“I was surprised to find that such a high-end performance system would actually be the best long-term value for our business.”

Mark Cuerdon
Technical Director/Co-Owner
Euphnet Cyber Cafe

About Euphnet Cyber Cafe

When Matthew "Mac" Cuerdon saw his son, Mark, and a friend playing Counter-Strike in 2002, his curiosity for team gaming was instantly ignited. After visiting a local cyber café to see gaming in full action, Mac quickly created a business plan for his own game center and presented it to Mark. "He had done all the work; everything was perfectly planned on paper." says Mark. All Mac needed was a business partner. Mark, although young, was very successful in the high-tech sector, so he bought in for half of the business, and left the rest to his Dad. Euphnet was born. The Sunnyvale, California location opened in August of 2002, with Mac as the marketing lead and Mark as the technical arm.

The Challenge

Since Euphnet"s opening, all of Silicon Valley"s other game centers have closed. One can see why, when in the heart of technology just about everyone has access to the latest and greatest in gaming. So how exactly have the Cuerdons managed to keep Euphnet not only alive, but thriving? According to Mark, "It"s all about the marketing and the technology. We really focus on the social aspect of gaming, and try to provide a clean, comfortable place where the technology, games, and events are always fresh and interesting." But, in order to stay up-to-date and viable, Euphnet"s systems need to satisfy the clientele"s ever-growing performance needs, without breaking the budget.

The Solution

In March of 2005, Mark was tasked with updating all of Euphnet"s 32 PC systems for the Sunnyvale location. He quickly found that NVIDIA® SLI™-Ready systems would provide the perfect mix of performance and value that he was looking for. "I was surprised to find that such a high-end performance system would actually be the best long-term value for our business." Mark selected 32 NVIDIA SLI-Ready systems equipped with single NVIDIA® GeForce® 6600 GT graphics cards. During the next upgrade cycle, he"ll move half of the GeForce 6600 cards to the other half of the PCs, making 16 fully NVIDIA SLI, dual-graphics-card PCs. The remaining 16 systems will each receive an NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT graphics card. "Even though we"re minding the budget by selecting SLI-Ready technology, we win big on the performance end."

The Impact

By selecting NVIDIA SLI-Ready PCs, Mark extended Euphnet"s upgrade cycle to two years, and doubled the life of each chassis. And according to Mark, "Our customers know all about NVIDIA SLI. They want to be able to experience it first-hand." With the prospect of getting their hands on the latest gaming technology, the customers keep coming back for more, and the business thrives. Mac"s marketing savvy and Mark"s technical know-how keep Euphnet well ahead of the curve. This father-son team may be unique to the business, but the relationship has truly been a recipe for success.

To learn more about Euphnet Cyber Café, visit http://www.euphnet.com/