OS Installation

On May 6, 2011 my Obsidian Workstation was born under the highly skilled hands of the Puget Systems team. So, on its fifth birthday I thought I would write about my computer and the continued help I have received from Puget Systems.

With help from Puget’s techs on the old forum, I added an Intel 520 240GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5inch SSD direct from Puget as my Primary OS drive in 2012. In 2014 I added an external WD 3 TB USB drive for backup, again direct from Puget. Earlier this year I added 16 GB of Kingston RAM, for a total of 32 GB, and I also upgraded the video card to an Asus GeForce GTX 750 2GB (Passive).

After installing the new RAM, the computer would not boot. I then contacted Puget’s Tech Support and they helped me make some changes to the BIOS, and also suggested that I re-seat the RAM modules. After these adjustments the computer fired right up and successfully booted into Windows 10.

It is very gratifying that even five years after the purchase date, as well as for the RAM upgrade I did myself, Puget’s tech support was there for me. The help I received was right on target and saved me having to fumble around for a solution.

I should point out that the reliability of my system has been excellent! The original system core, hard drives and optical drive, fans and power supply continue to function perfectly. I attribute this to the quality of the parts in their Obsidian offerings, and the rigorous testing before parts are added to Puget’s line, as well as the excellence of the build by Puget Systems.

Beyond the quality of the machine, any testimonial would not be complete without mention of the kind, knowledgeable, and professional help I have received from everyone on the Puget Systems team from the day I submitted my first quote for review.

If you are looking for a finely crafted computer with the best pre and post-sale support in the business, look no further. Puget Systems delivers!

For almost a year I couldn’t pull the trigger on a new workstation for my video editing business. I know I wanted to go PC instead of APPLE, because I had moved to ADOBE CC and had my own idea for a hard drive set up. I had loads of questions and doubt, and the various PC builder companies I talked to online just didn’t seem to care that much about my questions.

Enter Puget systems. They answered every question, provided input and advice, and made buying a custom PC feel easy. They worked with me to make the PC exactly how I wanted it and were always available to answer additional questions and concerns.

If you’re serious about your PC and want a company that truly has your back. Puget delivers.

I have now ordered 4 HPC systems for computational fluid dynamics from Puget Systems. I have been impressed that they are always helping to make sure that I have carefully thought through all the needed requirements of my system. Many times the recommendations mean a lower price for me. They have also been very helpful in understanding what cutting edge technologies are available and what the trade-offs are. I have never worked with a computer hardware company like this. They really are great to work with and have saved me hours of research.

The service was great. The system is extremely well put together. They didn’t try to BS me or up sell me. The support documentation and ancillary owners documents are fantastic. Fast and just as expected. Pricey, maybe, but this system is far superior to any of the mass produced boxes you can buy from HP or Dell. Their expert prep alone is worth several hundreds more in value.Their US based, Clear English speaking support if needed a big plus. I almost never give the highest rating available to anything( except “Citizen Kane”, and “Godfather Part 2”), but they deserve it.

First I want to say that this company takes great care to ensure their client is satisfied. There is a personal touch to their customer service, without being sales-y or pushy. My experience is a breath of fresh air in a climate of big companies with out-sourced support and uninformed floor-staff.

The machine I needed was for graphics-heavy game development, and Puget System’s staff guided me towards a machine with the appropriate specs. Now, the machine is running well, and I know if problems arise, they will be available to answer questions.

Buying a new computer can be daunting and the language used in the industry can be specialized. So there is an educational component to the way Puget Systems interacts with their clients in that they freely explained hardware and its application. Also, they include a custom binder of materials that comes with your machine and include all extra parts from the build.

Puget Systems actually cares about computers and the people who use them!!

Got my “plain and simple” Traverse 15-inch as a dining room tabletop. During the order process my assigned rep gently talked me into features I didn’t think I’d wanted or hadn’t thought of in the first place. Quick delivery, and quality build through and through. Support walked me through Windows 10 surprises. Can’t ask for more.

My workstation is my tool. I needed a new one and could not find exactly what I was looking for until I found Puget Systems. They built me a custom computer that is high performance, silent and very cool. There is lots of room for expansion and it is beautiful inside the case. The customer service was great from help with evaluating my order to watching the building and testing process on their website. My machine was delivered safely and the packaging kept it safe. I may not need it, but Puget provides lifetime labor and tech support.

I am thrilled with the custom desktop computer Puget Systems assembled for me.

