Quality Control

In early 2011, I ordered the first Sandy Bridge Echo II with Linux OS.

The friendly staff means well, but I had several problems throughout the entire process.

Pros:
The binder with papers and spare components and the files with burn-in testing reports are very nice. The Build-progress website it very nice. Puget has the best website and prices for “white-box” custom builds.

Cons:
Puget has much room for improvement in build quality, pre-sales website. Pre- and post-sale Support is helpful and friendly.

Bottom Line:
Ultimately, I chose Puget because I couldn’t get the custom-spec machine I wanted built anywhere else. I’d hesitate before buying from Puget again, but I don’t know anyone else that is better. Ultimately, the PC world just isn’t Apple quality, so the tradeoff is “customizability” vs “top-line build quality”.

Details:

I submitted corrections for several product spec errors on the website.

My computer arrive with the case metal pieces partially separated, with panels screwed together in incorrect alignment.

The front panel audio jacks are misshapen, so headphone/microphone plugs pop out upon insertion.

For cable management, the hard drives were connected to incorrect SATA cables, so I had to remove and re-arrange the cable plugs when I added a second hard drive.

The Linux option is slightly misleading. Even though it is officially not supported, it would be nice to be warned that some basic functionality (like Suspend/Hibernate) flat out does not work on Puget’s current generation of hardware (Intel Sandy Bridge).

Puget kindly offered to replace my system with a rebuild, but I didn’t see how that would help, but it would add hassle.

The Asus motherboard driver CD had Zynga malware on it (but this isn’t really Puget’s fault — I assume the Puget-pre-installed Windows OS does not have the same malware).

Where to begin…. At five years my old computer, while fairly well equipped, was beginning to show its age. What I really wanted was a unit built specifically to address my needs in dealing with some rather large projets in Photoshop CS5, LR3, and Premier, as well as some fairly intensive HDR , Panorama applications…
Over the last 25 years I have dealt with the “big” computer manufacturers, foreign based (or virtually non-existent) Customer Service, seemingly endless phone waits, representatives that seemed genuinely offended that I didn’t hold a Masters Degree in Computer Sciences, and with units that were stamped out like so many cookies. I also tried a “custom” business on the East Coast that, at the time, had a good reputation… Unfortunately, as is often the case with rapid expansion, their product reliability in general and customer service in particular has really taken a hit. Make one myself?… An invitation to disaster!… Good at using them, yes… building them, no!
In my search (and an attempt to catch up with today’s technology) I began to see a good deal of input on a business called Puget Systems. . The more I looked and read… the more I liked what I saw. Their web site was extremely professional, well laid out, and very informative. No glitz and flashing signs or “fluff over substance”. The ratings for this Puget Systems were/are fantastic… With almost a thousand direct customer reviews in one source I couldn’t find one that was other than “five stars”. A common thread in every personal account was the ” outstanding customer service and the build philosophy of the company”..
My original e-mail inquiry was answered the same day by William George. Thus began a two week correspondence between the two of us relative to my needs. William was incredibly well versed on the various options open to me and even made suggestions relative to my build that ended up giving me better performance, less “overkill”, and a cost saving. While he was obviously knowledgeable enough to “bury me in technicalities” William addressed my needs and explained his reasoning in a manner that was easily understood by someone beginning to suffer far more “senior moments” than I would like to admit. There was no “sales pitch”, no rushing, no pressure to buy, and no question was ever regarded as to small to address. Patience, professionalism, and knowledge… a powerful combination!
Equally impressive was the content of the Puget Systems web site. In looking at the various models it was refreshing to be able to click on a component and have a window come up with comments from the staff on exactly why that unit/part was selected/recommended, their experience with it, and other important information.
The final price of the unit was more than reasonable considering its components. I came away from my discussions and research with the feeling that I was getting a well though out, compatible, and extremely powerful system with a company that was willing to back up its reliability.
The ordering process was painless (aside from the slight change in my $ balance) and it was enjoyable to be able to follow the fabrication and testing of my own unit on-line… Again, the result of a great site and obvious company pride.
I elected to travel the 100 miles from my home to take delivery directly from Puget Systems… On arrival, William was there to meet me and I had a chance to meet other staff members as well. The computer was hooked up and running. I was shown that all the special configurations of discs, partitions, and OS installation had been done as we had discussed. The interior of the unit showed that a great deal of attention to detail and pride had gone into the assembly.
I was also supplied with complete Benchmark and testing results, the unit is pre-setup for expansion of drives and the like… all the necessary parts and cables are included.
When I arrived home and began the dreaded transfer of data,photos, and installation of applications I fount that it was actually fun (?) . When I got Photoshop CS5 and LightRoom 3 installed I couldn’t resist doing some “tests”… All I can say is “WOW!”. I had timed some previous photo processing actions on one fairly large file with my old unit… 18 sec. Same action on the new unit…3 sec! Let’s just say “It is fast”.
I couldn’t be happier with Puget Systems, their staff, and their product. I will buy there again and will highly recommend them to anyone considering a step-up in quality, performance, and service. Maybe not the largest company in the U.S. but certainly among the very best!

