Puget Systems Announcements

Press Release: Windows 7 PCs Begin Shipping Oct 13th

PCC-Jon — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:58:35 GMT

Puget Systems Announces Availability of Windows 7 In Advance of Official Microsoft Launch

Custom Systems Builder to Deliver Early on Pent Up Demand for Win 7; Orders Placed Today to Ship 10 Days Ahead of General Availability

SEATTLE, WA (September 25, 2009) � Puget Systems (www.pugetsystems.com), a boutique integrator of custom PC systems for enthusiasts, gamers, consumers and SMB markets, today announced it has received early availability of the highly-anticipated Microsoft Windows 7 release, currently scheduled for availability at retail on October 22, 2009. As a result of this arrangement, customers placing orders with Puget Systems today will receive a fully configured and tested Win 7 system beginning as early as October 13, 2009.

�Our position with Microsoft and our ability to provide early availability of Windows 7 represents yet another example of the value of partnering with a custom systems builder like Puget Systems,� said Jon Bach, president of Puget Systems. �The reviews and the accolades for Windows 7 are in, and customers have been waiting anxiously for its release. Today, we�re in the enviable position of not only offering them unparalleled service and attentiveness, but also the ability to be the first on their block with a full blown Win 7 custom PC; this is an exciting moment for our customers!�

Windows 7 Upgrade Early Availability: The Details

Customers who place orders for a full personal computer system, and who select Microsoft Windows 7 as their OS of choice, will be immediately placed in queue for shipment which will begin in earnest on October 13, 2009. Orders will be placed in queue on first-come basis and Puget Systems standard shipping policies apply.

Full Win 7 availability details are available here: http://www.pugetsystems.com/go/windows7.php

About Puget Systems

Puget Systems is a specialized integrator of custom personal computing systems meticulously designed to exceed the discriminating requirements of consumers, enthusiasts, gamers and businesses in multiple industries. Puget Systems combines industry-unique custom innovations, the highest quality leading-edge components with an unparalleled commitment to personal service and support. Founded in 2000, Puget Systems is now headquartered in its new facility in Auburn, Washington. For more information, please visit www.pugetsystems.com.

New Product: Intel Core i5

PCC-Perry — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:35:13 GMT

Intel Core i5
Get a major boost in PC power with the intelligent performance of the Intel� Core� i5 processor, which automatically allocates processing power where it�s needed most. You�ll move faster when creating HD video, composing digital music, editing photos and playing the coolest PC games. With the new Intel Core i5 processor, you can multitask with ease and be more productive than ever.

Puget Systems is now carrying the Intel i5-750. Configure a new system today with the Asus P7P55D Deluxe motherboard by going here.

In addition, we are now carrying the latest Intel Core i7 processors:
Intel Core i7-860 (2.8GHz)
Intel Core i7-870 (2.93GHz)

If you need more info on any of these new technologies or are interested in an upgrade, please contact a Puget customer service representative today.

Puget Systems at PAX09

PCC-Jon — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:12:21 GMT

We had a great time at PAX this year! We were able to show off our aquarium computer and featured a highly customized version of our Genesis II workstation running 3DVision on a huge 65" DLP display at the NVIDIA booth. We gave away three NVIDIA 3DVision kits in our Twitter contest and look forward to being back next year!

The line before PAX opened was huge as usual.

We were busy inside setting up our booth and filling our aquarium computer with mineral oil!

The huge display of NVIDIA 3DVision did a great job drawing a crowd.

As our Twitter contest approached the time for us to announce a winner, the number of people typing on their phones greatly increased!

Congratulations to our three winners of an NVIDIA 3DVision kit and Samsung monitor.

Announcing our last contest winner on Sunday.

Product Line Updates: Intel Price Drops

PCC-Perry — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:08:07 GMT

We've been having some great summer weather, here in Seattle, the past few weeks. In celebration of sunny days instead of rainy ones, we'd like to announce some new price drops on the following Intel products.

