So in the past I’ve always used the pre-compiled Windows PHP binaries but then this guide caught my attention.
That brings me to this:
- Why would someone want to compile PHP from the sources when the binaries are available for them?
- Is there a performance bonus I should be aware of?
- If so, is it a significant enough amount that I should take notice?
For reference, I use PHP for mostly CLI applications mainly for bulk data processing and some website info collection.
My system specs: Windows 7 x64, 6gb RAM, Intel Q6600 (2.4gHz x 4).
There are three good reasons I can think of for compiling PHP rather than using a binary build on Windows:
you need a compiled in extension or compile-time-option that does not come as standard with available binaries
you are short of memory and need a leaner PHP executable devoid of extensions you do not use
you want a binary compiled specifically for your processor/environment to gain the small performance boost this might achieve (possible if you have an unusual setup)
Otherwise, just stick with the binary.