Puget Systems News, Blog and Articles

Crashplan: A Full-Featured Online Backup Solution

Fri, 18 May 2012 01:03:50 +0000

Last month I wrote an article about why Dropbox is one of my favorite products. Not only does it sync files across all my PCs and mobile devices, but it does so with an elegant presentation and little user intervention. Basically, it just works.

This month I’d like to share another product I’ve been using for several years. Although Dropbox easily syncs files across all my devices, I have a much larger set of files ranging from financial documents to music and videos. This group of files I need to backup, but don’t need to access as often or from all my devices.
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Written by Brett for Puget Systems Blog. | Permalink | 3 comments

Press Release: Puget Systems Launches Ivy Bridge PCs

Jon Bach — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 07:04:30 +0000

Intel 3rd Generation Core (Ivy Bridge) Processors incorporate a smaller manufacturing process for lower power usage, and improved Intel HD graphics with DirectX 11 support. For more information, a full Ivy Bridge technology primer is available from Puget Labs.

Z68, Z77, and H77 – What’s the difference?

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:16:32 +0000

Intel is nearing the release of their third-generation Core Processor platform, and in preparation they have launched several new motherboard chipsets this week. For desktops, there are four variants: Z77, Z75, H77, and B75 – with a couple more coming later in the year.

All of these share the same core functionality, and for our customers here at Puget Systems the more value-oriented Z75 and B75 options aren’t really worthwhile. However, I think a brief overview of the differences between Z77 and H77, with a comparison to the preceding Z68 chipset, merits a look. In fact, lets start with Z68.

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Written by William for Puget Systems Blog. | Permalink | 13 comments

My Favorite Products: Dropbox

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 23:57:38 +0000

Over the next few months I plan to share with you specific products and services that help me be more productive. I prefer simple, elegant solutions to complex products bogged down by every feature imaginable.

It wasn’t long ago that the task of moving files from one computer to another required a CD burner, flash drive, or emailing them to yourself. If you were savvy, maybe you shared files over a network. Today that scenario is made more complicated with the proliferation of smart phones and tablets that often do not share the same file structure or network protocols.

I have a PC at home and another at work along with a smartphone and tablet. There are times when I want to access a spreadsheet from my tablet that I created on my work PC. Or maybe I have pictures on my home PC that I’d like to show a friend from my smartphone.

Dropbox is the product that makes it happen.

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Written by Brett for Puget Systems Blog. | Permalink | 8 comments

We’re in a Post-PC Era, and Everything is Fine

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:22:26 +0000

I had the opportunity to take a day with Brett Nordquist yesterday, and attend the Geekwire Summit in downtown Seattle. The sessions ended up repeatedly circling back to the overwhelming proliferation of mobile devices. Todd Bishop said something I entirely agree with. “Of course we’re in a post-PC era! Why are we arguing about it?” he said. “But that doesn’t mean the PC is dead.” Exactly! Clearly the technology world is changing. But what does that mean for PCs?

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Written by Jon for Puget Systems Blog. | Permalink | 7 comments

Press Release: Puget Systems Launches Sandy Bridge-EP Workstations and Servers

Jon Bach — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:22:14 +0000

Sandy Bridge-EP incorporates improved memory bandwidth, more PCI-E lanes, and uses Intel's Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, providing even more performance when needed. For more information, a full Sandy Bridge-E technology primer is available from Puget Systems.

What does it really mean to have a silent PC?

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:46:28 +0000

What does it really mean to have a ‘silent PC’? Many companies these days advertise quiet computers, and some even bill theirs to be silent, but few vendors ever define what they actually mean by those terms.

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Written by William for Puget Systems Blog. | Permalink | No comment

One Customer At A Time

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:48:41 +0000

Last summer I took my car to the local self-service car wash and was surprised when a man approached me as I toweled off my car. Dressed in cowboy boots and accompanying hat, he introduced himself as the new owner of the car wash.

He explained that the previous owner had provided very little in regards to whom his customers were, so he decided to spend his days meeting them face to face.

