The advantage to using a PostgreSQL geometric data types is that you can use geometric functions and operators. Your example is fairly straightforward. Using the geometric operator, you can do a query that returns only lines that intersect a path or are contained within a circle. Without those operators you will have to return more rows and do the check in code. That said, the geometric operators are not GIS related, so aren't appropriate for mapping. Use PostGIS if you need to do mapping related queries.

The advantage to using a PostgreSQL geometric data types is that you can use geometric functions and operators. Your example is fairly straightforward and a basic query that works is fairly simple. Using the geometric operator, you can do a query that returns only lines that intersect a path or are contained within a circle. Without those operators you will have to return more rows and do the check in code. That said, the geometric operators are not GIS related, so aren't appropriate for mapping. Use PostGIS if you need to do mapping related queries.