Packaging

The Serenity arrived in a large white box with Puget's logo emblazoned on two sides. Opening it up, we see that the system is double-boxed.

The inner box is the reused Antec chassis box and it's cushioned on all eight corners by thick foam. Puget wraps the internal box with an additional cardboard sleeve that makes sliding it out of the outer box much easier. This is much appreciated, as having something to grab onto makes it far easier to pull out (and helps curb the urge to just turn the box upside down and shake until the computer comes out).

The Antec chassis retains its protective film and we find a sticker warning that the machine has been packed internally with Instapak foam (a liquid foam that expands to fill an area and then hardens), which must be removed before operating the computer. For the clueless, Puget provides a link to an online explanation of the process. Since the chassis features a "tool-less" design, we didn't have to hunt down a screwdriver to get the side panel off. We merely turned two thumbscrews.

Internals

With the side panel off, we see said Instapak.

It pulls right out, revealing the immaculately clean internals of the machine. The wiring job is top-notch; the cables are all the proper length to minimize clutter, everything important is secured with zip ties, much of the cabling is neatly hidden away, and most importantly, there's no rat's nest dangling in the middle to restrict airflow.

We also see more of the case's "tool-less" design. The hard drive bay and access panel that houses the front fan are secured with thumbscrews that make removal simple. The panels not only have pull rings attached, but a small clip secures each ring to prevent any noise-generating vibration.

The motherboard has two free RAM slots and plenty of free expansion slots if you wish to add a soundcard or Wi-Fi card down the track.

What Is All This Stuff!?

Puget includes a binder containing a thank-you letter from CEO Jon Bach, a spec sheet and pages upon pages of benchmarks specific to your machine. The company also includes a few of its business cards in an envelope emblazoned with a note letting you know much of Puget's new business comes via word-of-mouth.

In the accessory box Puget includes all the spare parts left over from the build, including extra cables, screws, etc. Though the buyer might not need these, they're nice to have on hand just in case.

The customer also gets hard copies of the important software and drivers installed on the machine.

And most importantly, a numbered Restore Disc specific to each individual machine. If you've ever had a hard drive failure, you know what a pain it can be to have to not only reload the OS, but have to track down the correct drivers for all the hardware as well. Puget alleviates this issue by putting everything one would need to restore the machine's software config to factory condition on one simple disc. Nice.

Puget also provides a modest logo badge in the accessory box, leaving the option of where (and if) to affix it up to the user.