diff --git a/include/primesieve/pmath.hpp b/include/primesieve/pmath.hpp
index 95ee3c0fb..16924fce6 100644
--- a/include/primesieve/pmath.hpp
+++ b/include/primesieve/pmath.hpp
@@ -72,12 +72,6 @@ inline T floorPow2(T x)
 #endif
 }
 
-template <typename T>
-inline int ilog(T x)
-{
-  return (int) std::log((double) x);
-}
-
 template <typename T>
 inline T ilog2(T x)
 {
diff --git a/src/nthPrime.cpp b/src/nthPrime.cpp
index cea58e493..f43fff09b 100644
--- a/src/nthPrime.cpp
+++ b/src/nthPrime.cpp
@@ -26,6 +26,20 @@ namespace {
 /// PrimePi(2^64)
 const uint64_t max_n = 425656284035217743ull;
 
+/// Average prime gap near n
+inline uint64_t avgPrimeGap(uint64_t n)
+{
+  double x = (double) n;
+  x = std::max(8.0, x);
+  double logx = std::log(x);
+  // When we buffer primes using primesieve::iterator, we
+  // want to make sure we buffer primes up to the nth
+  // prime. Therefore we use +2 here, better to buffer
+  // slightly too many primes than not enough primes.
+  double primeGap = logx + 2;
+  return (uint64_t) primeGap;
+}
+
 } // namespace
 
 namespace primesieve {
@@ -46,63 +60,49 @@ uint64_t PrimeSieve::nthPrime(int64_t n, uint64_t start)
 
   setStart(start);
   auto t1 = std::chrono::system_clock::now();
-  uint64_t primeApprox = start;
-  uint64_t avgPrimeGap = 0;
+  uint64_t nApprox = checkedAdd(primesApprox(start), n);
+  nApprox = std::min(nApprox, max_n);
+  uint64_t primeApprox = nthPrimeApprox(nApprox);
+  primeApprox = std::max(primeApprox, start);
   int64_t countApprox = 0;
   uint64_t prime = 0;
 
-  if (start == 0)
-    primeApprox = nthPrimeApprox(n);
-  else
-  {
-    ASSERT(start > 0);
-    uint64_t nApprox = checkedAdd(primesApprox(start), n);
-    nApprox = std::min(nApprox, max_n);
-    primeApprox = nthPrimeApprox(nApprox);
-  }
-
-  primeApprox = std::max(primeApprox, start);
-  if (primeApprox > 0)
-    avgPrimeGap = ilog(primeApprox) + 2;
-
   // Only use multi-threading if the sieving distance is sufficiently
   // large. For small n this if statement also avoids calling
   // countPrimes() and hence the initialization overhead of
   // O(x^0.5 log log x^0.5) occurs only once (instead of twice) when
   // using primesieve::iterator further down.
-  if (primeApprox - start < isqrt(primeApprox) / 10)
-    primeApprox = start;
-  else
+  if (primeApprox - start > isqrt(primeApprox) / 10)
   {
     // Count primes > start
     start = checkedAdd(start, 1);
     primeApprox = std::max(start, primeApprox);
     countApprox = countPrimes(start, primeApprox);
+    start = primeApprox;
   }
 