#83200. Simply the best and most professional computer buying experience I have ever had, period. Quality top to bottom. Highly recommended.

#86087. This computer received in excellent condition thanks to the proper packing. Overlook shows the attention to detail given to this build by talented and interested Puget Systems staff. The machine fires right up with no noise, none, not even any kind of a sound. Fast boot, no heat. Everything works smooth and is a pleasure to use. The video drives an AsusVH2442H in HDMI 16×9 with a outstanding picture really breathtaking. Since the machine is silent a person can stay at the desk much longer than being next to one that noisey.

To sum things up The Puget Systems people design and build computers that are as good as you can get, SOTA. You receive a lot of extras that are to numerous to list here and then there are the people. The people make the the whole experience over the top. I like this company there products and there way of doing business. I plan to have several more machines built by them.

To encounter a company that takes quality and customer service as imperatives is rare in the fierce competition of the PC arena – Puget Systems does. The Serenity model delivered: silent and swift. Other observations on this Serenity that is used primarily for financial analysis with Excel:
– There was no effort to sell me hardware I did not need
– The prices are fair
– My questions about the final system were answered by Jeff who was knowledgeable, patient and courteous
– The system was built and tested over a holiday, shipped on a Monday, reflecting a serious work ethic
– The shipping package is by far the most carefully thought out I have seen
– The computer arrived intact after a flight from the West Coast to the Gulf Coast
– Quality parts and meticulous cabling were a welcome sight
– The software was installed and updated with current patches and drivers
– A Rescue Disk was included with the all parts and extensive documentation
The list goes on. This was not a minimum configuration, a sizzling i7, 16 G of memory, a SSD primary drive, a 2 T secondary internal disk, and a potent graphics card. I have yet to hear a fan crank up. The Serenity is not just quiet, it is silent. An ideal office machine.
There may be other companies that can match Puget Systems quality and service but I haven’t found them.

Fed up with a decade of the best and most expensive Dell had to offer: dead in a week, in a year, 8 on-site service calls without resolution, it was time to end the frustration and look for a quality company selling a quality product. Months of research finally turned up Micro Velocity. More in-depth scrutiny revealed serious issues with their third-party on-site technical support. Their sales staff sounded a bit like used car salesmen. While checking their ratings on ResellerRatings, found Puget Computers and started the research all over. Months of thorough review resulted in ordering a high-end air-cooled computer. It arrived (configured exactly as ordered) on time and well-packaged. It’s so quiet, we both remain in disbelief after two decades of listening to fans. The staff is exceptional. Patient, able to answer technical questions in plain language (rare) and without hesitation make suggestions to improve my configuration choices, despite reducing the cost of the computer, they are a breath of fresh air. Their website provides a formidable array of educational topics. Probably the best on the Internet. All American companies should model their business practices after the Puget Computers approach.
The product quality, technical support, and warranty make, what might seem like a high price, actually an exceptional value. An elder semi-geek, with decades of computer buying experience–Puget Computers gets a long standing ovation from me!

Phenomenal customer service. Those 3 words are very powerful and comforting when ordering a custom-pc. I was looking for a custom-built machine for my photo and video editing work. I did some web research and heard good things about Puget Systems, so I went to their custom configurator to spec and price out a “dream machine”. I abandoned the configurator after thinking that the system would be too much money. Well, a few minutes later, I received an email that said, “It looks like you were visiting our site and using our configuration tool, can we help you further?” So I wrote a quick email back explaining my thoughts, and Jeff at Puget Systems explained things and configurations that I was not aware of, which reduced the price – and gave me the confidence they they really knew what they were talking about. Additionally, they gave me the confidence that they were building me a real photoshop machine vs. so many “gamer” machines. There is a difference.

The most enjoyable thing was that I felt engaged in the build – throughout the whole process. On their website, I could log in to see the stages of the build, review the parts, see the experts discuss the various components of my system, and then photos were taken during the build and posted to my profile. THAT was so COOL! It all built the expectation and anticipation that you were to receive something truly great.

When the computer arrived, the box was impeccably packaged. Everything arrived perfectly, I received a 3 ring binder kit including my system information, phone numbers, paperwork, help info, system discs, repair discs, etc.

The whole experience was second to none, and for that I am truly grateful – and cannot recommend them highly enough!

-Michael

I am, quite simply, blown away. Puget Systems not only delivered everything I asked for, they went so far above and beyond my expectations that I recommend them without reservation.

