Date:
Thursday , May 03, 2007
Author:
Josh Norem
Editor:
Jason Wall
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Puget Computers Custom System

Puget Custom Computers is a boutique builder from the Great Northwest that specializes in quiet, custom, hardcore machines. Its previous machines that we’ve seen have been hobbled by one thing or another, so we decided to check in and see if things are improving.

Introduction

About Our Program

As many of you might know by now, Hard|OCP doesn’t "review" systems; we evaluate the experiences they facilitate. We order the system the same as you would and evaluate every aspect of the end-user experience. Not only does this give us a better idea of what hardware an end user actually receives, it also allows us to obtain a more accurate picture of just how each company functions and treats its customers. As fast as PC hardware has become over the years, we think giving a personal computer "5 stars" based on a synthetic benchmark is simply irresponsible. We think service, support, and reliability are much more important factors in today's climate than speed. Fast is easily bought, but purchasing and ownership satisfaction can be elusive.

This process allows us to not only evaluate the system, but the company that builds it. Our goal is to give you the wide-angle lens view of the computer and the company so that you can make informed and educated decisions as to what you purchase or recommend to clients, friends, and family.

Puget Custom Computers and [H]

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We’ve evaluated three systems from Puget, and so far the company has a less than perfect record with [H]. We’ve always been generally impressed with the company’s attention to detail and attempts at outgrowing its “small shop” stigma, but the company’s machines have faltered repeatedly in our evaluations.

The first Puget system we evaluated was a dual-core system in November 2005, and though it received a decent score of 8.3 out of 10, a poor support experience kept it from achieving a higher score.

We also evaluated the company’s Custom Gaming SFF in May 2006, which received an overall score of 7.5. It was definitely a mixed bag, as the machine performed quite well, but we had stability issues and a terrible support experience.

The most recent Puget evaluation was the company’s Quiet Gaming Custom Build in November 2006, which was Recommended with Reservations. The PC was indeed quiet, but it was also not getting enough airflow, which caused a host of other problems. We also had a somewhat disappointing support experience, which has plagued Puget’s previous evaluations as well.

Regardless, we've always been Puget fans at [H]. We can transparently see where the effort is being made in some areas, and we've seen the company make changes based on our evaluation findings. Puget was a great friend to [H] Consumer and we've always liked what the company stands for.

What We’re Looking For

This is not a “high-end gaming” machine per se, nor is it an “office” machine. It’s just a “custom” PC built to our specs by Puget. Therefore, we want it to have awesome all-around performance. We expect a solid gaming performance, fantastic day-to-day usage, and quiet operation (a Puget trademark of sorts). This system also comes with a significant price premium, so we’ll be keeping a keen eye on the extras, build quality, support, and documentation in order to ascertain if the extra money was well spent or only wasted on a brand name.

It’s been heart-breaking to evaluate Puget up to this point. We’ve seen it perform with hallmark quality in some areas, but others were lacking, which affected the entire experience. The company does so many things well that we’ve been sad not to get to reward it due to other failings. We hope that this time Puget can put it all together and give us the experience we know it is capable of.

Here’s what we got:

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*Note: The Asus P5N-E SLI is no longer available and has been replaced by the Asus P5N-E. The Audigy 4 has been replaced by the X-Fi Xtrememusic. The current price reflects both of these changes.