After we chatted for a few minutes, he extended his arm to shake my hand and thanked me for visiting his business. This is not something I’m accustomed to. If the vacuums aren’t clogged and there’s plenty of foaming soap on the brushes, I’m generally satisfied.

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Written by Brett for Puget Systems Blog. | Permalink | One comment

Gaming Computers: Its All About Balance

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 02:41:30 +0000

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.

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Written by William for Puget Systems Blog. | Permalink | One comment

A New Age of Advertising

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:47:36 +0000

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.

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Written by Jon for Puget Systems Blog. | Permalink | 5 comments

Overclocking Done Right

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:15:38 +0000

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.

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Written by William for Puget Systems Blog. | Permalink | One comment

Gaming Performance with Dual Monitors

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 20:01:47 +0000

Many of the computers we sell here at Puget Systems will be used for playing games, and we also get a lot of folks wanting to run two (or more) monitors. Sometimes those goals intersect, and in those situations I have had people ask if they needed to get a second video card so that using additional monitors will not impact their performance for gaming. I myself use two monitors here at work, which has been a great improvement in usability, but I don’t play games in the office. Because of that I’ve had to fall back on anecdotal evidence when this topic comes up, and make educated guesses depending on individual scenarios. Rather than continue in that approach, though, I wanted to get hard numbers to support my advice.

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Written by William for Puget Systems Blog. | Permalink | 3 comments

Press Release: Puget Systems Launches Sandy Bridge-E PCs

Jon Bach — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:01:45 +0000

Sandy Bridge-E incorporates improved memory bandwidth, more PCI-E lanes, and uses Intel's Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, providing even more performance when needed. For more information, a full Sandy Bridge-E technology primer is available from Puget Systems.

Aquarium PC V4 Kits Available

Jon Bach — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:42:33 +0000

Today, Puget Systems is announcing a new revision to our wildly popular aquarium PC. Our new Aquarium PC V4 represents a number of exciting improvements.

Puget Systems Launches Summit Server Series

Jon Bach — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:57:13 +0000

Puget Systems today announces our expansion into the server space, with the launch of its full line of Summit Servers, in both rackmount and tower configurations.

Side Panel Fans: Are They Worth It?

Matt Bach — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:22:55 +0000

Adequate cooling is always a concern when using high-end hardware. In this article we will examine the cooling advantages a side fan can give to an otherwise normal system.

Product Qualification: Lancool PC-K9B

Matt Bach — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:04:59 +0000

The PC-K9B is a mid tower chassis from Lancool's "First Knight" series. It is available in black, silver and a black version with a painted black interior. For this qualification, we will be reviewing the basic black version.

Product Review: Gelid GX-7 CPU Cooler

Matt Bach — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 18:28:39 +0000

The GX-7 is Gelid's latest addition to their heatsink line and is in their Gamer line of coolers. In this article we will be reviewing the performance and noise levels in comparison to to the Gelid Rev. 2 Tranquillo.

Puget Systems President Interviewed on GeekWire

Chris Bristol — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 23:34:40 +0000

On August 20th, 2011, Jon Bach, President of Puget Systems, was interviewed by John Cook and Todd Bishop of GeekWire. Their discussion focused on current events including the effect the economy has had on computer sales, HP's exit from the computer hardware industry and the future of tablets.

Product Qualification: Asus F1A75-I Deluxe Motherboard

Matt Bach — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 22:53:44 +0000

The F1A75-I Deluxe is Asus' first mini-ITX motherboard based on the new AMD A75 platform. In this article we will be reviewing the features available on this board to see if it lives up to its intended use in home theater systems.

Product Review: Silverstone TJ08-E

Matt Bach — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 00:23:45 +0000

The Silverstone TJ08-E is the successor to the popular Silverstone TJ08. Today we will be reviewing the case to see if it is worthy of replacing the Silvestone TJ08.

Product Roundup: Intel/LSI RAID cards

Matt Bach — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:50:37 +0000

As hard drives are becoming faster and faster, you need a RAID card that is able to keep up with them. Today we will be reviewing the performance of five RAID cards. From LSI: the 9211-4i, the 9750-4i, and the 9240-4i. From Intel: the RS2BL040 and the RS2BL080.