Intel X25-M Solid State Drives (2nd Gen):

80 GB X25-M 34nm SSD - dropped 32%

160 GB X25-M 34nm SSD - dropped 32%

Note, these drives are actually the 2nd Generation versions, so they feature the new 34nm technology with faster random write speeds and lower latency!

Intel Core 2 Quads:

Q9400 - dropped 15%

Q8400S - dropped 7%

Q9400S - dropped 11%

Free Upgrade to Windows 7

PCC-Jon — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:10:30 GMT

At Puget Systems, we've been running our Windows 7 Upgrade Program since early March, which expired a few weeks ago. Today Microsoft has announced their own upgrade program, which we are happy to be extending to all new computer sales starting today. Buy a computer with Windows Vista now, and upgrade to Windows 7 for free when it launches in October!

In addition, we'd like to remind you that you can take advantage of our lifetime labor warranty on all computers, by sending in your computer to us for upgrade. We'd be happy to handle installation for you, and put your computer through a fresh round of testing and benchmarking while we're at it! Check out our details page for more information.

Press Release: Echo Launched, based on NVIDIA ION

PCC-Jon — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:56:09 GMT

Puget Systems Is First Systems Builder to Offer Custom Desktops Based on NVIDIA�s Award-Winning ION Graphics Processors

Puget Systems First to Deliver Small Form Factor, Ultra Quiet, Affordable ION-Based Custom Systems; New �Echo I� Makes PC-Based Home Theater Systems Viable, Accessible

SEATTLE, WA (June 3, 2009) � Puget Systems (www.pugetsystems.com), a boutique integrator of custom PC systems for enthusiasts, gamers, consumers and SMB markets, today announced it is the first custom systems builder with immediate availability of high performance, ultra quiet custom desktop systems based on NVIDIA�s newest, award-winning ION graphics processor. With this announcement, Puget Systems is launching its newest addition to its family of custom systems, the Puget Echo, which is available immediately in two configuration options: the Echo I ION-based system, ideal for home theater applications, and the Echo II, a high-performance, ultra-quiet desktop system ideal for consumers, small offices or corporate departmental applications.

Puget Systems is leveraging the NVIDIA ION graphics processor in the Echo I systems to deliver performance increases of up to 10x with advanced digital display connectivity, full 1080p HD video with true fidelity 7.1 audio in a smaller form factor. These specifications make Puget�s new Echo I ION-based system a viable, accessible and affordable solution for PC-based home theaters.

-----------------------------------------------------

The Puget Echo configurations include:

Puget Echo I
NVIDIA ION platform
Intel Atom 330 1.6GHz dual-core CPU
Up to 8GB DDR2-800 memory
Intel X25 SSD or up to 500GB traditional hard drive
Optional DVDRW or Blu-Ray player
Integrated 802.11n WiFi

Starting price: $562

-----------------------------------------------------

Puget Echo II
NVIDIA 9300 platform
Intel Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad 65W CPUs
Up to 8GB DDR2-800 memory
Intel X25 SSD or up to 2TB traditional hard drive
Video card options up to NVIDIA GTS250
Optional DVDRW or Blu-Ray player
Integrated 802.11g WiFi

Starting price: $618

-----------------------------------------------------

�The Puget Echo exemplifies our ability to tap close working relationships with the industry�s hottest technology providers to make sure we�re in lock step when a major, industry-changing innovation hits the streets,� said Jon Bach, president of Puget Systems. �The NVIDIA ION graphics processor delivers tremendous advantages for our customers, including the ability to create a PC-based home theater system built on state-of-the art technology. We�re proud of to be the first custom builder to deliver an ultra quiet, small form factor ION-based system out of the gate.�

Pricing and Availability
The Puget Systems Echo NVIDIA ION-based systems are available immediately with prices starting at $560.00. For more information, or to custom tailor a Echo system, please visit (http://www.pugetsystems.com/echo). Customers ordering online using the Puget Systems Echo configurator will have their new systems shipped within 5-7 business days.

