"So from what I read so far, people think that PC components are bad. What\'s so bad about PC components if they all contribute to an awesome system like Xbox is?" - DirectXbox
Well the Pentium III used in the Xbox is a modified version, so I\'m not quite sure if it would work in a PC either. The thing is, it\'s x86 archetecture using slight modifications of off the shelf hardware. As has been said before, x86 archetecture is NOT optimal for gaming. The Xbox kicks ass in graphics, but that\'s because it has the NV2A. If it wasn\'t for the graphics chip.. the Xbox wouldn\'t be able to do jack sh*t. Now the PS2 on the otherhand has a weaker (and often neglected) GPU in it. A lot of what the NV2A does in the Xbox, the Emotion Engine does in the PS2. If the GPU in the PS2 were beefed up to the NV2A\'s standards, there\'s no way in hell the Xbox could keep up with Sony\'s console.
So really, even though it\'s the most powerful console out there this generation, the P3 processor is really holding the Xbox back from what it could have been if it had an archetecture (and processor) fully optimised for gaming.