Question about static mesh performance? (picture)

Hi, i was wondering which scenario would be more costly to performance and which one i should go with?

Scenario 1: Create a basic StaticMeshActor with a script that adds child instances in a row when a variable is increased?

Scenario 2: Manually place static meshes one by one in the world

Keep in mind that i’m planning on using baked lighting so would scenario 1 be more performance friendly?