Workstation computer: what they are and what they are for

Considering that we have more and more access to desktop computers with more power and workstations (workstations) with more accessible prices, in certain occasions it becomes difficult which of the two options to choose.

Essentially, a PC is oriented to use in an office (text editor, email, web browsing, etc.), while in turn PCs with higher power were created that were called "workstations", whose objective is run special applications for different activities such as architecture, engineering, financial analysis, research, development and health, and that require large capacities of computing resources.

While some companies took actions to upgrade, many others are still behind schedule and are not investing in the technologies their employees need and their specific activities.

More powerful computers have been created in recent years to simplify daily office tasks, however certain professions such as architects, engineers, animators, video editors, designers and financial analysts need more powerful computers than the average.

Index of contents

What is a workstation computer and what is it for?

As its name indicates, Workstation (or workstation) is a somewhat generic expression that refers to any particularly developed computer equipment to be used by only one person at a time, which means that the full capacity of Processing is available to the operator. This is very beneficial for those who have had to deal with a server and its shared resources in the past.

Among the first workstations that emerged we can mention the IBM 1620 and IBM 1130, which were considered at that time as low-cost and small-sized systems that could have interaction with the operator through a computer console.

The striking fact is that, despite the revolution experienced with the personal computer, for a long time the workstations would not stand out and would remain in the background, basically due to their complexity of use.

This caused that the workstations, in addition to having higher prices, were seen as an exclusive niche product, especially geared towards some activities such as those of scientists and engineers.

Anyway, the more PC systems evolved, becoming more sophisticated and faster, with support for more discs and memory, larger and better quality screens, local networks, graphics and sound support, Unix teams were stuck in second place.

This evolution reached such a point that, from the current century, a large number of manufacturers of workstations began to install the x86 platform with Windows in some of its most economical models, thus achieving that the user accustomed to the Windows environment could now have and operate a workstation without complications.

Although this had an unintended secondary impact. As the concepts of high-performance PCs and workstations began to merge, in the same way they began to mix, especially in the brains of the most inexperienced users, often finding that they could not differentiate one from the other.

Which is explained by the fact that currently a large part of the components that we find inside a workstation are practically the same as those found on a PC, which means that there is less and less price difference..

Indeed, many desktop PCs geared towards the gaming segment or assembled by enthusiasts have specifications that may even exceed those of some workstations.

Because they can be used in different activities, workstations inevitably vary in their specifications. However, what each workstation will typically have is a powerful high-end processor and a powerful amount of above-average RAM.

What advantages does a PC Workstation offer?

We detail some of the most important advantages when buying a PC Workstation ?

A workstation offers reliability

The central point to offer such power and stability is, above all, the high quality of the components with which the workstations are mounted.

Whether in terms of storage or power, the design of a workstation is more like a server than a desktop PC. For example, in order to increase and ensure data processing capacity, a workstation employs high-performance RAID controllers. Although you have to know, that you can assemble a PC to parts with the same performance or higher, in case you want to overclock your processor and / or graphics card.

Continuous productivity

Workstation computers are intended for profiles such as engineers, doctors, financial analysts, architects, and more, whose profession requires efficient and operational equipment in any circumstance throughout the day.

To give us an idea of ​​the importance of this equipment, it could be said that even the most outstanding scientist would be unable to progress adequately in his work if he used insufficiently powered computer equipment. Taking into account that a workstation is built with more stable and resistant hardware, the tasks that a professional has to carry out will be completed with greater speed.

Also, due to the excellent quality of its components, a workstation has a much longer useful life than a traditional PC, thus achieving time savings in daily tasks and superior results in the future.

Maximum power level

A workstation can come equipped with specific server components that will guarantee an unmatched degree of power that cannot be offered by a PC.

These hardware components ensure a significant decrease in time to start the computer and to compile calculations, so the management of large files is no longer a problem. In summary, all these time savings, adding them up annually, become many days for engineers, 3D animators and all users of these powerful teams.

Graphics cards for imaging professionals

Simulation, 3D animation, augmented reality, medical images and intensive graphic applications. For all those professionals who work with images, having a professional graphics card is essential. In order to improve the graphic representation of the workstations, it is possible to integrate dedicated graphics cards. Such is the power offered by a workstation that can support up to three graphics cards and manage multiple displays simultaneously.

Designed and certified for business applications

Workstation computers undergo strict quality and excellence tests. This stage in the manufacture of a workstation is a quality guarantee with which an ISV (Independent Software Vendor) certification is obtained, which certifies that each user receives a computer optimized to work with the most important business applications from different suppliers.

In a nutshell, the advantages of a workstation over a PC are many:

• Extreme reliability Greater computational power Powerful graphics resources Customized machines based on activity Time savings in daily tasks ISV certified business applications

Differences between a workstation and a PC

The most advanced workstations are configured to handle higher processing loads with more stable and faster performance than a basic desktop PC. To take dimension of this difference in performance, we could make an analogy with a sports car and a city car. The two cars share several components in common, but the first is faster and more powerful than the second.

Features that transform a desktop PC into a workstation computer:

1. Error Correction Code Memory (ECC RAM) - Corrects errors to prevent crashes and system downtime - Multiple Processing Cores - enables more data to be processed than with a standard computer - Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID): offers greater security by storing data on multiple internal hard drives Solid State Drives (SSD) - Provide more speed and security than standard hard drives Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) - has great optimization to reduce load working of the CPU, thus maintaining a high speed.

