5/5

posted Mar-01-2011

"I am blown away by these guys. I ordered a custom computer from them, and they exceeded by expectations at every step of the way—sometimes doing better than I even realized the job could be done.

The process of customizing a system was painless. I'm fairly hardware-savvy, although it's been several years since I did any serious research on the state of the art. They did all the research for me, making it easy for me to select a set of compatible components. They also recommended an additional component to me (a battery for the RAID controller). When I asked why, they justified the component to a level that not only satisfied me, but convinced me that it was worth it, and I was happy that they recommended it because the overall performance was increased.

Their communications were excellent: prompt, courteous, and thorough.

They really impressed me with their detailed checklist of the system assembly and testing. I could follow their progress at every step of the way. Not only that, but they took pictures of the inside and outside of the assembled computer. Then they ran the system through a comprehensive set of tests and benchmarks, to be certain that it was not only assembled correctly, but also operating well. They even took screenshots of the BIOS settings! They went far above and beyond the call of duty.

In short, I enthusiastically recommend Puget. They thoroughly impressed me at every step of the way, and I will definitely be using them for my next custom computer."

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1/5

posted Dec-26-2008

"I bought an expensive Puget custom built computer, expecting to have something great that I would enjoy and use for years. The computer I got is just average performance with two part failures and two serious system crashes. Attempts to improve the system with my service-plan-paid-for customer service resulted in zero improvement. Two broken parts replacement events have been Alice in Wonderland experiences - unclear and contradictory information, unanswered phone calls, unreturned voice messages, extreme delivery delays, multiple email messages and all sorts of reasons offered. These have been journeys into chaos. All I wanted were working parts! "

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posted Nov-16-2005

"My experience is speaking as someone who received their computer a couple of weeks ago and is still working out issues. I bought a computer from them because I had heard certain larger companies had gone downhill in terms of product quality and customer service. I bought from this company at higher prices than what I would have paid on my own on the premise that they had thoroughly researched the items they were selling and that I would get timely and helpful customer service. I do not find the ease of use for my hardware to be what I would have expected, plus they charged me for software that I found out today they don't actually even sell -- I didn't notice that the burning software I had was the crippled OEM version and not what I had paid for until I tried to burn an unsupported CD image format. I pointed this out and the person said they did not actually sell that software which confuses me then as to why I could have bought it. They did not offer me a refund, which I am now explicitly asking for.

In reference to the components, There are minor annoyances with the BIOS - it was locking up on one option. That was fixed with a bios update but the bios update program tells you the update failed even when it succeeded, which is really scary at first. The windows based overclocking software that came with the motherboard hung on a near clean XP install. Software I used perfectly with previous computers running XP will not rip back audio CDs burned on the same computer, which strikes me as odd and potentially highly aggravating later. That same program would do digital rips on that computer with an older drive but actually has to play the audio on this newer drive which is really irritating. I hope that can be worked out but guessing it probably can't be.
The TV tuner I bought doesn't currently have software support for features I wanted and I want to return it but its been a couple of days and I haven't heard back which doesn't seem to go with email being a timely form of customer service. This is seeming like more of a hassle than it's worth (literally.) I just wanted something that worked without having to do too much tweaking. That won't be possible for the TV tuner but everything else should just work well. To be fair I did my own OS install but I sincerely doubt that has any bearings on the issues I've been having beyond not having Windows Media Center for the TV tuner. I have not brought up all of these issues because some seemed minor for what I needed but it feels like it's beginning to pile up. This is mostly a word of warning that things might not work wonderfully out of the box like they seem to for everyone else, maybe things will pan out, maybe not."

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5/5

posted Mar-13-2005

"Introduction
Due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to keep the PC I ordered from Puget Custom Computers, but I decided to write this review anyway, since I've had extensive dealings with them and wholeheartedly recommend them. I ordered a high-performance Pentium 4-based system with a 3-year warranty.

I had the PC/workstation for 2-3 weeks, tested it thoroughly, and it performed beautifully and quietly. Had I been able to keep it, I'm fully confident it would have served me well for at least the term of my warranty or until I wanted to upgrade.

The Site
Puget's easy-to-navigate site is a must visit for any PC enthusiast. You'll find not only the best configurator I've seen but a wealth of information on each component. Let's say you're looking at a motherboard. Puget provides you with the essential details about it plus a link to the manufacturer's website if you really want to dig deeper into specs. If you're not sure which motherboard (or any other component) to buy, Puget offers a "Need help choosing?" feature, which links you to even more useful information written in a clear, reference book style so that even non-power users will be able to learn enough about things like dual-channel memory and CAS latency to make choosing RAM (or any component) a piece of cake. They also offer interesting hardware articles and a forum where users can post all sorts of questions, reviews, feedback, and so on.

A fairly recent addition to the site is a "Featured Systems" area, where you can view detailed photos and descriptions of some of the PCs Puget has built. This can help you in your decision-making process. It also exemplifies the nature of the company -- they stand by their products, so they're not afraid to show you their work.

