diff --git a/benchmark/misc/bench-hrtime.js b/benchmark/misc/bench-hrtime.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..661dff43b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmark/misc/bench-hrtime.js
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const common = require('../common');
+
+const bench = common.createBenchmark(main, {
+  n: [1e6]
+});
+
+
+function main(conf) {
+  const n = conf.n >>> 0;
+
+  bench.start();
+  for (var i = 0; i < n; i++) {
+    process.hrtime();
+  }
+  bench.end(n);
+}
diff --git a/src/node.cc b/src/node.cc
index be80ab3124..e03d541f3c 100644
--- a/src/node.cc
+++ b/src/node.cc
@@ -2132,22 +2132,23 @@ void Hrtime(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {
 
   uint64_t t = uv_hrtime();
 
-  if (args.Length() > 0) {
-    // return a time diff tuple
-    if (!args[0]->IsArray()) {
+  if (!args[1]->IsUndefined()) {
+    if (!args[1]->IsArray()) {
       return env->ThrowTypeError(
-          "process.hrtime() only accepts an Array tuple.");
+          "process.hrtime() only accepts an Array tuple");
     }
-    Local<Array> inArray = Local<Array>::Cast(args[0]);
-    uint64_t seconds = inArray->Get(0)->Uint32Value();
-    uint64_t nanos = inArray->Get(1)->Uint32Value();
-    t -= (seconds * NANOS_PER_SEC) + nanos;
+    args.GetReturnValue().Set(true);
   }
 
-  Local<Array> tuple = Array::New(env->isolate(), 2);
-  tuple->Set(0, Integer::NewFromUnsigned(env->isolate(), t / NANOS_PER_SEC));
-  tuple->Set(1, Integer::NewFromUnsigned(env->isolate(), t % NANOS_PER_SEC));
-  args.GetReturnValue().Set(tuple);
+  Local<ArrayBuffer> ab = args[0].As<Uint32Array>()->Buffer();
+  uint32_t* fields = static_cast<uint32_t*>(ab->GetContents().Data());
+
+  // These three indices will contain the values for the hrtime tuple. The
+  // seconds value is broken into the upper/lower 32 bits and stored in two
+  // uint32 fields to be converted back in JS.
+  fields[0] = (t / NANOS_PER_SEC) >> 32;
+  fields[1] = (t / NANOS_PER_SEC) & 0xffffffff;
+  fields[2] = t % NANOS_PER_SEC;
 }
 
 extern "C" void node_module_register(void* m) {
diff --git a/src/node.js b/src/node.js
index 9541932e85..51928e68ee 100644
--- a/src/node.js
+++ b/src/node.js
@@ -181,12 +181,27 @@
   }
 
   startup.setupProcessObject = function() {
+    const _hrtime = process.hrtime;
+    const hrValues = new Uint32Array(3);
+
     process._setupProcessObject(pushValueToArray);
 
     function pushValueToArray() {
       for (var i = 0; i < arguments.length; i++)
         this.push(arguments[i]);
     }
+
+    process.hrtime = function hrtime(ar) {
+      const ret = [0, 0];
+      if (_hrtime(hrValues, ar)) {
+        ret[0] = (hrValues[0] * 0x100000000 + hrValues[1]) - ar[0];
+        ret[1] = hrValues[2] - ar[1];
+      } else {
+        ret[0] = hrValues[0] * 0x100000000 + hrValues[1];
+        ret[1] = hrValues[2];
+      }
+      return ret;
+    };
   };
 
   startup.globalVariables = function() {