diff --git a/src/base/base_strings.c b/src/base/base_strings.c
index da8a85f6..aa65537d 100644
--- a/src/base/base_strings.c
+++ b/src/base/base_strings.c
@@ -3076,43 +3076,38 @@ str8_deserial_read_sleb128(String8 string, U64 off, S64 *value_out)
 
 ////////////////////////////////
 
-internal int
+force_inline int
 str8_compar(String8 a, String8 b, B32 ignore_case)
 {
-  int cmp  = 0;
   U64 size = Min(a.size, b.size);
-  if (ignore_case)
-  {
-    cmp = MemCompareI(a.str, b.str, size);
-  }
-  else
-  {
-    cmp = MemCompare(a.str, b.str, size);
-    cmp = cmp > 0 ? 1 : cmp < 0 ? -1 : 0;
-  }
-  
+  int cmp = ignore_case ? MemCompareI(a.str, b.str, size) : MemCompare(a.str, b.str, size);
+
+  // normalize compar result
+  cmp = cmp > 0 ? 1 : cmp < 0 ? -1 : 0;
+
   // shorter prefix must precede longer prefixes
   if (cmp == 0)
   {
-    cmp = (a.size > b.size) - (b.size - a.size);
+    cmp = a.size < b.size ? -1 :
+          a.size > b.size ? +1 : 0;
   }
   
   return cmp;
 }
 
-internal int
+force_inline int
 str8_compar_ignore_case(const void *a, const void *b)
 {
   return str8_compar(*(String8*)a, *(String8*)b, 1);
 }
 
-internal int
+force_inline int
 str8_compar_case_sensitive(const void *a, const void *b)
 {
   return str8_compar(*(String8*)a, *(String8*)b, 0);
 }
 
-internal int
+force_inline int
 str8_is_before_case_sensitive(const void *a, const void *b)
 {
   int cmp = str8_compar_case_sensitive(a, b);
diff --git a/src/linker/pdb_ext/pdb_builder.c b/src/linker/pdb_ext/pdb_builder.c
index 0c6e5809..be696012 100644
--- a/src/linker/pdb_ext/pdb_builder.c
+++ b/src/linker/pdb_ext/pdb_builder.c
@@ -1845,7 +1845,7 @@ gsi_symbol_is_before(void *raw_a, void *raw_b)
   return is_before;
 }
 
-internal int
+force_inline int
 gsi_pub_symbol_is_before(void *raw_a, void *raw_b)
 {
   CV_Symbol *a = *(CV_Symbol **)raw_a;
@@ -1870,7 +1870,6 @@ gsi_pub_symbol_is_before(void *raw_a, void *raw_b)
         }
       }
     }
-
     is_before = cmp < 0;
   }
 
@@ -1888,10 +1887,8 @@ THREAD_POOL_TASK_FUNC(gsi_serialize_pub32)
   CV_SymbolList bucket = task->bucket_arr[bucket_idx];
 
   CV_Symbol **symbol_arr = push_array(scratch.arena, CV_Symbol *, bucket.count); 
-  {
-    U64 i = 0;
-    for EachNode(n, CV_SymbolNode, bucket.first) { symbol_arr[i++] = &n->data; }
-  }
+  U64 symbol_arr_count = 0;
+  for EachNode(n, CV_SymbolNode, bucket.first) { symbol_arr[symbol_arr_count++] = &n->data; }
 
   // sort symbols within bucket
   radsort(symbol_arr, bucket.count, gsi_pub_symbol_is_before);
@@ -1906,10 +1903,10 @@ THREAD_POOL_TASK_FUNC(gsi_serialize_pub32)
   for EachIndex(i, bucket.count) {
     Assert(symbol_arr[i]->kind == CV_SymKind_PUB32);
 
-    CV_SymPub32 *pub32    = (CV_SymPub32 *)symbol_arr[i]->data.str;
-    U8          *str_ptr  = (U8 *)(pub32 + 1);
-    U64          str_size = symbol_arr[i]->data.size - sizeof(*pub32);
-    String8      name     = str8(str_ptr, str_size);
+    CV_SymPub32 *pub32   = (CV_SymPub32 *)symbol_arr[i]->data.str;
+    U8          *str_ptr = (U8 *)(pub32 + 1);
+    U64          str_cap = symbol_arr[i]->data.size - sizeof(*pub32);
+    String8      name    = str8_cstring_capped(str_ptr, str_ptr + str_cap);
 
     // init sort record
     PDB_GsiSortRecord *sr = &sort_record_arr[sort_idx];