I'm going with the people here that are suggesting XAMPP/WAMP or the like. If you're just beginning web development, there is no need to learn how to configure or set up an Apache server with PHP. Chances are, you never will have to do that because either a) your webhost already has a webserver with PHP or b) you're going to work for someone who has the required expertise in house.

I will agree that it will help understand how things work if you know how Apache and PHP work together, but if you're just new to this all(as in, learning to drive), there is no need to get all under the hood of it all.

Toolmaker