The Products
These pretty much speak for themselves. If you know your hardware, you'll see that Puget offers a variety of high-quality components, and they continually update their offerings so you'll have access to the newest technology. They've also expanded so you have more selection. For example, you can now get Terratec sound cards if you're not a fan of Creative's products. Further, in the past, you could certainly get a quiet system from Puget, either water-cooled or air-cooled, but now Puget shows how committed they are to meeting the growing demand for quiet computers by having a special area devoted to them. You'll notice that they don't list, say, all of the dual layer DVD +/- RW drives the market has to offer. This is by design, and I think it's a good decision. That way, people aren't overwhelmed by too many choices, and the configurator is manageable. But that doesn't mean you can't get your dream optical drive if it's not in the configurator. Based on my experience, Puget will go the extra mile for you to get any component you want, living up to their "Ultimate Customization Ability" promise. But let's say you want a component that Puget doesn't feel meets their standards of quality, or it puts you over your budget, or they just don't think it's a good fit for you and your system -- they actually think about these things, offer their opinion and then leave the final decision up to you. I can't think of any other company that does that.

The Prices
From my point of view, the prices are reasonable considering what you get in terms of service and support. For me, the bottom line is that you need to look at more than just the price tag when determining value, and I felt my PC was a great value.

The People & Service
For my order, I mainly dealt with Richard Millard, tech/rep extraordinaire, and to some extent Jon Bach, the owner/founder. To say Richard was a pleasure to deal with would be a massive understatement. He was prompt, attentive, thorough, courteous, respectful, patient, understanding, immensely helpful, and to top that off, he's witty and likes animals. What more could a person ask for in a PC advisor? Unparalleled, outstanding customer service is truly the norm at Puget, not the exception. Jon was equally pleasant to deal with and put considerable time and effort into my situation. Like Richard, he went out of his way to provide top-notch assistance. Matthew Bach assembled my PC and did a terrific job. He's truly a master at cable management.

Another great offering at Puget: You can read biographies of their staff and see the faces behind the names. I think every company should do this.

The Company
Well, a company is as good as its people, its products and services, so you should be convinced by now that Puget is better than good. It's one of those rare companies that really distinguishes itself by fulfilling every pledge and putting their stated philosophy into practice.

I've recommended Puget to family, friends and colleagues, and now I recommend them to you.

Edited to add section on "Prices" and some additional information about the site. I follow this interesting company pretty closely and remain active in their forums.

"

This review was modified by DOSGatos on May 24 2005 02:08:49 AM

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5/5

posted Oct-27-2007

"100% positive review from me. My machine is sweet. Anyone who has built their own system can tell right away that these guys put the same amount of care into it as you would yourself. The cable management, the super-clean install, and even their packaging - there is no fluff here.

Perry was knowledgeable, forthcoming, and he didn't try to sell me anything. I just got straight honest advice."

This review was modified by eerriicc on November 18 2007 08:10:47 AM

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5/5

posted Mar-09-2011

"Have had my system for close to 3 months now. The order process went great. Was able to easily get expert advice on how to configure system for my special needs. The build process took a little longer than expected due to a bad component that had to be replaced which I was not unhappy about since getting a clean build was one of my reasons for choosing Puget. The only minor fault I have with Puget during this process is that I had to keep checking in on their web site to see what the status of the build was. If Puget could just send out an automated email when a new entry is made into their build log this would be a big imporvement. From my experiebce with this company expect to see that change some time.

The system has performed extremely well and definitely at the level of performance I expected. I am not a gamer but do perform lots of video editing and a number of demanding scientific database crunching routines. There have been a few minor glitches, the most significant being a hard disk that developed bad sectors and started throwing out cryptic error messages. To resolve this I worked with Puget tech support which I can only describe as a journey back in time - tech support and customer service the way I remember it was 20 years ago - fast, easy to contact, knowledgeable, and willing to stay with me while a battery of tests were performed step by step. In this process, I also found that one of the best features of Pugets systems might well be the diagnostic disk, system settings reset files, and images of the bios setup pages that Puget provides with each system.

Bottom line. There will be a new Puget system computer at my desk each time I make a major upgrade for as long as the company continues to be the best in the business as they clearly are at present. "

This review was modified by dsegar on March 09 2011 09:19:24 AM

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5/5

posted Oct-24-2004

"I've had my Puget system for only 10 days, so can only address the buying experience, my impressions of the system, and of the quality of the tech support based on the (very) few problems I've had.

Buying experience: Best/most personal I've ever had. Unlike storefronts or the "biggie" Web sites (Dell, HP, etc.), the people who review the configuration you've chosen know computers first hand. They even tell you that you don't need something and can save money by eliminating it! They responded rapidly (usually same or next day) to questions I asked before and during the build. System was ordered on 9/28/04 and shipped 10/6/04 by the cheapest method (5-business-day ground). I got it 10/13.

What did I get: Asus P4P800SE mobo with Intel P4 3.0GHz (Prescott); mobo includes onboard sound, network controller, and supports RAID; 512MB PC3200 DDR RAM; Western Digital 80GB drive; MSI GeForce MX 440 64MB 8x AGP video card; Lite-On 8x DVD±RW/CDRW combo drive; Creative Labs fax modem; Enermax 350W "Whisper" power supply; Vantec CPU cooling fan; Nero Express 6; and Windows XP Home, all housed in a Lian Li mid-tower.