About Puget Systems
Puget Systems is a specialized integrator of custom personal computing systems meticulously designed to exceed the discriminating requirements of consumers, enthusiasts, gamers and businesses in multiple industries. Puget Systems combines industry-unique custom innovations, the highest quality leading-edge components with an unparalleled commitment to personal service and support. Founded in 2000, Puget Systems is now headquartered in its new facility in Auburn, Washington. For more information, please visit www.pugetsystems.com.

Product Line Updates: New Core i7 CPUs

PCC-Perry — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:25:36 GMT

Puget Systems is now carrying Intel's newest high-performance processors, the Core i7 Extreme 975 and the Core i7 950. They will replace the Core i7 Extreme 965 and the Core i7 940 respectively.

Core i7 Extreme 975
Conquer the world of extreme gaming with the Intel� Core� 7 processor Extreme Edition. With faster, intelligent multi-core technology that accelerates performance to match your workload, it delivers an incredible breakthrough in gaming performance.

3.33 GHz core frequency

Intel Turbo Boost

Intel Hyper-Threading

8 MB Intel Smart Cache

3 Channels DDR3 @ 1066MHz

6.4 GT/sec QPI speed

Core i7 950
With intelligent technology that automatically directs processing power where it's needed most, Intel� Core� i7 processors deliver unbelievably fast PC performance.

3.06 GHz core frequency

Intel Turbo Boost

Intel Hyper-Threading

8 MB Intel Smart Cache

3 Channels DDR3 @ 1066MHz

4.8 GT/sec QPI speed

Please see your Puget service representative if you have questions regarding either of these new CPUs.

Product Line Update: Asus LCD Monitors

PCC-Perry — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:51:10 GMT

Wanted to update everyone on some new product we just added recently.

For the longest time, we've only offered CTL monitors alongside the occasional Samsung or two. Unlike a lot of our other product line decisions, this wasn't due to some sort of superiority that CTL has over other brands. It simply has been a matter of convenience for us as one of CTL's main warehouses is located down the street from us and their product is pretty solid.

However, we did begin looking into better quality monitors as a lot of you have voiced interest in having a higher-quality option, straight from us, when purchasing a new computer. Well, we did some research and are very pleased to present the following Asus branded LCD monitors:

Asus VW192T+ 19" Widescreen LCD
[part info]

Asus VH226H 22" Widescreen LCD
[part info]

Asus VW246H 24" Widescreen LCD
[part info]

Asus VW266H 25.5" Widescreen LCD
[part info]

All four of these monitors are ideal for high-end usage like: HD movie playback or editing, high-resolution photo editing, bleeding-edge gaming, etc. However, you may simply want a crystal clear picture, regardless of whether you're usage being high-end or average internet and email use. Either way, I think you'll find these new Asus monitors to be as exciting to use as I have.

Configure your PC with Windows 7 Beta!

PCC-Jon — Fri, 08 May 2009 21:36:08 GMT

At Puget Systems, we've been closely following the Windows 7 Beta. We're very excited to see this become first OS in history to be faster and more lightweight than its predecessors. With the release of the Windows 7 Beta RC on May 5th, Microsoft is making a trial of this operation system available to everyone for nearly a year! Having installed it on our own workstations and personal computers here at Puget Systems, we have had a great experience and would like to share it with our customers. As of today, we are making the Windows 7 Beta RC available with all our computer configurations at no additional charge.

While we encourage you to check it out, you do need to remember that it will begin to expire on March 1st, 2010, at which time you will need to reinstall your operating system with a purchased copy or another OS. If you are not comfortable installing an operating system, this trial might not be for you. However, all of our customers can take advantage of our lifetime labor warranty by sending the computer in to us, and we will gladly install an OS for you!

For more information about Windows 7 Beta RC, we encourage you to read the in depth review by Anandtech.

Product Line Updates: Antec P183, NVIDIA GTX 275, ATI 4890, Quadro

PCC-Jon — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:32:42 GMT

We've been making a lot of product line changes over the last few weeks, and I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some of the bigger changes!

