How much faster is MyISAM compared to InnoDB?

Question

People say InnoDB is not so fast like MyISAM. But how much slower? Just as a rule of thumb in the wind, of course. I mean... is it usually 0.5x as fast as MyISAM? or even wo

Answer 1

It can be a big difference that depends on how you use the database in question. For example - select count(*) queries are cheap when run on a myisam table but (can be) really slow when run on an innodb table. Also a lot of people don't configure their installation for innodb performance - especially if they're used to myisam which performs pretty well on a rather default mysql installation.

My advice would be to run your own tests by taking a couple of top queries and running them against myisam tables and then innodb versions. Also head over to http://www.mysqlperformanceblog.com/ for tips on how to tune innodb to get the most out of it.