Cell is not 3.2ghz.
The Cell processor OF THE PS3 is 3.2ghz.

The Cell is a familly of processors intended to be installed in many different systems like servers, clusters, home cinemas, mainframes...
It has a lot of promise for the future.

Now if you want to discuss the inclusion of the Cell in the PS3... well... in 2005, it was faster than the common intel processor... Sony invested in it... it's pretty good at running videogames... so it looks like a good choice to me.

If you want more info, just look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_(microprocessor)

Why comparing it with Intel processors? Since we're talking about consoles, it's even better to compare it with 360's CPU, which is surely cheaper, easier to program for and has so far delivered very similar results at lower cost.

Might there be some upcoming PS3 game in two or three years which finally puts the 360 to shame? Perhaps, but will that have been worth all the cost? In my opinion, it's doubtful at best.

so basically you're saying that ps3 will never pull off better graphics than the pc yes? i mean, memory and graphics cards can't be replaced on the system. i'm guessing processing power can only take you so far?

NOW I DON´T UNDERSTAND, KILLZONE 2 USES ONLY 5 OF THE 7 CEL PROCESSORS... WTF.... bandwidth limitation, memory limitation, what the hell is a PS3???

Of course not, and that shouldn't come as a surprise. PS3's hardware is a few years old already, PCs are always evolving. It's not even a fair comparison.

110% correct

it's like comparing the GTX280 SLI to the RSX lol

...oh wait - thats what he's doing...

The point is it enables Sony fanboys to brag about how the PS3 is the greatest thing ever since it has the cell.

The reason is simple. A PC GPU/CPU is evolving in two directions whilst the Cell is evolving in the PS3 in one.

A Computer chip will get smaller/cheaper and it will evolve to be more advanced whilst the Cell in the PS3 is only evolving to become cheaper.

PC GPUs are evolving and by the time the PS4 is out, they will be competing directly with the Cell. So it will be then we will finally know if it was all worth it.

Today games rely mostly on GPU and CPU have usually lots of cycles to waste. Also PS3 is quite problematic because it has only one core that can do regular computing properly. Well, SPUs can do a lot of floating point operations, but the problem is more advanced stuff you make more it usually requires from GPU also. So its like using regular(small ones) ship engines to help commercial tanker go faster.

Ok actually how about this.

It doesn't do general computing code as well as a desktop type processor.

It doesn't do floating point code as well as a GPU.

Its a Jack of all trades and both specialists do their jobs better.