OS Installation

I’ve been shopping for a new prebuilt for nearly 6 months, and was very close to buying either a Falcon-Northwest Talon or a Maingear Shift before reading about some other boutique vendors I’d never heard of on Hardforum. Puget was on the list and discussed in high regard so I decided to check them out.

I used to build my own systems, but after devoting way too many weekends modding with my head buried in components and soiled cotton swabs, my girlfriend implored me to get a prebuilt. My first was an Alienware, and while the system has been a workhorse, their service, while willing, was unimpressive from a technical standpoint. It doesn’t feel good when the realization sets in that you may know more than the overseas tech support rep. Because of this experience, I am hypervigilant this time around, looking for a vendor that not only has competitive pricing but has the service and technical expertise to back it up in the event something was to go wrong with a part. While I can’t rate the support (haven’t purchased yet), I can say the pre-purchase communication is outstanding, and I’m impressed by the level of expertise.

I have saved configurations and ongoing correspondence with several boutique vendors (Falcon Northwest, Maingear, Origin PC, Digital Storm), but none of the other vendors have come close to the level of one-to-one attention Puget is showing me so early in the process. Within just 2 hours or so of clicking the box requesting a professional review of my build, I got a non-templated email response from a William George. It was a non-biased, thoughtful component-by-component expert review that made me clarify my own build priorities (quiet computer) and reconsider some hasty decisions I made based on past brand loyalties and admittedly shallow research. I just don’t have the time anymore for proper diligence (reading through pages of specs and mining reviews), and William’s feedback is exactly the kind of honest direction I’m looking for and why I’m leaning heavily towards Puget this time around. At no point in the correspondence did I feel I was being upsold by someone on commission. This is simply a fellow geek (sorry William, I mean that endearingly!) that honestly wants to make sure I’m picking parts wisely while staying on budget. I’m still in contact with William and we’re getting closer to my final dream machine.

Sure, Puget isn’t the cheapest you’ll find, but if my early exchanges with William are any indication of the quality of build, customer care and technical expertise you can expect at Puget, you will not find better. If you’re a former Dell/Alienware customer like me you know that alone is worth the few extra bucks. Consumer confidence is a big factor when shelling out $2000-$3000, and I can say without a doubt that I’m confident in Puget so far. Don’t believe me though, click the box to have your build professionally reviewed and see for yourself. It’s pretty darn sweet!

I began looking at purchasing a new computer system since the early part of last year.

I was not happy at all with Dell any more. I made a decision to buy my system elsewhere this time.

I checked out many companies along the way. I was not at all comfortable having a system built by the various sites I checked out, throughout 2009.

By accident, I came across Puget Custom Computers.

It was the kind of accident, I would like to see happen more often in my life. :0)

I first contacted Puget Systems in the 3rd quarter of 2009. I spoke with a gentleman by the name of Willam. We conversed back & forth over a number of months. I built a few systems at their site over this period of time. William offered some very friendly & very helpful advice on the systems I built at the sie. The system before the one I finally chose was a dual processor system.
William helped me with every aspect of it. He was just great. I spent some time on the previous dual processor system & so did he.

I finally decided it was not quite what I wanted.
At this point I was aware that their was going to be a new processor coming out. The i7 980X. I also heard about the new technology on the way with the usb3 & Sata 6.
I explained to William, I was going to wait until these technologies came out. He was very understanding.

The day came to build the system I wanted. I sent William an email. I built a great system, thanks to Williams expertise & his helpful nature.
I was sending him multiple emails every day.
He always answered them on the same day I sent them. He never pushed me to buy, he encouraged me to move at my own pace, which I did.

After a lot of emails back & forth, I was finally confident in my choice of system build.

I would go to Puget’s site & watched in all the stages of the build. They had my account broken into different sections. There was order details, build check-off, Benchmarks & Photos of my completed system from various angles. They even took photos of my system with a heat sensing device, which showed the temp range of my system as it went through heavy benchmarks. Everything I needed to see is there. THey even have a section thats shows where your system is, at any given time, while it is on route to you.

