one of the core values of Puget Systems is transparency
We detest hype in the midst
of an industry that is full of it. Our mission is to provide the highest
quality hardware and consultation services to our customers, and to
back up our decisions by freely sharing what we've learned along the
way. To earn a place in our product line, a computer component undergoes
rigorous testing. We apply the results of our testing, along with our
years of experience in learning reliability trends and manufacturer
characteristics, to make prudent decisions about what we can put our
name behind, whether that's an individual part or an entire computer.
With the following articles, we are writing up the results of these
internal processes and discussions, and taking them public. We feel we
can take this on with a unique perspective as we evaluate each topic
with the experience, resources, and objectivity of a system builder. If
there is a topic you'd like us to write about, email us at info@pugetsystems.com!
Introduction to PC Wireless Networking
Wireless networking (also known
as WiFi) has greatly evolved over the last few years and as a result has
become increasing complex. This article is intended to give the reader
the information necessary to make informed decisions when purchasing and
configuring a wireless network in order to maximize the performance,
speed, and reliability of the network.
Technology Primer: Low Voltage RAM
Voltage is not typically thought
of as a key specification for RAM, but can have a significant impact on
system stability as it runs much cooler than standard RAM. In this
article, we will be looking at Kingston Lovo and G.Skill Sniper RAM to
see how well low voltage RAM performs compared to standard RAM and if it
has a measurable impact on power draw and system temperatures.
How it Works: Intel SSD Caching
SSD caching is not new, but is
something we have not inspected closely since its introduction with the
Z68 chipset. In this article, we will be answering the questions: What
is SSD caching? How do you set up and configure SSD caching? And what
kind of performance improvements you should expect by using it.
Introducing the New Puget Traverse Laptops
With the recent launch of
Intel's new Ivy Bridge line of CPUs, Puget Systems has completely
revamped our laptop product line to take advantage of the new
improvements in technology. In this article, we will be going over the
features found on this units as well as battery life estimates and
thermal performance measurements.
Product Review: Intel DH77DF
With the launch of the new
7-series chipsets, we spent the last few weeks looking at numerous
Mini-ITX motherboards in order to update our Echo line of systems. There
are many boards available from various manufactures, but the
motherboard that immediately caught our attention was the Intel DH77DF.
Product Review: Intel S2600COE
The Intel S2600COE is a part of
the recently launched Romley platform and is intended exclusively for
use in server systems. This motherboard includes onboard video and four
integrated Intel Gigabit LAN ports, but is very limited in the number of
USB ports available. Because of the strong server focus of this board,
however, there are many desktop features (namely S3 sleep and fan
throttling) that are not supported.
Technology Primer: Intel Ivy Bridge
Intel's new 22nm CPUs -
codenamed Ivy Bridge - has finally launched. When combined with one of
the recently released 7-series chipsets, this new CPU/Chipset
combination provides support for PCIe 3.0 and USB 3.0 as well as
allowing RAM up to speeds of 1600MHz to be used natively. The onboard
graphics has also received a nice upgrade allowing for the use of
onboard graphics in a much wider variety of applications.
Qualification: Asus Z77 Motherboards
At Puget Systems, we are always
on the lookout for new products to keep our product at the forefront of
technology. In this article, we will be looking at the Asus P8Z77-V Pro,
P8Z77-V Deluxe, and P8Z77-M Pro motherboards to determine if they are
worthy of a position on our product line.
Breaking the Hype of High Frequency RAM
High Frequency RAM is often
touted as being essential for high-performance computing, but in our
experience has little to offer in actual performance gains. In this
article, we will be using a large set of benchmarks across both Intel
and AMD platforms to show that RAM running at higher frequency at the
cost of increased timings gives little to no real-world performance
improvements.
Performance Comparison: E5-2690 vs E5-2687W
When comparing two CPUs within a
product line, it is usually very easy to tell which CPU has the better
relative performance by comparing the specifications for each. The
E5-2690 and the E5-2687W are a bit of an oddity in that they both have
the same maximum Turbo Boost frequency even though the E5-2687W has a
higher base clock speed. In this article, we will the question of
whether or not the E5-2687W is actually any faster than the E5-2690
since both can technically turbo to the exact same frequency.
Product Review: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 CPU Cooler
The Cooler Master Hyper TX3 CPU
cooler is a medium-sized cooler designed for mid to low range CPUs. This
cooler is very similar to the Scythe Kantana 3 CPU cooler currently in
our product line, so the main question is: which CPU cooler is better?
Product Review: Asus Z9PE-D8 WS
The Z9PE-D8 WS is the first
motherboard we have had a chance to qualify with the new Romley chipset.
This board is geared towards workstation-class systems, but does it
have what it takes to earn a place on our product line?
Tech Primer: Intel E5 Xeon CPUs (Sandy Bridge-EP)
The launch of Intel's new Xeon
line has finally arrived with the arrival of the Intel Xeon E5
processors. With the move to the Sandy Bridge-E architecture, the E5
series should give higher CPU performance with the same or better
thermal limits as the previous generation of Xeon processors.
