Quick question. How do you calculate the computer's computing power to include the cpu, gpu and other components that applies. Just curious. Since I want to see some comparison between my gaming pc and my PS3.

 
Large, complex calculations, that involve all the hardware you mentioned, recorded over a given amount of time is one possible solution.  
 
To be honest, there are a wide variety of ways to calculate computational power. No one way is the best.

Well I'm interested in gaming application in particular.

Please elaborate your intentions and desires.

I just want to know and compare how much my pc gaming capabilities to that of my PS3. Based on what I have read the PS3 has theoretical computing power of over 2Teraflops. So with that I want to know where my pc stands against the console. Anyways my gaming pc specs is Pentium D 840 4Ghz, 4x512Mb DDR2 400 and 7800GTX 256Mb 500/1400mzh SLI.

The console will win.
 
Its like comparing x86 to PowerPC. Its not as simple as just running a few computationals. Your console is a dedicated gaming machine without any of the overhead or bloat of the OS such as Windows. this, and the fact that the games on the console are designed specifically for that console and its specs.  
 
Basically your desktop cannot as effectively utilize the processing power of the CPU and GPU(s) to the extent your PS3 can.
 
Just curious as to why you would want to compare the two?

Thanks. Just want to know how many flops the PS3 and gaming pc has in gaming application.

Erm...Why?!?

Why the hell not?  I'd like to know the outcome if you manage to find a way.

 
TFLOPS mean nothing for gaming.
 
Your PC has two of the same Gfx card your PS3 uses. It can theoretically push out two frames for every 1 frame of the PS3
 
Cell can do a lot of FLOPs but its not very useful for anything, it was originally planned to be both the CPU AND GPU portions of the PS3, but GPUs advanced too quick and they added what is basically an nVidia 7800GTX.
 
This means that most of Cell that was designed for Gfx is simply left useless for anything else.
 
Now, if you want to run Linux on your PS3 and simulate weather patterns, the 2TFLOPs of computing power might be useful to you.
 
This is what console manufacturers always do. They find some statistic that is inherently low on competitors products and mainstream computers because it is either not needed or not relevant to the intended applications, make their console really good at that useless thing, and claim theirs is the best.

Cause it's a stupid question, that's why! PS3 and a PC do different things. In theory a PS3 is more powerful, but it doesn't have the potential that a PC has. It's a (look very carefully) GAME CONSOLE. Which means (say it together children) IT RUNS GAMES VERY WELL. There, that wasn't very hard, IT DOESN'T RUN ANYTHING ELSE VERY WELL. PC, on the other hand is a multi-tasking (or as AMD are now calling it) mega-tasking, this means that many operations can be performed at once...rather than one large operation.

Don't patronize me....so are you suggesting a high end computer will not outperform a PS3 at gaming?  And althouth we know they are built to do different things a comparison would still be nice.

See, now your just being stupid. Would you compare a boat to a plane? No, they do different things, but in the end they will be able to reach the same destination (albeit, in different manners) PS3 will out perform a PC, no matter what age for a little while on games, but (and this is where PC still rules) when you try to get the PS3 to do multiple operations (if this would ever be possible) other than what it was produced to do, it will fall flat on it's face. That's why PC's can never be compared with PS3, they (in theory at least) do different things.

Dude...chill.  It's like when "they" raced a car, a motorbike and a boat together.  Yes they are totaly different but hell, it was cool to see.  I'd just like to know thats all.  The outcome will not affect anything so what the hell?

And, that pretty well sums it up..... Good job on that explanation, now those who didn't understand, should be able to.  We need to change the title, sticky it, and it might stop the endless number of PS3 vs PC power bs threads.....
 
wes

Great, now I started a fight.  8O

Cool.