diff --git a/gdb/ChangeLog b/gdb/ChangeLog
index 463d9f67bb..dc4a2a1c4f 100644
--- a/gdb/ChangeLog
+++ b/gdb/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+2013-09-05  Pedro Alves  <palves@redhat.com>
+
+	* tui/tui-regs.c (tui_register_format): Don't look at the
+	register's name here.  Return string representing register
+	value instead of storing it in the data element.
+	(tui_get_register): Compare register string representations
+	instead of register value states and contents.
+
 2013-09-05  Pedro Alves  <palves@redhat.com>
 
 	PR tui/15933
diff --git a/gdb/tui/tui-regs.c b/gdb/tui/tui-regs.c
index b043a29c24..5ebf4c804c 100644
--- a/gdb/tui/tui-regs.c
+++ b/gdb/tui/tui-regs.c
@@ -58,9 +58,6 @@ static enum tui_status tui_get_register (struct frame_info *frame,
 					 struct tui_data_element *data,
 					 int regnum, int *changedp);
 
-static void tui_register_format (struct frame_info *,
-				 struct tui_data_element*, int);
-
 static void tui_scroll_regs_forward_command (char *, int);
 static void tui_scroll_regs_backward_command (char *, int);
 
@@ -669,23 +666,18 @@ tui_restore_gdbout (void *ui)
   pagination_enabled = 1;
 }
 
-/* Get the register from the frame and make a printable representation
-   of it in the data element.  */
-static void
-tui_register_format (struct frame_info *frame,
-                     struct tui_data_element *data_element, 
-		     int regnum)
+/* Get the register from the frame and return a printable
+   representation of it.  */
+
+static char *
+tui_register_format (struct frame_info *frame, int regnum)
 {
   struct gdbarch *gdbarch = get_frame_arch (frame);
   struct ui_file *stream;
   struct ui_file *old_stdout;
-  const char *name;
   struct cleanup *cleanups;
   char *p, *s;
-
-  name = gdbarch_register_name (gdbarch, regnum);
-  if (name == 0 || *name == '\0')
-    return;
+  char *ret;
 
   pagination_enabled = 0;
   old_stdout = gdb_stdout;
@@ -702,9 +694,10 @@ tui_register_format (struct frame_info *frame,
   if (s && s[1] == 0)
     *s = 0;
 
-  xfree (data_element->content);
-  data_element->content = xstrdup (p);
+  ret = xstrdup (p);
   do_cleanups (cleanups);
+
+  return ret;
 }
 
 /* Get the register value from the given frame and format it for the
@@ -721,33 +714,15 @@ tui_get_register (struct frame_info *frame,
     *changedp = FALSE;
   if (target_has_registers)
     {
-      struct value *old_val = data->value;
+      char *prev_content = data->content;
 
-      data->value = get_frame_register_value (frame, regnum);
-      release_value (data->value);
-      if (changedp)
-	{
-	  struct gdbarch *gdbarch = get_frame_arch (frame);
-	  int size = register_size (gdbarch, regnum);
+      data->content = tui_register_format (frame, regnum);
 
-	  /* We only know whether a value chunk is available if we've
-	     tried to read it.  */
-	  if (value_lazy (data->value))
-	    value_fetch_lazy (data->value);
-	  if (value_lazy (old_val))
-	    value_fetch_lazy (old_val);
+      if (changedp != NULL
+	  && strcmp (prev_content, data->content) != 0)
+	*changedp = 1;
 
-	  if (value_optimized_out (data->value) != value_optimized_out (old_val)
-	      || !value_available_contents_eq (data->value, 0,
-					       old_val, 0, size))
-	    *changedp = TRUE;
-	}
-
-      value_free (old_val);
-
-      /* Reformat the data content if the value changed.  */
-      if (changedp == 0 || *changedp == TRUE)
-	tui_register_format (frame, data, regnum);
+      xfree (prev_content);
 
       ret = TUI_SUCCESS;
     }