Product Qualification: Antec 120/140mm TrueQuiet Fans

Matt Bach — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 01:20:01 +0000

The Antec TrueQuiet series of fans are designed for quiet operation and feature a low/high switch allowing the user to choose between silent or higher cooling modes. We are very familiar with Antec's Tri-Cool case fans and have been very happy with them, but they are not the best option for quiet operation. In this article, we will see if the TrueQuiet fans live up to their name.

Puget Systems Gives Away Copies of Just Cause 2!

Chris Bristol — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 22:23:16 +0000

Puget Systems is giving away copies of the thrilling game, Just Cause 2! To get your copy, head over to our Facebook page and click the Sweepstakes link. Good luck!

Product Qualification: Gelid Slim Silence I-Plus

Matt Bach — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:49:08 +0000

The Gelid Slim Silence I-Plus is a cooler designed to fit in places too small for even a stock CPU cooler. But given the small size of this cooler, will it have enough cooling to keep a CPU cool?

Gigabyte 6750/6770 Silent Cell Video Cards

Jon Bach — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:09:44 +0000

At Puget Systems, we pride ourselves in building some of the quietest PCs in the industry. At the same time, we build high-performance computers, and designing a computer to be both can be a delicate balance. Passively cooled video cards are essential to an ultra-quiet computer like our Serenity PC. The Gigabyte Silent-Cell video cards appear to be a perfect fit, but as we'll find in this article, appearances can be deceiving.

SATA cables: Is there a difference?

Matt Bach — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 01:34:31 +0000

With the release of SATA III 6GB/s, we have seen some confusion on the web regarding what SATA cables are supported. Today we will be addressing those concerns by testing multiple SATA 3Gb/s and SATA 6Gb/s cables to see if there are any performance differences.

Product Roundup: Kingwin 3.5inch Hot Swap Racks

Matt Bach — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 20:56:04 +0000

Today we will be reviewing three different sizes of 3.5" internal hot swap racks from Kingwin. They are the KF-1000-BK (single drive), KF-3001-BK (triple drive) and the KF-4001-BK (quad drive).

Vertical vs. Horizontal Case Cooling

Matt Bach — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 01:21:22 +0000

Some manufactures begun rotating their cases so they have a up/down rather than front/back airflow, claiming that this vertical airflow is superior since it is working in cooperation with the forces of convection. Does vertical airflow really improve cooling?

Product Qualification: LSI 9211-4i RAID Controller

Matt Bach — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:54:35 +0000

The LSI 9211-4i is a budget-oriented four port RAID card that supports RAID 0,1 and 10 as well as single drive configurations. In this article, we will be reviewing its performance compared to the RAID cards in our current product line.

Product Review: BitFenix Shinobi Black w/ Window

Matt Bach — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 19:22:42 +0000

The BitFenix Shinobi is a case designed with budget consumers in mind. Looking at this case though, it is clear that a cheap price does not necessarily mean cheap construction. All too often, budget cases feel flimsy and the design not fully thought through. Luckily, the Shinobi has neither of those problems.

Product Review: Asus ASMB5-iKVM

Matt Bach — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:46:33 +0000

The Asus ASMB5-iKVM is a BIOS-level remote management solution, allowing it to work at any point; whether the system is in the OS, the BIOS, or even halted due to a bluescreen. Most current remote management solutions are software-based, so they only work when an OS is running, which makes the Asus ASMB5-iKVM an attractive solution for network administrators and many home users alike.

How it works: O.C. Profiles

Matt Bach — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:35:51 +0000

O.C. profiles allow users to save their BIOS settings to a memory chip on the motherboard so that if the BIOS gets reset due to a power loss or the CMOS battery dies, you can quickly restore the BIOS to the proper settings. This article show the basics of using O.C. profiles.

How it works: Windows 7 Libraries

Matt Bach — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 22:13:26 +0000

The addition of libraries in Windows 7 allows users to store data anywhere they want on their PC, while still being able to access it all from one central location. But how does one go about configuring their libraries to fit their needs?