They made it easy to select a set of compatible components to build a computer with. When I submitted the order, they contacted me to say that they recommended an additional component that I didn’t include the first time. I asked them why they recommended that, and they gave enough information to satisfy me and convince me of the need-and I’ve built computers before, so I know what I’m doing.

They were always responsive, courteous, and respectful in emails-and we exchanged several when I was figuring out the payment and shipping options.

The thing that really got my attention was the detail with which I could observe their progress in building the system. They have a detailed series of tests that they run, including a full suite of benchmarks and temperature readings, to be sure the system is not only assembled, but operating well. They even took pictures of the inside of the computer, and screenshots of the BIOS! I wouldn’t have ever thought to request such things, but they are useful. That’s the sort of thing that really separates these guys from other vendors.

In short, I can’t recommend Puget Systems highly enough. They did a superb job, and I’m looking forward to working with them again in the future.

I purchased my Genesis I computer system from Puget Systems predicated upon following:

Requirement: The computer’s usage is dedicated to a single specific purpose, editing high resolution digital images using Adobe’s Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3. Image files in CS5 routinely exceed 6 GBs. These files contain multiple image layers and adjustment layers as well as channel masks. The images are manipulated using computation intensive processes, lens corrections, blurs, content aware, transformations, etc. The machine is not used on the Internet except for software updates.

Pre-Order: I discussed my requirements with several other vendors/competitors prior to selecting Puget Systems. Although some of these other vendors initial offerings were less expensive than Puget Systems their understanding of configuring a dedicated computer system optimized for Photoshop CS5 exposed their weaknesses and lack of depth of knowledge. In the end their prices are close to Puget System or expanded above Puget Systems to meet my requirements.
My discussions with William George, Customer Service Lead and Daniel Brown, Customer Support Lead were always on point to support a Photoshop system. I was impressed by both William and Daniel in their open and frank discussions and their sharing of information and knowledge. William George went out of his way to show me how a Puget System “Standard” configuration would adequately fulfill my requirements and reduce the cost for the computer over addition customization.

Delivery & Satisfaction: Puget Systems delivered on schedule. Packaging/shipping container for the computer was extremely well engineered and organized. Nice binder containing details of build, testing and software disks, separate container for spare hardware and un-used cables. A really nice clean build/assembly of the hardware, very impressive!

Best of all it works!

I have installed my Adobe software and two legacy monitors in addition to several legacy HDDs (which Puget’s William George had the cabling preinstalled – nice touch). The system has been up and running in full use for forty five days as I write this review. It is extremely quiet and generates very little heat. It is very responsive and handles the tasks well within the configured system. To date the system has not exceeded the installed 12GB of DRR3 so it has not used a dedicated cache HDD. The CPUs (8 cores) are rarely taxed to 60% doing the most intensive computational tasks. Looking at some bench marks that I have established, specifically configured images files, I am achieving a 3X to 4X performance improvement over the previous computer I used.

Summary: Puget Systems has been a pleasure to deal with, personnel are dedicated, professional, and very knowledgeable. The product delivered demonstrates and reflects the integrity of the company, first class. I received the product I expected at a fair price as well as enjoying my experience with Puget Systems personnel.

Genesis I System Configuration:
* Intel Core i7 Quad Core 950 3.06GHz processor
* 12GB DDR3
* EVGA GeForce GXT 460 1GB Video Card
* Intel X25-M 120GB SATA II SSD
* Antec CP-850 850W Power Supply
* Antec P183 Case
* Puget Hydro Liquid Cooling
* Windows 7 Professional

Bill Esch-
Palm Desert, CA

Truly excellent computer system and outstanding customer support.

While performing some research via the internet on gaming computers to purchase for my son for Christmas, I came across Puget Systems. Puget Systems was strongly recommended by industry insiders as well as their customers on various independent review sites as well as their own review site. Upon navigating their web site, I found it very easy, informative and actually enjoyable. I used the configuration tool in order to configure a gaming computer with liquid cooling. Then, I asked for the configuration to be reviewed. Mr. William George responded via e-mail within an hour. He analyzed my configuration and wrote me a detailed e-mail with suggested changes and the reasons why he suggested those changes. My original configuration was priced at $ 5,200, but William reduced it to $3,100 while explaining why my configurations had some conflicting and/or duplicative parts that were not desirable or necessary. His configuration was far less expensive and far better! I then researched his advice at independent informational sites. His advice was excellent. The parts/components that Puget System uses and that he specifically recommended are of the highest quality per my independent investigation of such parts. Puget Systems prices are very competitive and better than most. I probably e-mailed William 20 times over the course of two months with some general questions and with many specific questions. He always replied within minutes or hours with thoughtful and detailed responses. William would respond on weekdays, weeknights, weekends and even on Thanksgiving!

