MySQL query performance question
You're committing one of the cardinal (excuse the pun) sins of database schema design here - you're using the Entity-Attribute-Value model. Check out the writings of Joe Celko or Bill Karwin on this issue. It's also called the OTLT (One True Lookup Table) or MUCK (Massively Unified Code Key - there's a reason that particular acronym was coined!). You would IMHO be far better off if you redesigned your table structure.

What you should be doing is something like this - and your performance should be more than acceptable.

CREATE TABLE MyStuff
(
  selector int, 
  username VARCHAR(15), 
  password VARCHAR(15), 
  firstname VARCHAR(15), 
  lastname VARCHAR(15),
  PRIMARY KEY(selector)
);    

mysql&gt; 
mysql&gt; INSERT INTO MyStuff VALUES(1234597951, 'person', 'PPassword', 'John', 'Smith');
Query OK, 1 row affected (0.00 sec)

mysql&gt; 
mysql&gt; SELECT *  FROM MyStuff WHERE selector = 1234597951;
+------------+----------+-----------+-----------+----------+
| selector   | username | password  | firstname | lastname |
+------------+----------+-----------+-----------+----------+
| 1234597951 | person   | PPassword | John      | Smith    |
+------------+----------+-----------+-----------+----------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)

mysql&gt;