Puget Custom Computers – From start to finish

C

CRXican

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jul 28, 2004
Messages
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I have yet to see a detailed account of anyone dealing with Puget Custom Computers (AKA Puget Systems) from start (consultation) to finish (final build product) so I'm going to do my best to attempt it. It’s a little long already, but when it’s all over I’ll think about adding cliff notes.

My dad was in the market for a new PC. He hasn’t really outgrown the Socket A Shuttle SN45G I built him back in the day but he had some money to burn and who am I to argue with the chance to spec a new machine.This time I wouldn’t be the one handling the build. I know I can do it cheaper and maybe faster as well, but taking responsibility of the build would mean that I’m also the tech support and this time around I did not want that.

I am a very cautious consumer and like to spend my money as wisely as possible to get the most for my dollar. I looked first to Dell due to their size and stability but It didn’t take me long to write them off due to their limitations on customization and some not so favorable reviews on some of the more recent XPS systems. This resulted in many hours of scouring this forum to read reviews of the various leading boutiques in order to determine which I would feel best spending a couple grand with. Additional hours were spent researching hardware, configuring and reconfiguring.

I narrowed it down to Puget and Maingear and shot off an email to each giving them an idea of what this new PC would be used for and how much I was looking to spend. I targeted $2,000 with a max of $2,500.
I received a response next day from Giovanni at Maingear. His reply suggested I give him a call to configure something over the phone. I was not interested in calling yet nor did I have much time to do so especially considering the 3 hour time difference (CA to NJ). Maingear went on the back burner.

Two days passed and I had yet to hear anything from Puget. I found this odd after reading about them on the forum so I shot Heather a PM. She replied same day and suggested I forward my original email directly to Perry. I did so and he replied next day with a detailed response listing a preliminary build that explained his reasons behind his choice for each piece of hardware. He also had it entered into their online configuration so I could click on and read about each item. This is the kind of response I was looking for.

After this initial reply from Perry and a couple more emails back and forth with additional questions and answers I was set on Puget. I spent the next couple days reading up on more hardware while thinking about Perry’s recommendations and nitpicking every single choice I made on their configuration system. Ultimately, I strayed away from many of Perry’s suggestions but came up with a system I knew would be way faster than my dad would need but that would make him very happy and keep him that way for a while to come.

10-14-08

ORDER PLACED
(after business hours)

Asus P5Q-E
Motherboard

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 (3.0 GHz, FSB1333, 6 MB L2, 65W)
CPU

OCZ DDR2-800 Reaper 2048MB w/ Heatpipe Cooling (2)
Ram

Asus Radeon HD 4850 512MB
Video Card

Western Digital SATA VelociRaptor 150GB (backplane ready)
Hard Drive
Additional Information: Primary drive.

Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB
Hard Drive
Additional Information: Secondary drive.

Pioneer 20X DVD-RW SATA DVR-216DBK (black)
CD / DVD Rom

Antec P182 (Gunmetal Finish)
Case

Corsair VX 550W Power Supply
Power Supply

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro (775)
CPU Cooling

Case Fans Upgrade Kit (quiet)
Additional Cooling

Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM SP1
Operating System

Warranty: Lifetime Labor, 1 Year Parts
Services

ORDER/PAYMENT CONFIRMATION
UPDATE ON BUILD STATUS INDICATING AVAILABILITY OF PARTS REQUESTED

Most every part I requested was in stock or is scheduled to arrive at Puget’s location this week with the exception of the video card (the only item I chose that is not one of their favorites). I also managed to stay very close to my $2,000 target and stayed under $2,500. That was nice to see considering I added in the Reaper RAM and that not so $/GB friendly Velociraptor.

I will keep this thread updated as I get more info on the build status, shipping and of course delivery and unpacking. Feel free to ask questions if I left something out and thanks for reading if you got through all of that.
 
After some more poking around I discovered that my invoice indicates the following:

Quote Date: 10/13/08
Invoice Date: 10/14/08
Effective Date: 10/15/08
Build By: 10/17/08
Ship By: 10/21/08

If Puget manages to follow this timetable I will be one happy camper.
 
Might want to delete your post as it is a ban-able offense in this forum.
 
How do you quote something that hasn't been said yet? What just happened there?
 
Was the new rig within your original budget? Could you let us know an approximate price as quoted?

Thanks!
 
Well you say you decided not to go with many of the items Perry suggested. But I would really like to know what he suggested. If I am personally going to recommend these guys to someone I know I want to know I don't need to worry about what parts they select when it is up to them. I am not overly fond of most of the items you selected so maybe I would like what Perry recommended or maybe I would dislike his choices even more.

