Improving performance with custom-compiled source packages

“Feeling-the-need-for-speed asks: Can custom-compiled source
packages really improve performance compared to pre-compiled binary
packages? If yes, by how much?

“DistroWatch answers: Yes, software that is compiled
specifically for your system will often provide a performance boost
compared to binary packages provided by distributions. The packages
in distro repositories are designed to work across a wide variety
of machines and so will leave out optimizations. When we compile
software to work specifically for our processor we can throw away
the backward compatibility restrictions and gain more efficient
programs. Linux Magazine featured an article a while back by
Christopher Smart comparing standard Ubuntu packages with
custom-made Gentoo software. Some of the tests resulted in similar
results for both custom and pre-built software, but in some cases
there’s a dramatic difference.

“There is a downside. Compiling your own software to get these
performance boosts takes time. So, before you start compiling
replacements for all your applications, take a look at what you
stand to gain and what it’s going to cost. For example, it might
take you several hours to compile LibreOffice and the result will
be a slightly lighter, slightly faster office suite.”

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