2006-10-08 08:09:04 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
Well yes servers and mainframes are more powerful, they aren't desktops though so they don't really apply. "Most powerful" depends on what you wanna do with them. If you want to play games, then "gaming desktops" are the most powerful. If you are looking to just do internet and word processing type stuff, then you really don't need to invest in a "gaming" computer. Also, if you are doing CAD or graphics design you will want a workstation, which are probably the most powerful desktops available, but only practical if you are doing CAD or graphics design.
2006-10-08 09:06:54 · answer #1 · answered by mysticman44 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For desktops, yes- gaming machines.
Typically servers would be classified as the most powerful, since they are built with the fastest processors, obscene amounts of memory and the fastest, high-performance hard drives money can buy (10,000-15,000 RPM SCSI) These machines sit in climate-controlled data centers (usually in a rack) somewhere & never see the light of day.
Now whereas the biggest cost for server configurations tends to be the memory and hard drives, a gaming rig's biggest expense is usually the video adapter(s). This is correct, since most high-end games like Half-Life 2, FEAR, or multiplayer games like Everquest 2 or World of Warcraft are all about framerate. And most of these games are bottlenecked not by by the CPU processor, but by the graphics processor.
A 3.0Ghz machine with an ATI Radeon X1800 or Nvidia Geforce 7900GT will outperform a 4.2Ghz machine with some $70 video card.
Entry level gaming video cards run around $150. Really good ones start at $275, and the high end runs well over $500, where people use SLi and Crossfire (methods of linking 2 display adapters together)
So yes, the amount of horsepower you need to drive high-end games far exceeds the amount required to surf the web, compose documents and spreadsheets, and send e-mail.
2006-10-08 08:38:07 · answer #2 · answered by C-Man 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mainframes, though large busniesses usually use them.
Else just buy a computer with lots of RAM, good video and sound card, and adequate storage space; and a large screen if you prefer.
2006-10-08 08:13:03 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mainframes and servers then gaming computers
2006-10-08 08:15:17 · answer #4 · answered by rsist34 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