The price includes the following:
1) Asus P6X58D Premium Motherboard
2) Intel Core i7 Quad Core 950 at 3.06 GHz 8MB Overclocked to 3.84 GHz CPU.
3) Kingston 12 GB DDR3-1333 (3x4GB) RAM Memory
4) Two EVGA GeForce GTX 460 NVIDIA Video cards in SLI configuration (1 GB per card, for a total of 2 GB)
5) Asus USB-N-13 Wireless 802.11 b/g/n USA Adapter
6) Asus USB-BT211 USB 2.0 Mini Bluetooth Dongle
7) Western Digital Caviar Black 1.0 TB SATA 6 Gb/s Hard Drive
8) Lite-On 8X Blu-ray Player SATA with software
9) ATech Pro-35U USB 2.0 Internal/External Card Reader
10) Antec P183 Chassis (Gunmetal Finish with Window)
11) Antec CP-1000 1000W Power Supply
12) Puget Hydro CL2 Liquid Cooling System 1366 CPU liquid cooling
13) Tunig TX-4 Thermal Compound
14) Case Fans Upgrade Kit (blue LED)
15) Dual Cold cathode light (blue)
16) Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM
17) Microsoft Security Essentials ( No support)
18) Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Student (Retail with CD)
19) Asus VW246H 24 inch widescreen LCD monitor
20) Logitech G110 Gaming Keyboard
21) Logitech G500 Laser Mouse
22) Lifetime Labor and 1 year Parts Warranty

I finally e-mailed him with one final question and to let him know that I was going to order the computer. He replied with his answer to my question and also to advise me that Puget Systems was going to offer free shipping for the Holiday season starting in a couple of days, and that he would be happy to honor it in advance. He also informed me that they were going to have a Holiday sale starting in a few days on certain computer systems, so I might want to wait and check out the specific types of systems because I could probably get a nearly identical configuration to my chosen configuration with a 10% to 12% discount. I waited a couple of days and checked the configurations that were newly discounted. I could get the same exact configuration but could not order two items: the specific keyboard and the specific mouse that I had wanted for my son. So, I e-mailed William, and he replied that he would ensure that I got my desired keyboard and mouse. I purchased my chosen computer system for an 11% discount.

The Puget Systems web site allows you to follow the status of the parts acquisition for your computer, build process, testing process and shipping process. The computer was delivered two days earlier than promised! The packaging was outstanding without any damage whatsoever to the boxes or the computer itself. The computer worked perfectly straight out of the box! It is an awesome computer and my son is “blown away” by how fantastic it is. He can play the most intensive computer games including online games at the highest settings without any lag whatsoever. FPS (Frames per second) at the highest setting for games like Age of Conan are 100 to 500 FPS at the highest settings on this monster of a computer! No lag whatsoever at the highest settings: with antialiasing and everything turned up to the max! Other games achieve similarly superb results.

In order to at least provide some semblance of balance to this review, I will now give some “criticisms”: but quite honestly, this is really nitpicky stuff and I’m having to dig pretty deep to find any criticism.
1) No set-up instructions except individual component instruction manuals. The reason this is not a big deal is that, in my opinion, by and large, anyone purchasing a custom gaming computer knows how to set up a computer and its peripheral components which are very intuitive to set up.
2) Since there is a large side window in the chassis (a very “sweet” case modification!) and there is some protective wrapping on the inside of the window, I had to open the side of the chassis and remove the wrapping on the inside of the window, then reinstall the side of the chassis prior to turning the computer on for the first time. It was extremely obvious that this had to be done, and it was also extremely obvious as to how to do it, but I think that some folks would be hesitant to attempt to gain access to the inside of the chassis without written instructions stating that they should do it and how to do it.
3) The beautiful Asus 24 inch HD monitor comes with DVI as well as VGA cables to connect the monitor to the computer. However, it does not come with an HDMI cable. I think it should either come with the HDMI cable or the Puget Systems Configurator should have an HDMI cable as an optional accessory within the Video monitor configurator tool. Again, this is not a big deal because as I understand it, DVI is virtually identical to HDMI in terms of its digital video signal quality. The only difference is that if you use a DVI video connection, then you also have to use a separate audio cable connection (which does come with the computer system), whereas if you use an HDMI connection, you do not need an additional audio cable connection because HDMI carries video and audio signals within the same cable.

That is all of the “criticism” that I can muster.

In the final analysis, Puget Systems is an outstanding custom computer company. Mr. William George is an outstanding employee and an outstanding asset for Puget Systems. The computer system is phenomenal in its entirety: it not only meets my high expectations but exceeds my high expectations.

Frankly, I have not been this impressed with a company in my entire life: and I’m a 47 year old neurologist who is trained to be analytical and even skeptical about almost everything.

I must confess that it feels really good to be so impressed by a company and its personnel! It’s actually inspiring. Thank you Puget Systems and Mr. William George!