SATA Controller Performance Explored

William George — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 21:50:29 +0000

As SATA III (6Gbps) becomes the standard used on hard drives, is a 6Gbps controller on the motherboard required to get full performance? Is the answer the same for solid-state drives? And how do Intel 6Gbps ports compare against add-on chips like those from Marvell? Read on for the answers!

Puget Systems Integrates Intel E3 Xeon Family

Jon Bach — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 02:14:25 +0000

Focusing on reliability, Puget Systems has been eager to adopt a suitable platform for future workstation and entry level server builds. The Intel® Xeon® processor E3 product family meets this need through its focus on dependability, security, performance, power management, and virtualization.

Puget Systems to Ship Corrected Sandy Bridge PCs

Jon Bach — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:39:32 +0000

The first revision of Sandy Bridge chipsets suffered from a design flaw that caused performance degradation over time on 3Gb/s SATA ports. Puget Systems posted a response to the issue, providing options to circumvent the flaw, or wait for the correction. The new chipset revision corrects this design flaw.

Press Release: Puget Systems Expands Popular Serenity Silent PC Line

Jon Bach — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:52:36 +0000

Puget Systems uses its expertise in silent computing to expand its popular Serenity line into the home theater market, and into a new smaller form factor.

Press Release: Puget Systems Launches Full Line of Sandy Bridge PCs

Jon Bach — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 05:04:36 +0000

Sandy Bridge incorporates improved video performance and memory bandwidth, and uses Intel's Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, providing even more performance when needed. For more information, a full Sandy Bridge technology primer is available from Puget Systems.

Technology Primer - Sandy Bridge

William George — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Intel has announced a new line of processors, which follow in the footsteps of the socket 1156 chips which have been popular in mainstream systems for the last year. While the role of the CPU is not changing, there are several differences from Intel's previous generations. This article will explore the technology involved, in terms everyone can understand.

Game Contest: Win a Free Copy of HAWX 2

Jon Bach — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 03:09:52 +0000

Have a screaming gaming rig, but running low on games to play? Let us help! Puget Systems is giving away 25 copies of HAWX 2 each day until Jan. 14th, 2011.

Announcing NVIDIA Fermi-based GTX 580

Jon Bach — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 02:28:34 +0000

The NVIDIA GTX 580 brings 10-20% performance gains over the GTX 480, while at the same time sporting lower power draw, heat, and noise levels. For a good summary and list of detailed reviews, check out Engadget's post.

Technology Primer - Power Supply Wattage and Efficiency

William George — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Power supplies are a critical piece of hardware in modern computers, but there are some aspects of them which arent well known or understood. This article will explain some of the less known aspects of power supplies, such as what wattage and efficiency ratings really mean, and what other factors you should consider when selecting a power supply for your next computer.

Technology Primer - ATI Radeon HD 6000-series

William George — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:00:01 +0000

ATI has just launched their next-generation graphics card line, starting the process that will see the venerable Radeon HD 5000 cards replaced by 6000 models over the coming months. The first such cards, released today, are the 6850 and 6870 - known also by their codename Barts. In this article, we'll take a look at what makes them different, and how their performance compares with the competitive offerings from NVIDIA.

Technology Primer - USB 3.0

William George — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 21:33:00 +0000

For over a decade, USB has been the most common standard on computers for connecting peripherals. It has grown from a port found in small numbers on brand-new systems in the late 1990s to the near-universal standard for everything from input devices to data storage, and is even in widespread use for charging mobile phones. Our modern desktops feature between six and twelve USB ports, a testament to their widespread usage. This article is an introduction to the latest version of USB, with information on performance, availability and backward-compatibility.

Press Release: Serenity SPCR Edition Dialed to 11dBA

Jon Bach — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 02:06:43 +0000

"Our hats are off to the Puget development team for their pursuit of excellence." wrote Mike Chin, founder and owner of Silent PC Review. "Puget's SPCR-certified Serenity PC is a truly well-crafted high performance computer at the cutting edge of silent computing."

