Most popular... oh dear.

Well, with respect to speed, I don't think it matters. When the code is executed in machine-language, you know, run time compilation (or better, interpretation), the instructions will be pretty much the same; same amount of conditional jumps and conditional code. So none of these will be faster or slower, I think.

Security isn't relevant directly, here.

So what's left, is, well, personal choice. Readability of the code. Choose what looks best to you, the option that makes things most clear while just scanning the code. I know this probably isn't really what you want to hear, but, how can I determine what's most clear in _your_ eyes?

If you really need an answer, well, I personally think I would prefer (1) in most situations.