A high-performance computer called a workstation is set up to carry out particular numerically demanding activities, like scientific study, 3D modeling and animation, or music and video creation. Usually, they have more potent CPUs than a desktop computer used at home, as well as lots of storage and RAM. In the office, single-user workstations are frequently networked together to exchange information and resources with other people.

A workstation's components are frequently the same as those found in any other desktop computer, but with better speed and dependability. As an illustration, many computers employ ECC RAM, a more costly but significantly more dependable form of error-correcting memory. Workstations are professional instruments used for professional work, so the higher cost of highly dependable components is warranted. Downtime can be expensive.

Additional gear that is required for the specialized role that a computer plays may also be present. A video production workstation, on the other hand, would have specialized video processing hardware to handle multiple high-resolution video streams simultaneously. An audio production workstation, for instance, would have additional audio interface ports designed to connect professional microphones.

A network of computers connected together to handle data or carry out analytical tasks includes many terminals. In these situations, the employees simply transfer duties to computers for processing and communicate directly with their devices. For instance, 3D artists create models, build up scenarios, and generate figure motions on their computers. On their laptops, they can examine drafts of their work, but for final drawing, they transmit that information to a render farm, which consists of several connected server computers.