Workstations, like sports cars and VR, aren’t for everybody

But for those who need them, there’s no substitute.

October 10, 2025

Alex Herrera and Hernan Quijano

Calling a prosumer PC a workstation mirrors calling an SUV a sports sedan: marketing, not substance. A workstation is a computer optimized for professional applications, with features that materially improve performance, reliability, or availability beyond comparable PCs. Vendors that charge a premium must deliver ISV certifications, professional-grade GPUs, ECC options, robust thermals, serviceability, and support that reduce downtime and raise throughput. Professionals justify the premium when lower operational risk and higher productivity outweigh cost. Without concrete, verifiable capabilities, a “workstation” label adds no value. Just as calling an SUV a sports sedan is an oxymoron, so too is calling a prosumer PC

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Workstations, like sports cars and VR, aren’t for everybody

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