If you are going to be needing to install extensions it is worth looking into vagrant and more specifically puphpet.com. To install most php extensions it just takes adding a single line to a configuration file.I run a vagrant box on a surface pro 3 with windows 3. Works a treat.Not just for php but just about anything ruby, node js, etc. Most larger projects have several dependencies that are difficult to set-up on a host Windows machine even running xamp. It is worth getting familiar with virtualization technology so you don’t appear helpless in the future. I can have a puphpet.com box up running your project in under an hour how long have you spent trying to get this working. It just doesn’t make any sense unless you start running into problems with standing-up the vm itself.