "
+					f << indent << "memory<" << memory->width << ">::init<" << words << "> { "
 					            << stringf("%#x", cell->getPort(ID(ADDR)).as_int()) << ", {";
 					inc_indent();
 						for (size_t n = 0; n < words; n++) {
@@ -1257,10 +1257,7 @@ struct CxxrtlWorker {
 			for (auto memory : module->memories) {
 				if (!writable_memories[memory.second])
 					continue;
-				f << indent << "for (size_t i = 0; i < " << memory.second->size << "u; i++)\n";
-				inc_indent();
-					f << indent << "changed |= " << mangle(memory.second) << "[i].commit();\n";
-				dec_indent();
+				f << indent << "changed |= " << mangle(memory.second) << ".commit();\n";
 			}
 			for (auto cell : module->cells()) {
 				if (is_internal_cell(cell->type))
diff --git a/backends/cxxrtl/cxxrtl.h b/backends/cxxrtl/cxxrtl.h
index 18e45e22c..593c31c28 100644
--- a/backends/cxxrtl/cxxrtl.h
+++ b/backends/cxxrtl/cxxrtl.h
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
  *  yosys -- Yosys Open SYnthesis Suite
  *
- *  Copyright (C) 2019  whitequark <whitequark@whitequark.org>
+ *  Copyright (C) 2019-2020  whitequark <whitequark@whitequark.org>
  *
  *  Permission to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute this software for any
  *  purpose with or without fee is hereby granted.
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 #include <type_traits>
 #include <tuple>
 #include <vector>
+#include <algorithm>
 #include <sstream>
 
 // The cxxrtl support library implements compile time specialized arbitrary width arithmetics, as well as provides
@@ -73,9 +74,6 @@ struct value : public expr_base<value<Bits>> {
 	template<typename... Init>
 	explicit constexpr value(Init ...init) : data{init...} {}
 
-	// This allows using value<> as well as wire<> in memory initializers.
-	using init = value<Bits>;
-
 	value(const value<Bits> &) = default;
 	value(value<Bits> &&) = default;
 	value<Bits> &operator=(const value<Bits> &) = default;
@@ -297,7 +295,7 @@ struct value : public expr_base<value<Bits>> {
 		return result;
 	}
 
-	value<Bits> update(const value<Bits> &mask, const value<Bits> &val) const {
+	value<Bits> update(const value<Bits> &val, const value<Bits> &mask) const {
 		return bit_and(mask.bit_not()).bit_or(val.bit_and(mask));
 	}
 
@@ -559,19 +557,6 @@ struct wire {
 	wire(wire<Bits> &&) = default;
 	wire<Bits> &operator=(const wire<Bits> &) = delete;
 
-	// We want to avoid having operator=(wire<>) or operator=(value<>) that overwrites both curr and next,
-	// since this operation is almost always wrong. But we also need an operation like that for memory
-	// initialization. This is solved by adding a wrapper and making the use of operator= valid only when
-	// this wrapper is used.
-	struct init {
-		value<Bits> data;
-	};
-
-	wire<Bits> &operator=(const init &init) {
-		curr = next = init.data;
-		return *this;
-	}
-
 	bool commit() {
 		if (curr != next) {
 			curr = next;
@@ -587,12 +572,10 @@ std::ostream &operator<<(std::ostream &os, const wire<Bits> &val) {
 	return os;
 }
 
-template<class Elem>
+template<size_t Width>
 struct memory {
-	using StoredElem = typename std::remove_const<Elem>::type;
-	std::vector<StoredElem> data;
+	std::vector<value<Width>> data;
 
-	static constexpr size_t width = StoredElem::bits;
 	size_t depth() const {
 		return data.size();
 	}
@@ -600,8 +583,8 @@ struct memory {
 	memory() = delete;
 	explicit memory(size_t depth) : data(depth) {}
 
-	memory(const memory<Elem> &) = delete;
-	memory<Elem> &operator=(const memory<Elem> &) = delete;
+	memory(const memory<Width> &) = delete;
+	memory<Width> &operator=(const memory<Width> &) = delete;
 