Despite the fact that at first you have to spend more money if you choose a workstation, the truth is that in the long term you save money thanks to the advantages of these specifications.

In terms of shape and some technical properties, there are several similarities between a PC and a workstation. But if you look more closely, in the details are their differences.

PCs are built with the end consumer in mind, so they deliver quality, functionality and price based on user satisfaction. On the other hand, the workstations are developed according to the demands of the company. Due to a strict selection of superior quality components, especially designed for specific activities, the user is provided with an optimized system geared to their needs.

Considering that a workstation includes specific software for these activities and optimized hardware for them, it is necessary to carefully choose the processor and the graphics card. In turn, to obtain the best communication between memory, hard disk and graphics card, the best components must be chosen.

Differences between a workstation and a gamer computer

The common point between a workstation and a gamer computer is in the highest processing capacities and audiovisual quality. However, the differences are beginning to be visible in many other features such as performance.

Just like a gamer computer, a workstation also provides higher performance compared to common machines, so both computers can be used for both work and play. However, is it better to invest in a workstation or a gamer computer?

In order to make the appropriate decision, it is necessary to make an analysis of a series of elements, although we have already anticipated that the workstation achieves an advantage over the gamer computer.

Workstations are usually implemented in professional sectors that require a high capacity for processing and executing specific software for different areas. Computers made for gaming also focus on superior audiovisual quality and very good processing power. However, these features do not need to be as powerful as on a workstation.

This means that a gamer computer is more accessible in terms of price. Therefore, it may be normal for some shoppers to go with buying a gamer computer rather than a workstation, as they think they can get high performance for gaming and work for less money.

Although this is not always the best decision. In reality, a workstation computer can work offering the highest performance, taking into account the two needs of the user: entertainment and work. Although it is not possible with a gamer computer, since it will cover all the needs in relation to games or daily use, although it is not guaranteed that it can perform in the same way for intensive calculations.

Quite simply, the difference between a workstation and a gamer computer focuses on the components they include and the cooling capacity.

We can assemble a Workstation to parts with quality components. It will give the same or higher performance.

Processor

While gaming computers tend to rely on quad-core or eight-core processors, workstations may need up to more than 36 cores. Herein lies the difference in power and speed between these two teams.

As you can already assume, the processors of the workstations exceed the performance of the processors of a gamer computer, so they cross these limits and it is strange to find a workstation processor in a gaming computer.

Graphic card

Obviously, the GPU is the central component in a gaming PC, but it is also of utmost importance in a workstation that is used for tasks that require quite a few resources such as photo and video editing, 3D modeling, and other advanced tasks.

The difference with graphics cards for a gaming computer is that a GPU for a workstation includes more graphic memory, a wide bandwidth and a high processing power; likewise, they come ready to support heavy software. Although as we have seen, a GTX 1080 or an RTX 2070 make an ideal function for these tasks at a semi-professional level (youtuber / content creators) for 3 - 4 videos per week. If you need to do something at a professional level, better opt for an Nvidia Quadro.

RAM

There are always doubts about how much RAM you need to have on a workstation. The more memory, the more simultaneous tasks a workstation will be able to carry out, so it is recommended to install at least 16 GB of RAM, and increase the capacity if more demanding tasks such as video editing or 3D simulation will be performed, for example.

For its part, it does not require too much memory on a gaming computer. With about 16 GB of RAM it will be enough to run the best games, without forgetting that with more memory you will not see big changes in performance. It depends on the use that we give to our Workstation or PC we will need more or less power.

Storage

A workstation leans towards SSD drives, since they offer a high speed to store data, which means that the use of hard drives is often ruled out. In case you need to store large amounts of data, then the installation of hard drives would be a good option.

If we compare it with a gaming PC, we will not find many differences, only that the units of a workstation tend to have greater capacity and higher speeds, at least the hard drives.

Motherboard

Not many differences are seen when comparing a workstation motherboard to an entry-level gaming PC, except that it is possible to use a special chipset and connector designed for top-performing processors. However, it is also possible to choose motherboards with additional RAM or PCIe slots if necessary for some tasks.

Differences between a workstation and a server

A server is a computer that performs services for connected clients within the client-server architecture. It can even be a computer system whose main function is to run a specific server application. Also, a server can be used to serve applications to users on an intranet.

For its part, a workstation is a personal computer that is used for high-end applications such as graphic design, video editing, 3D design, CAD design or other programs that require a lot of CPU and RAM.

A workstation is usually sold to professional users and companies, while the server is primarily a utility device. The most popular server operating systems are Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris, while workstations run on UNIX.

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Conclusion on workstations

Workstations are geared towards performing demanding computing tasks, and are usually chosen by a wide range of professionals from different sectors. In general, it is based on much more powerful and optimized hardware than what a gaming PC needs.

Perhaps the main incentive to buy a workstation is mainly performance, considering that despite its high price, in the long term you will have saved a lot of time and greater efficiency in tasks.

In case you still can't decide to buy a next-generation workstation, think about the cost of maintaining and repairing an obsolete computer, not to mention the time it takes to load the processes, which could cause discomfort and discomfort in employees.

• Basic PC Settings Advanced PC Settings / Gaming Enthusiastic PC Settings Silent PC Settings

Perhaps investing in a workstation may seem like a strong investment that is not convincing, but if you analyze it carefully and make the comparison with the costs of maintaining an old system or the time you spend doing tasks with greater speed and security, the advantages are much more extensive than the price to pay. All this from the business point of view, from the normal user it is better to have a normal PC and update it every time you need more power.