Column Type Performance

[ereptur]

I am looking to optimize my database and would like to know what, if any, performance increase could be gained from using a larger varchar in place of a text type in my database. The use is for a forum, where users can post very large amounts of data.

[Sxooter]

It would help to know which database engine you are talking about, as each one has different performance issues with different types.

[ereptur]

my bad, MySQL... I think I've answered my own question though, but any ideas or concerns from your own experience might be useful