I send people to Dell most times because I can spend 10min on Dell site and tell them what system to start with. I don't send people to Boutiques because the hardware selection is way over there head and I don't want to do it for them. But if Perry knows how to spec out a nice build for the money I may start just sending people to him.

Thanks

Oh and so I don't risk you getting defensive about your choice in hardware I will explain. I don't do Asus boards anymore but many do it's just a personal choice. My other problem is the ram, I haven't done business with OCZ in a long time so maybe they have changed. I wasn't even a member of [H] back when I dealt with then but I will never do it again. Though I am wondering why you went with DDR2-800 when you got a 1333 C2D?
 
Best guess is that Perry did not suggest the velociraptor. Quite possibly the case fan upgrade wasn't on the original list either.
 
Hawk29 said:
Was the new rig within your original budget? Could you let us know an approximate price as quoted?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I mentioned the budget and the new build price range above. I was aiming for between $2,000 and $2,500 and that's where my final build landed.

TGA said:
Well you say you decided not to go with many of the items Perry suggested. But I would really like to know what he suggested. If I am personally going to recommend these guys to someone I know I want to know I don't need to worry about what parts they select when it is up to them. I am not overly fond of most of the items you selected so maybe I would like what Perry recommended or maybe I would dislike his choices even more.

I send people to Dell most times because I can spend 10min on Dell site and tell them what system to start with. I don't send people to Boutiques because the hardware selection is way over there head and I don't want to do it for them. But if Perry knows how to spec out a nice build for the money I may start just sending people to him.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I explained to Perry that the PC would be for my dad for personal and business usage. Minor multitasking and likely zero gaming. I told him I wanted it quick and quiet. The hardware he suggested is as follows:

Motherboard – same as above
CPU – Core 2 Quad Q9550
Ram – 4GB Kingston ValueRAM
Video - Asus GeForce 9600GT 512MB Silent
Hard drive 1 – 80GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10
Hard drive 2 – same as above
CD/DVD – same as above
Case – Lian-Li PC7H+ (he wasn't sure what size case I wanted as I didn't mention that)
PSU – Corsair VX 450W
CPU cooling – same as above
Additional cooling – same as above
OS – same as above
 
Waiting for Part(s) - 2008-10-15 Updated By: Dayna
Waiting for video card and WD 640GB hard drive. Beginning assembly
 
My interactions with Puget staff have been nothing but pleasant and professional. I'm sure you've made a great choice.
 
Waiting for Part(s) - 2008-10-16 Updated By: Dayna
video card arrived. Waiting for hard drive. Beginning assembly

Ready for Installation - 2008-10-16 Updated By: Jeff

It appears the ever so popular WD 640GB hard drive is taking its time making it's way to Puget. Looks like everything else is ready. Pretty quick.
 
Let me know if you need anything or have any questions as things move along....:D

Edit: Well, allrighty then...you actually shipped today, and according to the QC guy, it was "perfect". As it should be. LOL. Looks like you won't need me after all. ;)
 
You're beating me to my updates :p

In Testing - 2008-10-17 Updated By: Jeff

Ready for Shipping - 2008-10-17 Updated By: Ken

To say I'm impressed thus far is an understatement. Less than a week for building and testing despite a few parts not even being in stock at the time my order was placed.

Needless to say, Puget has got their system down to a fine science. Now if only I could be 100% sure there will be a body here to sign for the delivery...
 
Shipped - 10-17-2008

As Heather said above, the PC did ship out on Friday. It made it from Washington to Oregon then spent the weekend there. Scheduled to be delivered and was delivered today 10/22/08 in So Cal.

Delivered 10-22-2008


pugetbox.jpg


pugetboxlogo.jpg
 
I hope to tear into the box tonight but I have to punish myself a little bit first and I'm off to run a couple miles.

If no pics tonight, just wait longer...
 
Could you include some pics of the inside I'd like to see their in house wiring job. thanks
 
On to the pics. Fired it up to make sure everything arrived safely and it booted on the first try. Didn't have much time to play with it but this thing is amazingly quiet at idle.

DSCN6674.jpg


DSCN6675.jpg


DSCN6678.jpg


DSCN6681.jpg


DSCN6682.jpg


DSCN6683.jpg

*Note - The foam was secure on top but I removed it before I realized I wanted a pic so I just set it back on there.
 
I can't wait until you get a chance to play with it a little...I'm looking forward to reading your review!
 
Heather Taylor said:
I can't wait until you get a chance to play with it a little...I'm looking forward to reading your review!
Click to expand...