Puget Systems Games Giveaway

Jon Bach — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:27:10 +0000

Puget Systems is giving away 25 games each day until Sept. 30th, 2010! Each winner will get their choice of one of Just Cause 2, Mafia II, or Napoleon Total War (while supplies last).

Win a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 Video Card!

Jon Bach — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:59:50 +0000

Our NVIDIA GTX 460 contest went so well in July that we're going to make it a regular event with new product launches! This month, Puget Systems and NVIDIA have teamed up to give away two NIVDIA GTS 450 video cards.

Press Release: Puget Systems Back to School Special

Chris Bristol — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:45:09 +0000

Today we announced a new $100 discount on systems designed for those heading back to school. The configuration is based on the Puget Spirit - a computer designed specifically for its upgrade ability and hight quality components.

Aquarium PC V3 Kits Available

Jon Bach — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:54:03 +0000

Today, Puget Systems is announcing a new revision to our wildly popular aquarium PC. Our new Aquarium PC V3 represents a number of exciting improvements.

Puget Systems Featured in Local Newspaper

Jon Bach — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:21:25 +0000

Puget Systems is proud to be featured on the cover of today's issue of the Auburn Reporter, our local newspaper here in Auburn, WA! We enjoyed having their staff pay us a visit to experience what makes our computers so unique.

Win a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 Video Card!

Jon Bach — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 05:06:41 +0000

Puget Systems and NVIDIA have teamed up to give away two NIVDIA GTX 460 video cards!

Press Release: New Quiet PC: Serenity SPCR Edition

Jon Bach — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:14:41 +0000

Serenity SPCR Edition from Puget Systems is Certified By Silent PC Review as One of the Quietest PCs Available at 14 dBA@1m at idle, and 18 dBA@1m at full CPU/GPU load.

Press Release: Announcing Driver and Manual Downloads

Jon Bach — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:56:04 +0000

Puget Systems provides hosting of component files, made available for public download. Today we announced the public download availaiblity of drivers, datasheets, firmware, BIOS, and manuals for components in their active product line.

Press Release: Puget Echo III, Small PC Packs a Big Punch

Jon Bach — Wed, 19 May 2010 21:57:42 +0000

Echo III from Puget Systems combines closed loop liquid cooling, expansive hard drive capacity, and top end video cards to deliver extreme performance when space is at a premium.

Best Practices for Computer Performance and Safety

William George — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0000

In the course of my work as a sales consultant here at Puget Systems, I am often asked how I recommend setting up a computer. After all, providing advice like that on hardware configurations is my job! However, there are some deeper insights into how a computer can be set up which go beyond just selecting the right hardware. There are things I don't often have the opportunity to discuss, and which aren't really within the purview of a system builder. I wanted to take some time to write about the ideas and practices I use in my own computer setups, in the hope that some of this advice will help others to get the most out of their computers.

Website Updates

Jon Bach — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:01:39 +0000

We just launched the first of a series of website updates that we've been working on for quite some time now! Each of the PC's found on our top "Products" menu now have completely redesigned homepages. Our goal is to put as much information as possible at your fingertips.

Announcing NVIDIA Fermi GTX 470 and GTX 480

Jon Bach — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:10:48 +0000

NVIDIA Fermi has been a long time in coming, and we are happy to announce the availability of the GTX 470 and GTX 480 with our computers. We expect availability on April 12th, and pre-sales begin today!

BIOS Screenshots Now Included

Jon Bach — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 05:09:27 +0000

Puget Systems is pleased to announce a new feature to our custom PC build process. For most builds (a DVI port is required), we now provide screenshots of every BIOS screen, as documentation of your BIOS settings.

Now Offering 6-Core Intel Processors

Perry Azevedo — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:30:33 +0000

If you thought Intel's current line of Core i7 processors was extreme, they just got better. Puget Systems is proud to be offering a 6-core Extreme Edition, the Intel Core i7 980X.

Jon Bach interviewed about PC reliability on Tekzilla

Jon Bach — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:05:19 +0000

Patrick Norton of Tekzilla interviews Jon Bach about component failure rates and PC reliability. There's some great info there, check it out

Press Release: Announcing our 2009 Christmas Specials

Jon Bach — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:00:22 +0000

Puget Systems Line Up of Christmas Specials Offer Special Holiday Incentives for Students, Gamers, Content Creators and Those Who Crave a Silent Night System.

