Gaming PC vs The Rest

[Binary Ranger]

Okay, I have another kind of simple question.

Are gaming PC's top of the line in terms of computing power? As in, if you want a GOOD PC you should just buy an Alienware and call it good? (I am aware that a lot of people hate that brand but just substitute Alienware with a really expensive gaming PC)

What exactly are the disadvantages of a gaming PC when compared to other computers such as a Mac or a top of the line Asus?

I know gaming PC's can have different specs, but I'm just going on the assumption that the gaming PC will have high specs on average.

 

[PP Mguire]

Depends really. You can put the most powerful processor and a crap GPU in a gaming PC and it'll be crap. You can put the most powerful GPU and mid range CPU and it'll be great. Thing is, gaming PCs take advantage of GPU more than CPU where as a workstation computer can typically take advantage of both rather equally depending on what you are doing.
As for prebuilt gaming PCs most companies all use the same hardware that we have available. So it isn't so much brand rather what hardware you order or they put in the PC.
Depending on the Mac in question it'll have pretty much the same hardware as a PC user just with a different OS and name brand.

So basically what I'm saying is, you can have the most powerful PC in the world for gaming and only half of it will make a difference. You can say workstation computers have more raw computing power depending on the hardware inside. Again, it's all in the use not the brand. Also the people putting it together.

 

[Veraster]

^what he said. Also, when you say you want a GOOD PC, that is relative to what you will be using it for. If you go buy a NASA supercomputer thinking it's the best pc around and install Windows 7 or something, the performance will be quite poor (if it even installs at all). Most "super computers" have basic, basic, BASIC 8mb video cards (or something like that) and can't run games or even basic 2d eye candy. They do, however, have a bazillion cpus so you can calculate trillions of digits of pi in a few seconds.

 

[PP Mguire]

Nvidia powered super computers have Tesla cards in them.

 

[jasonalwaysready]

i dont think they make 'super' computers any more that arent just >9k nvidia gpu's pasted together.