I have never seen such detail, to every stage, on so many levels. I cannot put into words, how much they assured me, not only in words, but by their actions, that this was the place to get a system built!

I thank each & every one at Puget Systems for all you have done!

Willim, you were great! Even post shipment, I send him the odd email and ask the odd questions. He still gets back to me on the same day.

I will be receiving my Puget System, hopefully on Tuesday. I really look forward to it!

I will follow up with this review, once I receive
my EXCELELNT SYSTEM. I know it will be great!

I will definitely recommend Puget Systems!

Rick Downey

My shopping experience with Puget Systems has to be among the best, if not THE best, I have had so far.

Starting with the availability and helpfulness of the sales/customer service clerk to receiving the finished product, I found nothing to complain about. Quite the opposite, I was amazed at what a pleasure it was.

I took some time figuring out what I wanted in my computer system. Shortly after I saved my configuration to make some minor changes later, I received a very unintrusive e-mail from one of Puget System’s customer service clerks, offering help should I need it. Over the next few days he seemed available for my questions, no matter what time of day I contacted him. He gave me some valuable alternatives to components I had selected, sometimes suggesting a cheaper but better part.

After placing my order, I was able to constantly track how far the assembly of my PC had processed and look at the system’s benchmarks.

Once it shipped, I not only received an e-mail about the estimated delivery, but also photos of the finished PC. Oh, those teasers at Puget Systems!

Upon delivery I once again was amazed at how perfect everything was. The PC was everything I expected and more. I runs smoothly and extremely quietly. I also received excellent documentation and great system tools along with the restore DVD.

I’m sure my friends and coworkers are tired already of how I cannot stop praising Puget Systems. I honestly cannot picture me purchasing a PC anywhere else in the future.

this company stands behind it’s products more than anyone i have ever dealt with and i have had machines built by the best of the top tier niche builders out there. 13 months after the fact the owner Jon Bach made good on ram that had been discontinued (through no fault of Puget’s) on my i7 beast they built for me. I will swear by these guys they know what they are doing and in an industry that has magazines and web sites full of flash -bang ads with ridiculously in expensive prices i have but one thing to say “you get what you pay for” with Puget Systems.
i have personally been involved in a forum conversation where the owner offered to make something right from 3-4 years back to an owner… i have never experienced that before in any business and there is someone who believes in his c

Puget Systems is a great company. I always describe them like a Dell 20 years ago. Dell has lost sight of customer service and quality. I found that at Puget. When my first computer arrived from Puget and I pulled it out of the box you could immediately tell the difference. It weighed a ton. It must be made of metal rather than plastic. Weight feels like quality. I’ve also bought Dell and talked with technical people that spoke English as a second language. It was difficult. When I called Puget with an issue, I ended up speaking with the person that assembled my computer. Wow. They understand customer service. I hope they never turn into the current Dell. I’ll be buying my next computer from Puget. And then hopefully the one after that. I rate them a 10 out of 10.

Hi William, Daniel, Richard and Jeff,

I want you to tell my experience, as a retired engineer, with you during the process of ordering, building, receiving and helping me with the setup of my new computer.

I first did a research over the internet how others reviewed Puget and after that I checked several parts and how they has been reviewed by others like PC magazine.
The result was amazing who good Puget is.

I am now a Realtor for almost 24 years and I understand the process of customer service.
My first contact was with William and I felt right very comfortable with you. You was very relaxed and easy to speak with. All the questions were answered with some explanation and with patience. You have also a willing ear, which I think is very important. I remember our conversation regarding W7 64bit or 32bit. I want to go with 32bit, because the Real Estate industry told me so. You told me that W7 Professionals will let me work with a virtual XP, if needed. I am glad I took the 64bit version.
Thank you for all the help.

After I received the computer in the wonderful box, which I saved, I myself encounter some problems with the new parts that I have bought somewhere else to connect to your computer. During that period I had via costumer support conversations with Jeff, Daniel and I think also with Richard.
It amaze me that you all have the same attitude in advising, answering and listening to a person on the other side of the phone.
The way you handle this is an example for a lot of other companies.
Your way of doing business is the only way to build a successful organization.

