The staff here should just keep their mouths shut. In fact, most of them do but when their mouths are not shut, they are the rudest people i've ever met. I think i'll just ask one of the bums outside for help instead. At least they'll probably be nicer than the staff here. But they do have a good selection of products that's not available at your local big box retailer. read more

Used to be a good place to find parts for various enterprise projects, was my go to place for last minute parts shopping, but the last three times I've come here I've left empty handed despite having a lengthy list of parts I needed. Have asked them to stock various parts that I regularly buy but they do not seem to care despite having spent a significant amount of money here. I really want to like this store, but will order all parts online from now on. read more

Oh, thermal paste. Oh, Lian Li case. Why hath thou forsaken me? Your screws bare. Bare. Bare as a newborn nail. Bare. I go to your home, Central Computers. Threads, ready. Ready for my driver. Turn, turn. It goes. Turn. Now you dothn't rattle. They have lots of random computer components and the prices are competitive with online retailers, especially if you catch the specials. I haven't sampled the customer service too much because I always know what I'm looking for and don't ask questions. Like any proper nerd. read more

Like most people reading this review, I buy just about all my computer parts online. However, when you need something fast, this is the place to go. A short time ago, the power supply in my system blew itself out and I came here for a replacement. After picking up a replacement and taking it home, I was dismayed to find out that the ATX standard had changed, and the connector from this new power supply didn't quite fit into my motherboard. I called up Central Computer and asked if they sold any adapters. It took me a few tries to understand the guy's response, but eventually I got it. "Just cut off the two pins at the end." I was a little nervous, but I busted out the wire cutters, clipped away, plugged it in, and it fit! A few months later, my system is still chugging along. As others have noted, don't come here expecting to be pampered and waited on like you're in Best Buy. If you have questions, just be patient with the staff's english and you'll be on your way in no time. read more

Came in for resistors on short notice for a project. They have a small selection of DIY and Maker products and the pickings are in short supply if you are looking for electrical parts. They do carry the Arduino Uno and the Raspberry Pi as well as a few shield kits for them. However the staff weren't too familiar with the Arduino so I'd recommend coming in know what you need. Ended up picking up some LEDs and resistor packs which would work for my project. That being said, lots of stuff in here for computers! read more

I love this store - its good stuff for cheap. Been coming here for various home and work computer needs since 1998. Specifically, cables are about half the price of compusa and best buy, computer specials are about as good as you can get on ebay .. The only thing that makes this not five stars is that sometimes its hard to get help. But when its slow, help is good - better than most competitors. read more

I love this shop! Great prices; Great knowledgeable staff! Too, I prefer to shop locally rather than online! - Wayne read more

i love this place. i burnt my rgb hub and that stopped my pc from running & they fixed it. they also managed all my cables. MY BUILD LOOKS AMAZING THANKS TO THEM. bought basically the whole build here. every time i come here i just HAVE to spend money bc they have it all lol. and really friendly and attentive workers :) read more

I originally reviewed Central when I was pretty upset. I used to buy computers there all the time (5 over 2 years) and had great experiences. I understand the mixed reviews on Yelp. If you know what you're doing, it can be great, but we bought a laptop that kept crashing. Customer service starts when something goes wrong, not when everything works perfectly. Central's customer service is patchy, not a store I would have confidence in every time. The laptop still has problems, there was never an official offer to replace the damaged goods and I won't shop there again. 5 out of 6 isn't too bad for a sandwich shop, especially if the people who work there are the nicest folks in the world. Sandwiches don't cost hundreds/thousands of dollars though and I simply can't play those odds with computers again. read more