One question Heather, Why not use the Q connector? :p

That really is a fantastic wiring job 0_0

[edit] And now that I have a job, I might be perusing the selection a little more... Actively :)
 
Nice build on the exterior and interior :)

Excellent cabling and has the clean look on the inside, and typical Antec quality on out.
 
Yes sir, this thing is solid. I was moving my Coolermaster RC690 around the other day no problem but this Antec is HEAVY. Shipping weight on the box was 60lbs.

That's not a complaint though, it's not supposed to be portable. I love how quiet it is.
 
...lol....{smack omega}. Good for you, hope you find a great gig!

The antec is a big boy, but I think that's pretty remarkable because we've made it extra quiet. Have you done some heavy gaming yet?
 
Which fans were replaced for the quiet fan upgrade?

I like the finish protection film that was left on the box.

Also, I see you got the cardkeeper. I like that option for the big vid cards.
 
Beautiful.

Just one question.
If this is for your Dad, who doesn't game..............why spend the dough on a Raptor???
Why not just get two Big Ass hard drives???

Heather, that is a thing of beauty.:D
 
Heather Taylor said:
...lol....{smack omega}. Good for you, hope you find a great gig!

The antec is a big boy, but I think that's pretty remarkable because we've made it extra quiet. Have you done some heavy gaming yet?
Click to expand...

Despite wanting to I hadn't planned to load any games but your question prompted me to install COD4. I let my dad have a go at the initial training session/test to determine the difficulty to play on. He had trouble but the game was running just great. I expect some more game time later and will comment further.

flurp said:
Which fans were replaced for the quiet fan upgrade?

I like the finish protection film that was left on the box.

Also, I see you got the cardkeeper. I like that option for the big vid cards.
Click to expand...

I am under the impression that all of the fans were replaced. Here's a shot I took a front fan from inside the case.

DSCN6700.jpg


I can also see that the top exhaust fan is the same brand as well as the rear exhaust fan. As for the cardkeeper, I didn't even select that option, that was all their doing and I assume part of the reason is to insure safety of the card during shipping.

magoo said:
Beautiful.

Just one question.
If this is for your Dad, who doesn't game..............why spend the dough on a Raptor???
Why not just get two Big Ass hard drives???

Heather, that is a thing of beauty.:D
Click to expand...

Like I just mentioned above, I got him started playing COD4 so we'll see how that goes. Other than that, I wanted the best of the best because it wasn't my money and I know he doesn't need a huge amount of storage.
 
Hey OP. I tried to PM you but for some reason it's not working.

In one of your pics, I see your CD-Key. You might want to take that pic down, or blur it out asap.
 
l337*g0at said:
Hey OP. I tried to PM you but for some reason it's not working.

In one of your pics, I see your CD-Key. You might want to take that pic down, or blur it out asap.
Click to expand...


Good idea. It's hard to read even blown-up, but some ass-hat might try to steal the serial.

Nice pickup.:D

Great to see you got your Dad into games.....:eek:.....put Warhead on there and let him blow some shit up and he'll be hooked.;)
 
magoo said:
Good idea. It's hard to read even blown-up, but some ass-hat might try to steal the serial.

Nice pickup.:D

Great to see you got your Dad into games.....:eek:.....put Warhead on there and let him blow some shit up and he'll be hooked.;)
Click to expand...

I was going to be an ass and take it into Photoshop and make it readable and then PM the OP with his serial from work.. But I ran into some trouble as I the work computer does not have Photoshop.
 
wow nice build there, I guess Heather and her team work hard on making their machines nice.
 
NIce, those Scythe S-Flex fans are nice and quiet. I am sure they are much better than the stocker.

CRXican said:
Despite wanting to I hadn't planned to load any games but your question prompted me to install COD4. I let my dad have a go at the initial training session/test to determine the difficulty to play on. He had trouble but the game was running just great. I expect some more game time later and will comment further.



I am under the impression that all of the fans were replaced. Here's a shot I took a front fan from inside the case.

DSCN6700.jpg


I can also see that the top exhaust fan is the same brand as well as the rear exhaust fan. As for the cardkeeper, I didn't even select that option, that was all their doing and I assume part of the reason is to insure safety of the card during shipping.



Like I just mentioned above, I got him started playing COD4 so we'll see how that goes. Other than that, I wanted the best of the best because it wasn't my money and I know he doesn't need a huge amount of storage.
Click to expand...
 
AthlonXP said:
wow nice build there, I guess Heather and her team work hard on making their machines nice.
Click to expand...

That almost goes without saying...but you said it so I agree. Definitely one of the top two or three boutique builders
 
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