How We Test Every PC

Every Alden Tech PC is bench tested before it ships: BIOS and driver updates, EXPO/XMP configuration, OCCT stability testing, Cinebench, 3DMark Time Spy, thermal verification — and you get the benchmark results from your own machine, not a spec sheet.

Before First Power-On

Nothing gets switched on until it has been looked over by hand.

• Visual inspection — Every component, connection, and mounting point is checked before the system is powered for the first time.

Firmware & Operating System

The foundation gets brought current before anything is installed on top of it.

• BIOS updated to the latest stable release — Resolves memory compatibility and CPU support issues up front.
• Firmware updates where applicable — Drives and certain peripherals get their own firmware updates when the build calls for it.
• Windows 11 Pro installed and activated — A clean, genuine, activated installation. No trial licenses and no third-party bundled software.
• Windows Update fully completed — Run to completion before handoff.

Drivers

Current drivers installed directly, not left to Windows to guess at.

• Latest chipset drivers — Installed first — chipset drivers underpin how everything else behaves.
• Latest GPU drivers — Installed from the manufacturer rather than relying on the generic Windows driver.
• Latest LAN, Wi-Fi, and audio drivers — The parts most often left on Windows defaults.

Configuration

Hardware you paid for gets configured to actually run at what it is rated for.

• Memory EXPO/XMP enabled where applicable — The difference between the RAM on your invoice and the RAM you actually get.
• Fan curves configured and optimized — Tuned for the thermal behavior of your specific build rather than left on motherboard defaults.

Validation & Benchmarking

The system has to prove it is stable under load before it is considered finished.

• Storage health verified — A machine never ships on a disk that is already reporting problems.
• OCCT stability testing — Sustained load testing to surface instability that light use would hide.
• Cinebench benchmark — Measures sustained CPU performance under a full multi-core load.
• 3DMark Time Spy — Run on gaming systems to confirm graphics performance lands where that hardware should.
• Additional workload testing for AI and workstation builds when appropriate — Testing that reflects how the system will actually be used.
• Temperature verification — Thermals are checked under load — not at idle.
• Stability verification — The system must hold up under sustained load before it is signed off.

Finishing

The last pass before it goes to you.

• Final cable management inspection — Checked once more after all testing.
• Final system cleaning — The machine is cleaned before handoff — inside and out.
• Benchmark documentation provided to you — The actual results from your machine, so you can verify it performs as described.

Alden Tech — veteran-owned custom gaming PC builder in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Call or text (864) 381-8201.