All Posts

How to Set Up Multiple Monitors

Hardware Article Posted on by

When it comes to setting up a new computer, something we get asked about here at Puget Systems on a regular basis is the use of multiple monitors. The use of dual monitors seems to be the most common goal customers have, but many want three or even more – and so we are often asked if that requires two video cards, how easy it is to set up, and even how to use multiple screens effectively. This article aims to answer some of those basic questions and act as a central resource for folks who are considering a new computer or want to upgrade their existing system.

Gaming Computers: Its All About Balance

Post Posted on by

We sell all sorts of computers here at Puget Systems, and one of the more popular requests is for a gaming computer. In fact, we have designed one of our main brands around gaming – the Puget Deluge is an excellent system to consider for a gaming rig. Some gamers come to us already knowing what specs they want, but others are seeking more detailed guidance on what processor, video card, and other components to go with. The exact advice we give depends on the situation: the sorts of games they are interested in, the screen resolution they plan to run, their budget, and other preferences. However, a lot of that advice can be distilled down into the following basic principles.

A New Age of Advertising

Post Posted on by

Over the last few days, I’ve been taking some time to update the documentation of the Puget Systems marketing and advertising strategy. I’m finding that what I am really doing is documenting the culture of the company, because the way we approach advertising is a good window on the way we run our business. We are sometimes asked “Why haven’t I seen advertisements of your company?” That is a great question. What the inquirer is really trying to determine is whether Puget Systems is a legitimate, successful business. Most of the most successful PC manufacturers canvas heavily with advertisements, from magazine ads to website banners. Isn’t Puget Systems successful as well? If Puget Systems is successful, where are our advertisements? In answering these questions, we have a great opportunity to talk about something that makes Puget Systems special.

Specs Explained: CPU

Hardware Article Posted on by

With the advancement of computer technology, the number of specifications for each component in a computer has become overwhelming for those not deeply involved in the computer industry. In this article, we will explain all of the different specifications we list for CPUs and what they mean for you, the end user.

Product Review: Intel 520 SSDs (Cherryville)

Hardware Article Posted on by

In this article, we will be reviewing the speeds of each of the new Intel SSDs (60GB, 120GB, 180GB, 240GB and 480GB) codenamed Cherryville. Intel boasts speeds greater than 500MB/s for read and write, but it is common in the industry for the advertised speeds to be idealized. Because of this, we will be performing our own benchmark testing to find that real world speed of these new drives.

Review: Cooler Master SickleFlow 120mm Green LED Fan

Hardware Article Posted on by

Puget Systems has used many variations of the Antec TriCool 120mm fan over the years – including the red, blue and green LED versions in our colored case fan kits – due to their excellent noise to airflow ratio. However, Antec has recently discontinued the green LED version of the Antec Tricool, so we needed to find a good replacement fan for our green LED kits. In our search for a replacement, we found that the Cooler Master SickleFlow fan fits all of our requirements as a replacement fan to the long-lived green Antec TriCool.

Product Qualification: Asus P8Z68-M Pro

Hardware Article Posted on by

This motherboard is very nearly the ideal micro ATX motherboard for Intel 1155 CPUs; the chipset is well established to be a great performer with excellent reliability and all of the features present on this board have been well tested on other models. The main issue with this motherboard is the lack of an internal USB 3.0 header, although at the moment that is only a concern for a limited number of chassis.

Overclocking Done Right

Post Posted on by

One of the services we offer here at Puget Systems, aimed at high-end gamers and enthusiasts, is overclocking. It is a practice that has been around for quite some time which involves pushing the processor in a computer beyond its rated clock speed. This can provide an additional performance boost without the need to spend more money on a faster processor, though there are some trade-offs involved: additional heat and stress above and beyond what the CPU may have been designed to handle.

Solid State Drives: Tips for Reducing Used Capacity

Support Article Posted on by

When using a solid-state drive capacity is at a premium. The things that can be most affected by a SSD’s speed – the operating system itself, programs, and important files to be edited – need to have priority. There are a lot of other things that are located on the primary drive (C:) by default, though, so if you find yourself low on disk space here are some things to try!

Product Qualification: Asus Rampage IV Gene

Hardware Article Posted on by

The Asus Rampage IV Gene motherboard is a micro-ATX motherboard based on the Intel X79 chipset. Sandy Bridge-E has proven to be a powerhouse, but until not has been limited to full size computer systems. With this motherboard, Puget Systems will be able to offer smaller, micro-ATX computers with all the power of Sandy Bridge-E.