phpBB / MySQL / MYSQLi Exstensions

I'm curious as to what the differences would be between using phpBB (or anything else for that matter) with plain ol MySQL or MYSQLi Exstensions? In particular, I'd like to know which would be the easiest on the CPU resources.

I know NOTHING about MySQL, beyond how to create and destroy, and "check with overhead / optimize", and that's really about as far as I'd like to go with learning it, but a little basic info on which to choose would be cool if it could keep my operations as lean as possible!

You mean for a bulletin board?

Yessir. phpBB3 gives the option of using either MySQL, or MySQLi Extentions, and I wonder which would be best as far as keeping the server load as light as possible.

I'd also be curious in general as to why one would choose one or the other.

Much appreciated!

Apologies, I think I misread your original post. You don't wanna know what I originally thought you were asking. It's too embarrassing for me. :)

Anyway, I think the idea is that both the MySQL and PHP developers suggested that everyone move to MySQLi as the "new" and "forward looking" standard for connecting to MySQL. There are some security improvements, but mixed performance results.

I did find some folks who said that MySQLi performed more reliably on a heavily loaded web server, but that could be the case for any number of reasons like different default timeouts, etc.

That makes things as clear as mud, and through no fault of your own! I've been searching around for info on it and cannot find anything at all with clear answers, especially for someone who doesn't understand WTH all the technical mumbo jumbo surrounding it means.

I also asked at the phpBB forum and haven't gotten a single reply.

Regardless, thank you very much for giving it a go!

Some hosting provider does not provide MySQLi Extension but DreamHost
You can choose one of them, I think it does not have too different

Another hosting I recommend.