Are source compiled packages really faster?

“It is often a question of debate. Are packages compiled from
source really faster than pre-digested ones? In other words will
your Linux distribution run faster with apt or rpm packages
compared to having everything compiled from source on your machine?
Most people will say that compiling from source will make your
machine run faster. There is a caveat to that which I will explain.
Most binary distributions, due to having to cater to a multitude of
different hardware configurations, compile their packages to suit
the lowest common denominator. As a binary distribution (a
distribution type with pre-compiled packages ie. Ubuntu) also has
no way of determining how it is going to be used then the packages
are compiled with all options enabled. This means that, depending
on your chosen binary distribution, the available packages may not
be optimised for your particular hardware architecture and
individual packages may have dependencies which you do not want nor
will you use. The end result is a Linux distribution which does not
run optimally for your particular situation.”

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