The Antec P182 has been updated to the Antec P183, including our windowed version, and liquid cooling packages (pictures will be updated soon). The price is the same, and all quotes have been updated. The P183 focuses more on airflow, and we've already confirmed significantly lower system temperatures. It includes vented CDROM bay covers, and adds vents to the front door. Front firewire is swapped out for front eSATA. The bottom compartment fan is moved forward to allow for larger power supplies. A few of these things do increase system noise, so be sure to work with our reps to ensure quietest operation possible if that is important to you.

The Asus 4870 1GB has been updated to the XFX 4890 1GB. The 4870 pricing has come down, but the price spread is only about $30, so we're just carrying the 4890. All quotes for the 4870 have been updated for free! We're excited to be partnering with XFX on this board, as they venture into ATI territory.

The XFX GTX 275 896MB card has been added. It is the same price as the GTX 260 core 216 used to be, and the GTX 260 core 216 has come down $40. It's good to see the competition between ATI and NVIDIA resulting in lower prices!

We've implemented a complete refresh of our NVIDIA Quadro cards, including the 580 512MB, 1800 768MB, 3800 1GB, 4800 1.5GB, and 5800 4GB (I wonder what happens if you use this card with a 32-bit OS!). They have more memory, more GPU cores, and better virtualization support, which is pretty interesting! This is good timing, as our recent Genesis workstation launch can make use of them!

Lastly, we've updated our Western Digital 640GB and 1TB drives to the black version. At 7200RPM and with double the cache, they are a great performance boost over the green and blue drives. We're able to source them for only a couple dollars more, so it seems a natural pick!

Look for some big changes later this week or next week to our server memory, and our LCD line!

Press Release: Deluge Mini Launched

PCC-Jon — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 20:06:10 GMT

Puget Systems Bolsters Deluge Family of High Performance, Liquid Cooled Gaming Rigs; Adds Deluge 'Mini' to the Lineup

New Deluge-i7 and Deluge-i7 Mini Tout Intel Core i7 Performance; Newest NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision Innovations; and Superior Asetek Cooling Systems, Optimized for Extreme Gaming

SEATTLE, WA - Puget Systems (www.pugetsystems.com), a boutique integrator of custom PC systems for enthusiasts, gamers, consumers and SMB markets, today announced significant performance, graphics processing, and cooling system innovations to its popular Deluge family of high performance, liquid-cooled gaming rigs. Puget Systems also announced today it has added an exciting new portable gaming solution for extreme gamers and enthusiasts, the Deluge-i7 Mini -- a powerful, lightweight and portable gaming system ideal for traveling to gaming events and LAN parties.

The new Deluge-i7 gaming systems tap into the raw performance power of the Intel Core i7 architecture, and extreme graphics processing capabilities of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX and GTS GPUs -- with single and SLI options available. Puget Systems also offers users two liquid cooling options to choose from; the innovative Asetek LCLC liquid cooling system (available on both the Deluge-i7 Mini as well as the full sized Deluge-i7 systems), or Puget's own custom-developed liquid cooling system. As an additional bonus to hard-core PC gamers, Puget Systems is offering 3D stereoscopic gaming capability with an added NIVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision option.

The Deluge-i7 Mini offers gamers all the performance and gaming options available to the full size Deluge-i7 systems, with the exception of Puget's custom-developed liquid cooling system, which is only available on full sized systems.

"This is an exciting announcement for Puget Systems' gaming customers," said Jon Bach, president of Puget Systems. "We've tapped into some very compelling resources uniquely available to us through our close partnerships with companies like Intel, NVIDIA, and Asetek, to deliver huge advancements in our popular Deluge series. While the gaming industry continues to advance with increasingly sophisticated and immersive games, Puget Systems and its partners are staying ahead of the curve with systems like the Deluge-i7 series."

"Intel's high-performance Core i7 processor is a great match for Puget Systems' latest products for the gaming community," said CJ Bruno, GM, Intel Americas, Inc. "Quality, innovation, and a commitment to personal-touch service is what Puget is all about, and we are proud that our Core i7 architecture is playing a key role in the gaming experience for Puget's customers."

