diff --git a/dtool/pptempl/Global.gmsvc.pp b/dtool/pptempl/Global.gmsvc.pp
index b09dcb05c3..9ce4e4d172 100644
--- a/dtool/pptempl/Global.gmsvc.pp
+++ b/dtool/pptempl/Global.gmsvc.pp
@@ -85,20 +85,15 @@
 // and currently every cxx generates its own separate pdb
 // to avoid write file conflict in multi-proc build
 
-#if $[NO_PCH]
-// different .pdb for every .obj
-#defer DEBUG_TYPE_FLAGS /Zi /Fd"$[osfilename $[target:%.obj=%.pdb]]"
-#elif $[eq $[NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS],1]
-// no multi-proc, so can use same .pdb file for each compile
-#defer DEBUG_TYPE_FLAGS /Zi /Fd"$[osfilename $[pdb_filename].pdb]"
-#else
-// puts dbg info inside first .obj
-#defer DEBUG_TYPE_FLAGS /Z7 
+#include $[THISDIRPREFIX]compilerSettings.pp
+
+#if $[and $[DO_PCH],$[>= $[NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS],2]]
+// multi-proc case
+// single-processor case will act like nmake, conditionally renaming .pdb each file in Template.gmsvc.pp
+#defer DEBUGFLAGS $[patsubst /Fd%,,$[subst /Zi,/Z7, $[DEBUGFLAGS]]]
 #define NO_PDB 1
 #endif
 
-#include $[THISDIRPREFIX]compilerSettings.pp
-
 #define WARNING_LEVEL_FLAG /W3
 
 #if $[TEST_INLINING]
diff --git a/dtool/pptempl/Template.gmsvc.pp b/dtool/pptempl/Template.gmsvc.pp
index c9198092d2..cc27d3de5a 100644
--- a/dtool/pptempl/Template.gmsvc.pp
+++ b/dtool/pptempl/Template.gmsvc.pp
@@ -130,8 +130,7 @@
 // We define $[complete_local_libs] as the full set of libraries (from
 // within this tree) that we must link a particular target with.  It
 // is the transitive closure of our dependent libs: the libraries we
-// depend on, plus the libraries *those* libraries depend on, and so
-// on.
+// depend on, plus the libraries *those* libraries depend on, and so on.
 #defer complete_local_libs $[unique $[closure all_libs,$[active_libs]]]
 #defer actual_local_libs $[get_metalibs $[TARGET],$[complete_local_libs]]
 
@@ -772,8 +771,6 @@ $[TAB] $[COMPILE_C++]
 #define source $[file]
 #define ipath $[file_ipath]
 
-#define pdb_filename $[st_dir]/$[TARGET(lib_target)]
-
 #if $[DO_PCH]
 // best way to find out if file use pch (and needs /Yu) is to check dependencies
 // these must be defined before flags (or could defer them)
@@ -783,7 +780,12 @@ $[TAB] $[COMPILE_C++]
 #define flags $[c++flags] $[all_sources $[building_var:%=/D%],$[file]]
 
 #if $[target_pch]
-#define COMPILE_LINE $[COMPILE_C_WITH_PCH]
+ #if $[eq $[NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS],1]
+   #define pdb_filename $[osfilename $[st_dir]/$[TARGET(lib_target)]]  // assumes pch only occurs in lib_target scope, not metalib_target or in interrogate
+   #define COMPILE_LINE $[patsubst /Fd%, /Fd"$[pdb_filename].pdb",$[COMPILE_C_WITH_PCH]]
+ #else
+   #define COMPILE_LINE $[COMPILE_C_WITH_PCH]
+ #endif
 #else
 #define COMPILE_LINE $[COMPILE_C++]
 #endif
@@ -798,13 +800,15 @@ $[TAB] $[COMPILE_LINE]
 #foreach file $[pch_header_source]
 #define target_pch $[patsubst %.h,$[st_dir]/%.pch,$[file]]
 #define target_obj $[patsubst %.h,$[st_dir]/%.obj,$[file]]
-#define pdb_filename $[st_dir]/$[TARGET(lib_target)]
 
 #define target $[target_obj]
 #define source $[file]
 #define ipath $[file_ipath]
 #define flags $[c++flags] $[CFLAGS_SHARED] $[all_sources $[building_var:%=/D%],$[file]]
 
+#define pdb_filename $[osfilename $[st_dir]/$[TARGET(lib_target)]]  // assumes pch only occurs in lib_target scope, not metalib_target or in interrogate
+#define COMPILE_CXXSTYLE_PCH $[patsubst /Fd%, /Fd"$[pdb_filename].pdb",$[COMPILE_CXXSTYLE_PCH]]
+
 // Yacc must run before some files can be compiled, so all files
 // depend on yacc having run.
 $[target_obj] : $[source] $[dependencies $[file]] $[st_dir]/stamp
diff --git a/dtool/pptempl/compilerSettings.pp b/dtool/pptempl/compilerSettings.pp
index 50dcbe224e..89f22867ec 100644
--- a/dtool/pptempl/compilerSettings.pp
+++ b/dtool/pptempl/compilerSettings.pp
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
   #define OPT1FLAGS /GZ 
   
 //  #defer DEBUGFLAGS /MDd $[BROWSEINFO_FLAG] $[DEBUG_TYPE_FLAGS]
-  #defer DEBUGFLAGS /MDd /Zi $[BROWSEINFO_FLAG] /Fd"$[osfilename $[target:%.obj=%.pdb]]"  
+  #defer DEBUGFLAGS /MDd $[BROWSEINFO_FLAG] /Zi /Fd"$[osfilename $[target:%.obj=%.pdb]]"  
   #define RELEASEFLAGS /MD
   
 // in case we have mixed intel/msvc build