The character draw limit is there for both, it just takes a lot more for it to happen on PC. So whereas PS3 users may be unable to see mobs in a regular Fate, PC usually only gets this issue on Odin/Behemoth, etc.

The graphic quality issue is expected though. This isn't bashing, strictly factual, but consoles are never better than (let alone equal to) computers of the same age. At release, PS3 was already behind computers and even now the PS4 specs are already below modern computers. Consoles literally are just budget computers with specialized operating systems; they use all the same components just older and modified to meet the console price, energy consumption, and heat limitations.

The i7 (any mid-high end computer processor really) far out performs the Cell processor, mainly due to the vastly different architectures. Your GTS 250 also outperforms because the PS3 uses a modified 7800, which was already a year old when the PS3 was released. Basically, yes it all comes down to hardware limitations. The PS3 version of FF14 already has to render with lowest settings at 544p as it is, then upscale to 720p