"Puget Systems is committed to delivering new levels of PC gaming experiences to its customers, which is exactly our mantra at NVIDIA," said Ujesh Desai, general manager of GPU business at NVIDIA. "The Deluge-i7 series with the NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision option promises to deliver gamers a truly immersive 3D experience that will literally make the games pop off the screen."

"There is no question that extreme gaming today is hotter than ever, and what better way to keep one of the most advanced gaming rigs on the enthusiast market running cool at optimum performance than with Asetek liquid cooling systems," said Gary Baum, senior vice president of marketing, Asetek Inc. "We are excited to work closely with Puget Systems to ensure they have a reliable and comprehensive thermal solution that enables extreme performance while providing whisper quiet operation."

Puget Systems New Deluge-i7 and Deluge-i7 Mini: Options Under the Hood

Every Deluge-i7 Series and Deluge-i7 Mini system is custom tailored to each individual customer requirements, and ship with the following options and standard components:

Quote:

Motherboard:
Intel X58 Chipset

CPU:
Intel Core i7 920 Quad Core (overclocked to at least 3.5 GHz)
Intel Core i7 940 Quad Core
Intel Core i7 965 Quad Core

CPU Cooling:
Asetek LCLC or Puget Liquid Cooling (full size system only)

Video Cards:
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 1GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 896MB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 1GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 1792MB
* all in single and SLI options

Hard Drives:
Intel X-25M SSD in 80GB and 160GB
WD Caviar QUIET 320GB, 640GB, 1TB, 1.5TB and 2.0TB
WD Velociraptor 150GB and 300GB

Power Supplies:
High quality, high efficiency Corsiar power supplies (650W for non-SLI, 1000W for SLI)

OS:
64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate (eligible for upgrade to Windows 7, per the Puget Systems Free Upgrade Program at http://www.pugetsystems.com/go/windows7_upgrade.php)

DVDRW:
Pioneer DVDRW and Blu-Ray options

Display:
NVIDIA 3DVision (optional)

Pricing and Availability

The Deluge-i7 and Deluge-i7 Mini gaming systems are available immediately with prices starting at $1830 and $1740, respectively. For more information, or to custom tailor a Deluge-i7 or Deluge-i7 Mini system, please visit (http://www.pugetsystems.com/deluge.php). Customers ordering online using Puget Systems' Deluge-i7 configurator will have their new systems shipped within 5-7 business days.

About Puget Systems

Puget Systems is a specialized integrator of custom personal computing systems meticulously designed to exceed the discriminating requirements of consumers, enthusiasts, gamers and businesses in multiple industries. Puget Systems combines industry-unique custom innovations, the highest quality leading-edge components with an unparalleled commitment to personal service and support. Founded in 2000, Puget Systems is now headquartered in its new facility in Auburn, Washington. For more information, please visit www.pugetsystems.com.

New Configure Tool Launched

PCC-Jon — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:59:06 GMT

Our new configuration tool was taken out of beta minutes ago. This new configure page doesn't look like much of a difference on the surface, but underneath it represents a massive code overhaul that will put us in a position to easily add new features in the future.

On the heels of this release, we're already working on adding features. Ones we have in the works:

Virtual benchmark scores (based on scores from similar previous machines we've built)
More detailed power supply recommendations
PCI devices limited to available slots on motherboard
Disk drives quantity limited to available space in chassis
Dynamic part incompatibility warnings (covers all misc incompatibilities we've cataloged)
Show ETA of any parts not in stock, resulting in an estimated build time
Virtual acoustical measurements (based on measurements from previous machines)

What features would you like to see on our configure pages?

You can use our new configuration tool at: http://www.pugetsystems.com/configure.php

Please post your feedback here, and if you have any problems, be sure to include which OS and browser you are using. Thanks!