Impressions of the system: It's unlike anything you can get from the "biggies". I had stipulated a quiet system, so the component of most interest was the Lian Li case. All aluminum with three fans. Sound insulation on side panels, and a front cover with rubber seals, all designed to dissipate heat rapidly and quietly. The case added a lot of $ to the cost. Is a special case like this worth it? Depends on your needs. As you see from the configuration, my needs are minimal; this is not a gaming computer, and I don't need 12 drives (which is the capacity of the case). Because of it's potential for holding far more devices than I'll ever need, the system has a total of 6 fans: the 3 that come in the case, the Vantec over the CPU, and two in the power supply. The Vantec is noisy and vibrates slightly. The system IS quieter than the one it replaced, which had a total of 3 fans, but not as quiet as the Dell 4600 that I had for 48 hours before sending it back (a long story for which there's no room here)! The point is that unless you're extremely knowledgeable about computer hardware, you can spend extra $ on things that wind up meeting your needs no better than something less costly. I.e., I could have gotten a smaller case with fewer fans and no sound insulation that would probably have been as quiet as this one. The case does a good job of quieting the 6-fan racket inside… but IMO, this modest system doesn't need that much ventilation, although since heat is the #1 enemy of solid-state devices, it will probably prolong the system's life.

Layout inside: Beautiful. Instead of the wire gaggle you get with mass-marketed systems, this one is laid out almost like a schematic; all wiring neatly bundled and out of the way, everything easily accessible.

Software: Best approach to loading software that I've ever seen. First, you get NOTHING you didn't ask for. No "try AOL", AOL messenger, Dell Jukebox, and on and on. It came loaded with only Win XP, Nero Express, and the drivers required for the devices. Second, all drivers and software are the latest version. WinXP, for example, came with SP2 already installed. And the disks you get with it are not proprietary (like Dell's Windows or ResourcesCD). You get a REAL Microsoft-produced Windows XP-SP2 disk! The entire system is tested for 24 hours to make sure everything works.

Tech support: Fabulous. E-mails are answered same or next day. The owner, Jon Bach, even e-mailed me the solution to a minor BIOS problem. It is a completely different experience than I've had with biggie tech support where the reps have a thick accent, are talking to you over scratchy lines, have no in-depth knowledge of hardware or software, and read the answer to your question from a database of "boilerplate solutions".

Price: It's unlikely you can get a Puget system with the same hardware for the price of a mass-produced biggie computer. Mine cost almost 50% more (delivered) than a Dell with the same devices. However, does that make the Puget system "more expensive"? That question is difficult to answer. IMO, judging whether or not something is "expensive" depends on what you get for what you pay. For example, while a Dell has a mobo, is it an Asus? Does it support RAID should you ever want to do that? It has a DVD±RW/CDRW drive, but who made it? Is it a Lite-On, which has a solid reputation? Is the case metal or plastic? Is it sound insulated? Are the fans ball bearing (the ones in the Lian Li case are)? Can you even get such a case from a biggie? Does it contain proprietary parts that bar you from using industry-standard hardware? Is the tech support worth a tinker's damn?

Would I buy from them again: You bet! Based on the experiences I've had thusfar, all of my next computers will come from Puget Systems."

This review was modified by Rover on October 24 2004 09:19:22 AM

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5/5

posted Nov-29-2009

"Puget Custom Computers are a cut above the rest! I have had the computer only a month and it works great but the way they handled the order was superb! They seem to care and want to build a good product. All the testing is reassuring and hopefully, down the road, very worthwhile. I would recommend this company to anyone in need of a good computer. There may be cheaper systems out there but not worth your money. Puget seems to be worth every dollar spent!!"

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4/5

posted Jan-13-2005

"After some initial disappointment when our new computer was apparently damaged in shipping, we now have a functional machine that we are pleased with. The return was easy, and repairs were accomplished quickly. As for ordering from Puget, their website made it very easy to compare components and design the computer that met our requirements."

This review was modified by ach4 on February 23 2005 07:59:29 AM

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5/5

posted Aug-03-2006

"I have purchased computers from the big name manufacuturers, a boutique store and I have built two from the ground up myself. I received (or rather picked up as they are local for me) my new Puget Custom Computer a week ago. This has been one of the most pleasant major purchase processes I have ever been through. From my initial contact, through to the final purchase, Chris and Richard were both remarkably responsive and helpful. Even when I submitted my final order, and there was a question on the final total, John stepped right in and clarified the issue. (Note that the error was due to a misunderstanding on MY part!).

Their website configuration system is simply excellent, and the ability to track the progress of the actual build of the computer is a shining example of their dedication to rapid and responsive customer service.

I would not necessarily recommend Puget Computers two the completee newbie computer user as some technical knowledge is helpful in configuring your purchase and while the final delivery package is replete with original disks and manuals, basic "How To's" for the novice are sparse. Nevertheless, these guys are a solid 10 out of 10 and I would not hesitate to make another purchase or recommend them to a friend or colleague. Outstaning job, team!"

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