Press Release: Introducing Puget Serenity, optimized for silence

Jon Bach — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:25:22 +0000

Serenity from Puget Systems Combines Ultra-Quiet Engineering with Extreme Performance and Cooling Innovations in Affordable New Workstations for Consumers, Gamers and Professional Enterprise Environments.

Dedicated PhysX Comparisons

Ruben Romero — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:14:02 +0000

A few years back, Ageia Technologies launched a product designed to help handle the increasingly complex physics calculations which were becoming popular in modern games. They named this product "PhysX", and it was the worlds first dedicated physics card. Enthusiasts were excited, and many thought that this technology was set to be the next piece of essential hardware for enthusiast systems. We decided to independently test the Nvidia PhysX platform, and share our results.

Case Comparison: Antec P182 vs. P183

Matt Bach — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:05:10 +0000

There has been a lot of talk about whether or not the new Antec P183 is truly an improvement over the old Antec P182. The P182 has long been one of our favorite cases at Puget Systems, so there is some resistance to the P183 taking over the role as the flagship case in our lineup. The question is: is the P183 truly superior to the P182, or is the latest revision of the P180 series a step in the wrong direction?

Product Review: Cooler Master V8 Cooler

Matt Bach — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:46:00 +0000

At Puget Systems, we test hundreds of different computer components a year, and through this testing we constantly shape and improve our product line. In the past, we have kept the testing data internal to our company, but recently we have realized that we're missing out on a large opportunity to help the public (and our customers) by publishing our findings. Why keep something internal if the data is useful to others? That being said, the Cooler Master V8 is the first of hopefully many product reviews by Puget Systems. We were looking for a CPU cooler to add to our line to provide a quieter cooler option for Core i7 CPUs. Does the Cooler Master V8 fit the bill?

Gaming Computer Advice

William George — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:33:54 +0000

As a custom computer builder, we get a lot of people asking for help designing high-end computers. Many times they are for media editing, stock trading, or research - but one of the most common uses of such powerful systems is video games. Given how much interest there is in gaming computers, I wanted to provide a guide for how to select what components to use in a modern gaming computer. There are lots of review sites that talk about specific hardware recommendations, but those are outdated quickly - so this article will attempt to focus more on the ideas behind the various parts of a custom gaming computer and what you need to take into consideration when building or purchasing one.

Cooling Solutions for Intel Core i7

Dan Olson — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:08:55 +0000

The latest powerhouse CPU offering from Intel is here. The Intel Core i7 -- a quad-core processor available in three different speed configurations that is really taking the computing world by storm. Several new features have been added to this processor, such as on-chip DDR3 memory controller, smart cache, and HD boost. Of course, with all the extra features and power comes the issue of how to keep it cool. The Core i7 may be powerful, but it is also very hot running. From the stock heat sinks and fans, to liquid cooled solutions, the cooling possibilities are many. Unfortunately we can't test them all, so in this article we'll take a look at 4 popular cooling solutions and how they fared.

PC Sound and Speakers: A Subjective Look

Melissa Hermanson — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:08:55 +0000

When purchasing a new computer, audio is often a peripheral concern or overlooked entirely. Though most audio products are reviewed in great detail by the audiophile community (audiophiles: people who love and make a hobby of audio technology), those outside of it often cant answer some basic questions how much difference does a sound card make? Can an average listener tell the difference between an expensive sound card and a basic one? Which should you put your money into, sound cards or speakers? With these questions in mind, we set out to get answers.

The 64-bit Question

William George — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:00:00 +0000

One of the things we get asked about a lot here at Puget is 64-bit Windows, and more specifically these days 64-bit Vista. The 32-bit version is still generally considered the norm, but because picking an operating system is an important aspect of configuring a computer, and because of the general confusion about the differences between these versions, it was apparent that an article on the subject might be helpful to both our existing and prospective customers.