Product Line Updates: new GPUs and Blu-Ray

PCC-Jon — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:52:09 GMT

In addition to a round of pricing updates, we have a handful of product line updates this week.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

1) The XFX 9800GTX+ 512MB has been replaced with the XFX GTS 250 1GB, which is very similar in performance, but is smaller size, needs only one power connector, and has double the memory. Best of all, there is no change in price!

2) We have replaced MS Office Basic 2007 OEM (which includes Word, Outlook, and Excel) with MS Office Home and Student 2007 (which includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneNote . It is the RETAIL version, which means you get a full CD, and you can install it on 3 PCs in your home. It is also $20 cheaper...pretty sweet all around.

3) The CTL 195UW has been replaced with the CTL 196UW, and the 190LX with the 191LX. Both are updates to better contract ratio of 1000:1 (the old models were 800:1).

4) The Antec 4480B has been updated to the Antec 4480B II. It has slightly different molding color, adds additional side vents, and adds front
sound jacks.

5) The Lite-On 4X Blu-ray Player and Burner have been updated to a Pioneer 5X Blu-ray Player and Pioneer 8X Blu-ray Burner. This brings us up to date with the fastest speed brackets available for Blu-ray.

6) The Atech 28-in-1 Card Reader has been updated to the Atech 35-in-1 Card Reader. It is pretty much an incremental update, but if you have specific card types you want to read, you should check it out.

7) The last of our 512MB memory modules have been dropped. I wonder how long it will be before we drop 1GB sticks as well...

8) The PNY Quadro 5800 4GB video card has been added. I wonder what happens if you try to use a 32-bit OS!

9) Our AMD server line has been completely refreshed to the AMD Shanghai CPUs, representing a significant speed improvement, as well as a reduction in power draw and heat. We are running the Tyan n6550EX as our quad socket board, and the Asus KFSN5-D as our dual socket board.

Look for some pretty amazing announcements on our Intel workstation and server line in coming weeks -- we are working on some new post-production workstations that are going to absolutely blow away anything that's out there today -- I'm excited!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Let me know if you have any questions!

New Benchmarking System Launched

PCC-Jon — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:04:17 GMT

Puget Systems is pleased to announce a brand new benchmarking system, which we have built from the ground up for use in all our new custom computers. Whereas our old system provided scores that were difficult to put into context, our new system uses real-world programs to provide meaningful numbers that are useful in themselves.

We now provide information such as how fast your hard drive can copy sequential and random data, or how fast your memory can read and write. We believe these types of scores are much more useful to our customers.

For gaming benchmarks, we're now running real world games. We run the games at various resolutions and quality settings, and record the frames per second. This is a universal method of measuring gaming performance, and should prove more useful to our customers.

We have also built our new benchmarking system from the ground up with the ability to quickly and easily add new benchmarks to our process. This means that as new applications or games come out, we can quickly expand our testing to include them. Our goal is to include one major game from each gaming type (FPS, MMORPG, etc) in our benchmarks.

As always, one of the things we do internally is compare your scores to similar systems, in a way to automatically flag any performance issues that need attention. We feel this is a significant improvement to both our benchmarking process, but also our automated quality control.

You can view a sample of our new benchmark results at http://www.pugetsystems.com/included...ist#benchmarks

Please feel welcome to provide feedback! What benchmarks would you like to see? I'm excited that we've built this system to be easy to add to, so look for us to continue to improve it with new tests as time goes on.

Power Supply Estimator Released

PCC-Jon — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:12:15 GMT

We're excited to announce a new feature to our custom computer configuration pages: automatic power supply recommendations. Our service representatives are frequently asked about what size power supply is needed for various configurations, so we are happy to be able to provide this as a free resource to everyone!

This tool has been under internal testing for many months now, but we are definitely not done making improvements. The tool still estimates high some of the time, so look for some tweaks soon that will dramatically increase accuracy. We also have two more large scale addons to our configure pages under development -- our goal is to keep our configure pages the best in the industry!

You can see the power supply recommendation tool in action at: http://www.pugetsystems.com/configure.php