[PHP] count vs mysql_num_rows

[Kevin Murphy]

I've got a little function that just checks to see if something is in  
a mysql db. There are several ways to do this and was curious as to  
the best way. The following are 2 (simplified) versions that work  
just fine. If these are the best ways, which of the following is  
better from a performance standpoint. And if there is a way that is  
better than one of these, I'd love to know what that is.

$query = "SELECT count(id) as count FROM wncci_intranet.iAdmin_users  
WHERE name = '$name' LIMIT 1";
$results = mysql_query($query);
$row = mysql_fetch_array($results);
$count = $row["count"];
return $count;
OR

$query = "SELECT id FROM wncci_intranet.iAdmin_users WHERE name =  
'$name' LIMIT 1";
$results = mysql_query($query);
$count = mysql_num_rows($results);
return $count;


Thanks.

--
Kevin Murphy
Webmaster: Information and Marketing Services
Western Nevada College
www.wnc.edu
775-445-3326

P.S. Please note that my e-mail and website address have changed from  
wncc.edu to wnc.edu.