   // Here we are very close to the nth prime < sqrt(nth_prime),
   // we simply iterate over the primes until we find it.
   if (countApprox < n)
   {
-    uint64_t start = primeApprox + 1;
-    uint64_t stop = checkedAdd(start, (n - countApprox) * avgPrimeGap);
+    start = checkedAdd(start, 1);
+    uint64_t dist = (n - countApprox) * avgPrimeGap(start);
+    uint64_t stop = checkedAdd(start, dist);
     primesieve::iterator iter(start, stop);
-    int64_t i = countApprox;
-    while (i < n)
-    {
+    for (int64_t i = countApprox; i < n; i++)
       prime = iter.next_prime();
-      i += 1;
-      if_unlikely(i < n && prime == 18446744073709551557ull)
-        throw primesieve_error("nth_prime(n) > 2^64 is not supported!");
-    }
   }
   else // if (countApprox >= n)
   {
-    uint64_t start = primeApprox;
-    uint64_t stop = checkedSub(start, (countApprox - n) * avgPrimeGap);
+    uint64_t dist = (countApprox - n) * avgPrimeGap(start);
+    uint64_t stop = checkedSub(start, dist);
     primesieve::iterator iter(start, stop);
     for (int64_t i = countApprox; i >= n; i--)
+    {
       prime = iter.prev_prime();
+      if_unlikely(prime == 0)
+        throw primesieve_error("nth_prime(n): n is too small, nth_prime(n) < 2!");
+    }
   }
 
   auto t2 = std::chrono::system_clock::now();
@@ -125,52 +125,49 @@ uint64_t PrimeSieve::negativeNthPrime(int64_t n, uint64_t start)
   setStart(start);
   auto t1 = std::chrono::system_clock::now();
   uint64_t nApprox = checkedSub(primesApprox(start), n);
+  nApprox = std::min(nApprox, max_n);
   uint64_t primeApprox = nthPrimeApprox(nApprox);
-  uint64_t avgPrimeGap = 0;
+  primeApprox = std::min(primeApprox, start);
   uint64_t prime = 0;
   int64_t countApprox = 0;
 
-  primeApprox = std::min(primeApprox, start);
-  if (primeApprox > 0)
-    avgPrimeGap = ilog(primeApprox) + 2;
-
   // Only use multi-threading if the sieving distance is sufficiently
   // large. For small n this if statement also avoids calling
   // countPrimes() and hence the initialization overhead of
   // O(x^0.5 log log x^0.5) occurs only once (instead of twice) when
   // using primesieve::iterator further down.
-  if (start - primeApprox < isqrt(start) / 10)
-    primeApprox = start;
-  else
+  if (start - primeApprox > isqrt(start) / 10)
   {
     // Count primes < start
     start = checkedSub(start, 1);
     primeApprox = std::min(primeApprox, start);
     countApprox = countPrimes(primeApprox, start);
+    start = primeApprox;
   }
 
   // Here we are very close to the nth prime < sqrt(nth_prime),
   // we simply iterate over the primes until we find it.
-  if (countApprox >= n)
-  {
-    uint64_t start = primeApprox;
-    uint64_t stop = checkedAdd(start, (n - countApprox) * avgPrimeGap);
-    primesieve::iterator iter(start, stop);
-    for (int64_t i = countApprox; i >= n; i--)
-      prime = iter.next_prime();
-  }
-  else // if (countApprox < n)
+  if (countApprox < n)
   {
-    uint64_t start = checkedSub(primeApprox, 1);
-    uint64_t stop = checkedSub(start, (countApprox - n) * avgPrimeGap);
+    start = checkedSub(start, 1);
+    uint64_t dist = (countApprox - n) * avgPrimeGap(start);
+    uint64_t stop = checkedSub(start, dist);
     primesieve::iterator iter(start, stop);
-    for (int64_t i = countApprox; i < n; i += 1)
+    for (int64_t i = countApprox; i < n; i++)
     {
       prime = iter.prev_prime();
       if_unlikely(prime == 0)
         throw primesieve_error("nth_prime(n): n is too small, nth_prime(n) < 2!");
     }
   }
+  else // if (countApprox >= n)
+  {
+    uint64_t dist = (n - countApprox) * avgPrimeGap(start);
+    uint64_t stop = checkedAdd(start, dist);
+    primesieve::iterator iter(start, stop);
+    for (int64_t i = countApprox; i >= n; i--)
+      prime = iter.next_prime();
+  }
 
   auto t2 = std::chrono::system_clock::now();
   std::chrono::duration<double> seconds = t2 - t1;