 	// The only way to get the compiler to put the initializer in .rodata and do not copy it on stack is to stuff it
 	// into a plain array. You'd think an std::initializer_list would work here, but it doesn't, because you can't
@@ -610,7 +593,7 @@ struct memory {
 	template<size_t Size>
 	struct init {
 		size_t offset;
-		typename Elem::init data[Size];
+		value<Width> data[Size];
 	};
 
 	template<size_t... InitSize>
@@ -621,18 +604,56 @@ struct memory {
 		auto _ = {std::move(std::begin(init.data), std::end(init.data), data.begin() + init.offset)...};
 	}
 
-	Elem &operator [](size_t index) {
+	value<Width> &operator [](size_t index) {
 		assert(index < data.size());
 		return data[index];
 	}
+
+	const value<Width> &operator [](size_t index) const {
+		assert(index < data.size());
+		return data[index];
+	}
+
+	// A simple way to make a writable memory would be to use an array of wires instead of an array of values.
+	// However, there are two significant downsides to this approach: first, it has large overhead (2× space
+	// overhead, and O(depth) time overhead during commit); second, it does not simplify handling write port
+	// priorities. Although in principle write ports could be ordered or conditionally enabled in generated
+	// code based on their priorities and selected addresses, the feedback arc set problem is computationally
+	// expensive, and the heuristic based algorithms are not easily modified to guarantee (rather than prefer)
+	// a particular write port evaluation order.
+	//
+	// The approach used here instead is to queue writes into a buffer during the eval phase, then perform
+	// the writes during the commit phase in the priority order. This approach has low overhead, with both space
+	// and time proportional to the amount of write ports. Because virtually every memory in a practical design
+	// has at most two write ports, linear search is used on every write, being the fastest and simplest approach.
+	struct write {
+		size_t index;
+		value<Width> val;
+		value<Width> mask;
+		int priority;
+	};
+	std::vector<write> write_queue;
+
+	void update(size_t index, const value<Width> &val, const value<Width> &mask, int priority = 0) {
+		assert(index < data.size());
+		write_queue.emplace_back(write { index, val, mask, priority });
+	}
+
+	bool commit() {
+		bool changed = false;
+		std::sort(write_queue.begin(), write_queue.end(),
+			[](const write &a, const write &b) { return a.priority < b.priority; });
+		for (const write &entry : write_queue) {
+			value<Width> elem = data[entry.index];
+			elem = elem.update(entry.val, entry.mask);
+			changed |= (data[entry.index] != elem);
+			data[entry.index] = elem;
+		}
+		write_queue.clear();
+		return changed;
+	}
 };
 
-template<size_t Width>
-using memory_rw = memory<wire<Width>>;
-
-template<size_t Width>
-using memory_ro = memory<const value<Width>>;
-
 struct module {
 	module() {}
 	virtual ~module() {}
@@ -1098,15 +1119,19 @@ value<BitsY> mod_ss(const value<BitsA> &a, const value<BitsB> &b) {
 }
 
 // Memory helper
-template<size_t BitsAddr>
-std::pair<bool, size_t> memory_index(const value<BitsAddr> &addr, size_t offset, size_t depth) {
-	static_assert(value<BitsAddr>::chunks <= 1, "memory address is too wide");
-	size_t offset_index = addr.data[0];
+struct memory_index {
+	bool valid;
+	size_t index;
 
-	bool valid = (offset_index >= offset && offset_index < offset + depth);
-	size_t index = offset_index - offset;
-	return std::make_pair(valid, index);
-}
+	template<size_t BitsAddr>
+	memory_index(const value<BitsAddr> &addr, size_t offset, size_t depth) {
+		static_assert(value<BitsAddr>::chunks <= 1, "memory address is too wide");
+		size_t offset_index = addr.data[0];
+
+		valid = (offset_index >= offset && offset_index < offset + depth);
+		index = offset_index - offset;
+	}
+};
 
 } // namespace cxxrtl_yosys