How to Set Up Multiple Monitors
When it comes to setting up a
new computer, something we get asked about here at Puget Systems on a
regular basis is the use of multiple monitors. The use of dual monitors
seems to be the most common goal customers have, but many want three or
even more - and so we are often asked if that requires two video cards,
how easy it is to set up, and even how to use multiple screens
effectively. This article aims to answer some of those basic questions
and act as a central resource for folks who are considering a new
computer or want to upgrade their existing system.
Specs Explained: CPU
With the advancement of computer
technology, the number of specifications for each component in a
computer has become overwhelming for those not deeply involved in the
computer industry. In this article, we will explain all of the different
specifications we list for CPUs and what they mean for you, the end
user.
Product Review: Intel 520 SSDs (Cherryville)
In this article, we will be
reviewing the speeds of each of the new Intel SSDs (60GB, 120GB, 180GB,
240GB and 480GB) codenamed Cherryville. Intel boasts speeds greater than
500MB/s for read and write, but it is common in the industry for the
advertised speeds to be idealized. Because of this, we will be
performing our own benchmark testing to find that real world speed of
these new drives.
Review: Cooler Master SickleFlow 120mm Green LED Fan
Puget Systems has used many
variations of the Antec TriCool 120mm fan over the years - including the
red, blue and green LED versions in our colored case fan kits - due to
their excellent noise to airflow ratio. However, Antec has recently
discontinued the green LED version of the Antec Tricool, so we needed to
find a good replacement fan for our green LED kits. In our search for a
replacement, we found that the Cooler Master SickleFlow fan fits all of
our requirements as a replacement fan to the long-lived green Antec
TriCool.
Product Qualification: Asus P8Z68-M Pro
This motherboard is very nearly
the ideal micro ATX motherboard for Intel 1155 CPUs; the chipset is well
established to be a great performer with excellent reliability and all
of the features present on this board have been well tested on other
models. The main issue with this motherboard is the lack of an internal
USB 3.0 header, although at the moment that is only a concern for a
limited number of chassis.
Product Qualification: Asus Rampage IV Gene
The Asus Rampage IV Gene
motherboard is a micro-ATX motherboard based on the Intel X79 chipset.
Sandy Bridge-E has proven to be a powerhouse, but until not has been
limited to full size computer systems. With this motherboard, Puget
Systems will be able to offer smaller, micro-ATX computers with all the
power of Sandy Bridge-E.
Product Qualification: Asus P8H61-I
Our Echo line of systems has
always strived to balance size, cost and performance. The Asus P8H61-I
has just the right balance of features and cost and comes in the small
mini-ITX form factor. There are a few features missing on this
motherboard (SATA 6Gb/s notably), but overall this is a great
motherboard at a great price point.
Dual Boot vs Virtual Machines on the Desktop
We often talk to people who are
interested in running multiple operating systems on the same machine.
Sometimes that's Windows 7 + XP, sometimes it's Windows 7 + Ubuntu
Linux, or various other combinations.
One of the most common ways to achieve multiple usable operating systems
on a single computer is known as 'dual boot'. Desktop virtualization
is a newer way of running multiple operating systems on one desktop
system.
Card Reader Comparison: USB 2.0 vs USB 3.0
Anyone who has used a digital
camera or smart phone has probably seen flash memory cards - small,
removable devices on which a variety of data can be stored. Card readers
in computers allow easy access to read those memory cards, or write new
data to them, but the process can be slow for folks like photographers,
who often work with multiple cards each full of image files. Can the
move to a faster interface for card readers, like USB 3.0, improve
performance substantially?
Product Qualification: Antec P280 Chassis
IN this article, we will be
reviewing the Antec P280 which is a great chassis for a wide range of
system configurations, but really shines in keeping high-end
configurations both cool and quiet. Lower power configurations may run
quieter in other chassis such as the Antec P183 V3, but since Antec is
advertising this chassis as a high-performance option this is not much
of a surprise. This chassis is close to ideal, but for a few small
issues that will keep us from carrying this chassis.
Product Qualification: Intel S1200BTS Motherboard
The Intel S1200BTS (based on the
C202 chipset) is a micro ATX server motherboard designed for small to
medium-sized business applications. Puget Systems is already offering
another micro ATX server motherboard - the Asus P8B-M based on the C204
chipset - but Intel motherboards are often better choices for a server
platform than other brands. In this article we will be examining the
Intel S1200BTS to determine if there is enough of a reason to replace
the Asus P8B-M.
Product Qualification: Asus P9X79 Deluxe Motherboard
With the launch of Sandy
Bridge-E and its corresponding Socket 2011, a new line of motherboards
has been developed based on the new Intel X79 chipset. What this means
for Puget Systems is that we have to look at all the available options
to determine which motherboards we want to offer for our customers.
We've looked at several different motherboards over the weeks leading up
to the launch of Sandy Bridge-E and the P9X79 Deluxe jumped out at us
as having just the right mix of features and connectivity.
Physical Damages of Hard disk