Yes, the computer is a great tool for me and it really match with the two Samsung monitors, the two speakers Creative T20 and the wireless keyboard and mouse from Microsoft.

I Have told some of my buddies already about www.pugetsystems.com.

Puget Systems demonstrates in practice the business model all firms of this type attempt to emulate and rarely achieve… Certainly one could find less expensive pricing or build a system yourself, but among other attributes their expertise and experience adds value to their products and to you as the end user. Upon receipt and working with my recent order, a system designed to aid photographic efforts working with large composite files in Photoshop and supporting software, I recognized the changes discussed with William in sales were greatly beneficial. Much to my surprise, William provided recommendations that in the in result reduced what I thought was required realizing a savings of twenty percent below my projected budget. The first time I opened a 1.2GB image file and had it display in three seconds I knew the advice was sound… My experience with Puget Systems was excellent and exhibited their professionalism and conscientious practices throughout in all phases from ordering, build to delivery. I have little doubt your experience will differ – these folks are first rate.

I almost ordered a plain vanilla desktop system from a large PC company, but now I am VERY happy that I ordered from Puget Systems. I had ordered a custom-made computer previously, from another vendor, but was very unsatisfied with the result – graphics cards had to be replaced multiple times, software and hardware did not operate compatibly, etc. That company clearly did not put much effort into producing a good product and helping their customers avoid problems.

In contrast, I could not have asked for better customer support from Jeff Stubbers and the rest of the Puget team. My questions regarding parts and configuration options were answered very rapidly, and they provide all the information and advice you need to help you choose from different options. Unlike some places that refuse to acknowledge any shortcomings in any computer parts, the Puget website advised me of the pros and cons of the various graphics cards I was contemplating. One part I wanted was not currently available, but Jeff kept me updated regularly regarding its status and gave me options for replacing it if I so chose.

The flawless operation of the PC from the day I took it out of the box reflects the level of testing applied to ensure everything worked together. I am also impressed by the way all the documentation, product keys and other vital information is assembled and provided in a handy binder – no more misplaced product keys! In addition, my Puget system came *without* any of the seemingly mandatory junk software that infests products purchased from the large manufacturers.

I cannot imagine purchasing a computer from any other vendor now. I got the high-performance, cool-running and VERY quiet computer I needed, and Jeff and his associates made the process virtually painless.

I am not a gamer, but a very small business owner who requires the near fastest pc possible for photo/retouching/graphics/video work every time I upgrade or add a computer for my work. The system I recently had Puget build for me was precisely what I wanted and is delivering just what I need.

This is exactly (except for some spelling error changes) what I wrote at resellerratings.com, and is how I perceive your comapany:

“My whole experience with Puget Systems in their advising, ordering, building, notifying, detailing, delivering, packaging, and quality of both the build itself and the components with which it was accomplished, have been the best of any computer company with which I have ever dealt.

The effort they put in, the personal responsibility for every step of the process, is outstanding. Since my computer was perfect “out-of-the-box”, I have no experience as of yet with their repair department or customer service after the sale, but, from all my encounters so far, I expect it to be very good indeed.

Over the past 26 years, I have ordered dozens of computers from a combination of Apple, Dell, HP, local and internet retailers, and several good local “white box” companies, and this is the best buying experience I have had to date. On top of all the extra time and quality they put into their build process, their prices were excellent. For instance, had I even been able to buy a replica of my new computer from Dell or HP (not even possbile because of their generally lower quality parts, less diverse component list and smaller base of build options from which to choose), it would have most likely cost at least 10-20% more money and be loaded with the usual bogus software crap, useless try-outs and other intrusive add-ons that I’d only have to work to remove. And, for a relatively low cost producer, their confidence-building client reporting techniques and actual quality output are impressive and unmatched by any other company I’ve dealt with in the past.

As you might already have assumed from the above, I give Puget Systems the highest ratings I can for an internet (or, for that matter, brick & mortar) custom computer builder and highly recommend them to anyone else looking for a custom PC.”

My first custom computer, and a pleasure all the way. Beautifully built, exactly as ordered; and the follow-up support I needed was pleasant and totally helpful. I am a very happy customer.