diff --git a/make/bsd/makefiles/gcc.make b/make/bsd/makefiles/gcc.make
index 62148457083ad4ffcdb4520ad174c1b05a9f68e7..c54433e32c44837eef689814c12c6fa967a89dfa 100644
--- a/make/bsd/makefiles/gcc.make
+++ b/make/bsd/makefiles/gcc.make
@@ -86,7 +86,6 @@ CC_VER_MINOR := $(shell $(CC) -dumpversion | sed 's/egcs-//' | cut -d'.' -f2)
 ifneq "$(shell expr \( $(CC_VER_MAJOR) \> 3 \) \| \( \( $(CC_VER_MAJOR) = 3 \) \& \( $(CC_VER_MINOR) \>= 4 \) \))" "0"
 # Allow the user to turn off precompiled headers from the command line.
 ifneq ($(USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER),0)
-USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER=1
 PRECOMPILED_HEADER_DIR=.
 PRECOMPILED_HEADER_SRC=$(GAMMADIR)/src/share/vm/precompiled/precompiled.hpp
 PRECOMPILED_HEADER=$(PRECOMPILED_HEADER_DIR)/precompiled.hpp.gch
@@ -216,7 +215,7 @@ DEPFLAGS = -MMD -MP -MF $(DEP_DIR)/$(@:%=%.d)
 endif
 
 # -DDONT_USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER will exclude all includes in precompiled.hpp.
-ifneq ($(USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER),1)
+ifeq ($(USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER),0)
 CFLAGS += -DDONT_USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER
 endif
 
diff --git a/make/bsd/makefiles/top.make b/make/bsd/makefiles/top.make
index f85d196490a78a840a62b2f84f60a8e2a82b14b2..7b237c467d737f2dc6aec92ae3e5334a9b785cbb 100644
--- a/make/bsd/makefiles/top.make
+++ b/make/bsd/makefiles/top.make
@@ -47,12 +47,10 @@ VM          = $(GAMMADIR)/src/share/vm
 Plat_File   = $(Platform_file)
 CDG         = cd $(GENERATED); 
 
-ifdef USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER
-PrecompiledOption = -DUSE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER
-UpdatePCH         = $(MAKE) -f vm.make $(PRECOMPILED_HEADER) $(MFLAGS) 
+ifneq ($(USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER),0)
+UpdatePCH = $(MAKE) -f vm.make $(PRECOMPILED_HEADER) $(MFLAGS) 
 else
-UpdatePCH         = \# precompiled header is not used
-PrecompiledOption = 
+UpdatePCH = \# precompiled header is not used
 endif
 
 Cached_plat = $(GENERATED)/platform.current
diff --git a/make/linux/makefiles/gcc.make b/make/linux/makefiles/gcc.make
index 2da52739b6a089533e0bef32f1e7403acb6fb258..ba5206c9080653c0dc542428b865c3ab68f7146c 100644
--- a/make/linux/makefiles/gcc.make
+++ b/make/linux/makefiles/gcc.make
@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@ CC_VER_MINOR := $(shell $(CC) -dumpversion | sed 's/egcs-//' | cut -d'.' -f2)
 ifneq "$(shell expr \( $(CC_VER_MAJOR) \> 3 \) \| \( \( $(CC_VER_MAJOR) = 3 \) \& \( $(CC_VER_MINOR) \>= 4 \) \))" "0"
 # Allow the user to turn off precompiled headers from the command line.
 ifneq ($(USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER),0)
-USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER=1
 PRECOMPILED_HEADER_DIR=.
 PRECOMPILED_HEADER_SRC=$(GAMMADIR)/src/share/vm/precompiled/precompiled.hpp
 PRECOMPILED_HEADER=$(PRECOMPILED_HEADER_DIR)/precompiled.hpp.gch
@@ -165,7 +164,7 @@ DEPFLAGS = -MMD -MP -MF $(DEP_DIR)/$(@:%=%.d)
 endif
 
 # -DDONT_USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER will exclude all includes in precompiled.hpp.
-ifneq ($(USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER),1)
+ifeq ($(USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER),0)
 CFLAGS += -DDONT_USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER
 endif
 
diff --git a/make/linux/makefiles/top.make b/make/linux/makefiles/top.make
index 1b674dce957572dd6437b3f4d87caff22e41ff0b..d89f8ff75d22663fabafca8f4b956ecb5e936e1e 100644
--- a/make/linux/makefiles/top.make
+++ b/make/linux/makefiles/top.make
@@ -47,12 +47,10 @@ VM          = $(GAMMADIR)/src/share/vm
 Plat_File   = $(Platform_file)
 CDG         = cd $(GENERATED); 
 
-ifdef USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER
-PrecompiledOption = -DUSE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER
-UpdatePCH         = $(MAKE) -f vm.make $(PRECOMPILED_HEADER) $(MFLAGS) 
+ifneq ($(USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER),0)
+UpdatePCH = $(MAKE) -f vm.make $(PRECOMPILED_HEADER) $(MFLAGS) 
 else
-UpdatePCH         = \# precompiled header is not used
-PrecompiledOption = 
+UpdatePCH = \# precompiled header is not used
 endif
 
 Cached_plat = $(GENERATED)/platform.current
diff --git a/make/solaris/makefiles/gcc.make b/make/solaris/makefiles/gcc.make
index 15e43ea8d66ea8ff644d3e913242a3547c20f47b..37257491b07d575693b579e9a5233d4ffb4bb13f 100644
--- a/make/solaris/makefiles/gcc.make
+++ b/make/solaris/makefiles/gcc.make
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ $(shell $(CC) -dumpversion | sed 's/egcs-//' | cut -d'.' -f2)
 ifneq "$(shell expr \( $(CC_VER_MAJOR) \> 3 \) \| \( \( $(CC_VER_MAJOR) = 3 \) \& \( $(CC_VER_MINOR) \>= 4 \) \))" "0"
 # Allow the user to turn off precompiled headers from the command line.
 ifneq ($(USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER),0)
-USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER=1
 PRECOMPILED_HEADER_DIR=.
 PRECOMPILED_HEADER_SRC=$(GAMMADIR)/src/share/vm/precompiled/precompiled.hpp
 PRECOMPILED_HEADER=$(PRECOMPILED_HEADER_DIR)/precompiled.hpp.gch
@@ -142,7 +141,7 @@ DEPFLAGS = -MMD -MP -MF $(DEP_DIR)/$(@:%=%.d)
 endif
 
 # -DDONT_USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER will exclude all includes in precompiled.hpp.
-ifneq ($(USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER),1)
+ifeq ($(USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER),0)
 CFLAGS += -DDONT_USE_PRECOMPILED_HEADER
 endif