This desktop, built around their Serenity small form-factor configuration (micro-ATX size motherboard and case), is tailored to exactly meet my needs as a photographer who makes heavy use of Adobe’s Lightroom, Photoshop and other allied applications. Some of the key attributes I wanted and found in the Puget Systems machine:
* A top-end Core i7 processor, sixth generation. That is currently the i7-6700K with a base clock speed of 4 GHz.
* 500 GByte SSD to be the boot drive and contain my executables and current working photography files.
* 2 TByte 3.5″ drive for bulk data file and image file storage.
* Expandable for more drives: this machine can accommodate one more 2.5″ drive and two more 3.5″ drives.
* 16 GBytes of DDR4 RAM with room for an additional 16 GBytes.
* A mid-range video card with 4 GBytes of VRAM (my card is based on the NVIDIA GE Force GTX 960 processor).
* Plenty of USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 ports (eight and two).
* Sufficient power supply (650 W) to support all that future expansion.
* A quiet machine. Who wants to sit alongside a vacuum cleaner when trying to optimize photos?
* All in a handsome case that measures approximately 9″ wide x 12″ tall x 14″ deep.

As I started my search, I checked carefully with the “Big 3” PC companies (you know them). What I found:
* Few systems that supported any level of customization. Increasingly, these vendors want to sell pre-packaged systems.
* For systems that did allow some level of customization, the machines I configured inevitably came up short on one or more key attributes:
o Still shipping fourth generation Core i7 processors, rather than sixth generation.
o Shipping sixth gen Core i7 but not the top of the line i7-6700K.
o Option for an SSD but limited to 256 GB.
o One SSD plus one spinning drive maxes out the system.
o Very limited power supply, say 250 W max.
o No discussion of system noise.

I considered building my own system but did not want to take on the integration job. A Google search for custom PC builders lead me to Puget Systems. I discovered a custom system from them would be in the same price class the best systems I could configure from the Big 3 but would meet 100% of my design goals for performance and expandability.

Some of the highlights of my experience with Puget include the following:
* Their website has a trove of knowledge. I found white papers on system performance for photographers, specifically outlining the performance needs of Lightroom and Photoshop. (There are papers for CAD-folks and others, too.)
* Their pre-sales support is highly responsive, knowledgeable yet unobtrusive (no annoying pop-up “chat/sales” windows.) That person efficiently answered my questions and helped me tune the configuration that produced a better system than I might have initially ordered.
* Their build process is totally transparent: once my order was placed, I could follow its assembly from parts staging, to assembly, to burn-in, to QA and finally to shipping.
* Puget puts your system to a demanding burn-in test and performance benchmarking with all the data made available to you. Great way to confirm the build, weed-out infant parts failure and trap issues before the machine leaves their facility.
* Great care in shipping. Box in a box, custom Styrofoam corners, heavy-duty corrugated boxes. Everything came through in fine shape.
* Delivery included a three-ring binder specific to my machine, with a USB flash drive to rebuild the machine to the exact configuration it had when it left the factory, and finally DVDs with OS and other software that’s installed.
* Speaking of software, a nice clean build: not a spec of bloatware. What a difference from the last few systems I’ve purchased from the Big 3.

If you are looking for a run of the mill, entry-level notebook PC, any of the Big 3 can serve you well. If you have more demanding needs and do not want to compromise on those needs, I urge you to talk to Puget Systems.

I ordered a system with an Intel i5, Noctua NH-U125 cpu cooler, and a SSD in the Fractal Design case. It is absolutely silent. All the components are first rate. I use Linux and you just can’t buy a computer with it installed from a lot of companies. Puget gives you the choice of operating systems. Also the Fractal Design case is excellent. Inside there are just no cables lying around disrupting air flow. The power supply is modular and you can route cables behind the motherboard tray. Try buying something like this from Dell. Ha! The single criticism I’ve read of Puget is that they are somewhat pricey. Well I totaled up the cost of all the components in my system bought from Amazon. Puget had what I consider a quite reasonable markup. If I had put it together myself, I would have had to worry about getting a bad motherboard, a bad power supply, or perhaps bad memory. Well returning these things is always a hassle. Plus, the testing they do is rigorous. Not to mention the installation of the operating system with everything updated. The bios too. When I consider the time it would have taken me to put it together plus the possibility of mistakes, the extra money put out for them to do it expertly is a no brainer. It is too easy for some companies to serve you “mystery meat” components. Take my advice and support a company who does it right.

This testimonial is long overdue! I have had two PC orders with Puget Systems in the past, and every single aspect of both experiences was fantastic. For both machines, I had pretty specific goals for what I wanted, and the Puget reps gave me a useful assessment and suggestions. They also saved me money by suggesting different components. Although my last order was a long time ago, I reached out recently to ask a question about installing a memory upgrade by myself, and someone contacted me promptly and worked with me until I figured the issue out. I hadn’t even purchased the memory from them! I’ve felt guilty for not writing a review for so long. This company has been nothing but outstanding in my experience.