ActiveRecord Eager Loading vs. Query Builder for Large Dataset Retrieval

When designing a read-heavy reporting module in Yii 2, there is a trade-off between using ActiveRecord with eager loading and using the Query Builder for raw data retrieval.

ActiveRecord simplifies development through object-oriented abstraction and the with() method to prevent N+1 query issues. However, instantiating a large number of model objects increases memory consumption. Conversely, Query Builder returns raw arrays, which reduces overhead but bypasses model-level business logic and event triggers.

For a scenario requiring the retrieval of several thousand records for a read-only view, the primary constraint is balancing PHP memory limits against the need for maintainable code.

• Does the memory overhead of ActiveRecord model instantiation outweigh the development benefits of eager loading when handling datasets exceeding 1,000 records?
• At what threshold of record volume does switching from ActiveRecord to Query Builder become necessary to avoid memory exhaustion?