Highly recommended if you are knowledgeable about computers and know exactly what you need. Almost a geek heaven for browsing and looking around to see what they have, and even to find parts you may not have known about before. For example, I discovered and bought my first Gyration Air Mouse and Keyboard combo there, which allows me to "couch surf", so to speak, using the mouse like a remote for the PC with no mouse pad or surface needed. Because space is limited in a brick and mortar store, they cannot carry everything, unlike an online retailer, but they have a great selection of cables and adapters, many of which are factory made specifically for them. The prices are thus very reasonable, unlike the -- ahem -- "monstrous" prices you see elsewhere which are probably the "worst buy" in terms of value :) I'm looking forward to visiting their new San Mateo store, as I expect it will have more room for inventory. You can find things like molex-SATA power cable adapters, mini-HDMI to HDMI apapter cables, CAT-5 cables etc. etc., too many to mention here, and even a few Mac cables and adapters. I've bought items like an add-in card to expand the number of SATA ports on my motherboard, a low-profile CPU heatsink, an SSD drive, low noise case fans, Seasonic PSU etc. Basically, anything you need to build or repair a PC with quality components can be found there. If you have a specific high-end part in mind, it's best to research specs and reviews first online to make sure it meets your needs exactly, and that the price is reasonable - it usually is, especially in one of the frequent sales. Customer service depends on the person you find to help you, i.e. it varies. If you don't know much about computers, try to find a knowledgeable friend to go with you. I cannot comment on their repair service as I build and service my own PC's. Layout is not slick and "corporate" looking; it's more like a warehouse, but I like being able to look through bins and racks of cables and parts. The more expensive items like video cards, motherboards, etc., are displayed on shelves behind glass, for obvious reasons. One last thing: they have (at least as far as I know they still do) a discount card you can sign up for at no cost. read more

I went here a few months ago to buy a 8gig USB memory stick. It was listed in the store's advertisement for less than $16. While there I checked out a few of their other products and thought the prices were quite reasonable. Will return for any computer-related purchases.... some of their workers are a bit INattentive but one can find that anyplace. Street parking only in very busy area with high volume traffic!!! read more

Very pleasant experience with this store. Victor helped me with all the questions that I had and gave me recommendations on different components. He spent an hour of his time literally going through the entire store finding the right parts with me. Outstanding customer service! Also, returns are quick and easy: I decided to return some unopened components and Victor helped me with that too. Please, promote him - he is the best! read more

They have a huge selection of products, that's for sure. All in all, I would say this is better than Best Buy if you need a good computer. I am no expert but I know a bit about PCs. However, I thought, hey, they are pros so I should ask for their recommendation about the best config for me. I guess they took it as a "oh he doesn't know sh*t, let's upsell". In the end, I felt rushed to get a quote that I believe is way more than what I need. Also they used a couple of pretty lame sales tricks old as the hills (we only have this now, if you don't buy it today we might not have another one). Didn't really make me feel comfortable to ask all the extra questions I had either. So yeah, pretty safe to say I won't be going back and will be buying my computer somewhere else. read more

So I know my experience is a bit different than other people's in that I usually walk in there knowing exactly what I'm going to buy. As far as inventory, they have top notch products fit for anyone's needs. For example, you can buy the fastest graphics card on the market or something that just does the job. The thing that really made me love this place was when I worked at my old job. I was a Sys Admin there and we had to relocate offices over Thanksgiving weekend. I walk in the server room Wednesday morning and WHAAAAAAT!!!! Where is our server rack? They put telco racks in instead...ugh... We needed to have it THAT DAY and Central Computers came to the rescue. They didn't have a Tripp Lite or APC, but the one they had fit the bill and is still in use. They helped me load it into my badass Toyota Tacoma and we went to town. Come Monday after Thanksgiving the office was fully functional and we had ZERO, I mean ZERO issues. Awesome! I understand why other people have negative reviews of this place though. Knowledge of certain products is hit or miss. Don't be afraid to ask someone else. The Howard location has some pretty knowledgeable people. read more

I came here with my boyfriend a couple months ago. At the time, I was a bit intimidated because he's pretty knowledgeable with computers and has built several himself. The isles of motherboards is a very attractive sight to see.. On my next visit, I was on my own mission -- to build an external hard drive for my mac book. I called and spoke with a sweetheart who reserved a firewire/USB case and a seagate internal drive. I told him about my tight budget and specific specs for what I needed. He pretty much made me feel like a computer goddess! I walked out spending exactly $100 dollars -- which was right under my budget. Highly recommended! read more

Horrible Customer Service; good selection. Be careful before speaking with anyone here; you will either get a great deal of attitude or a "i dont know" answer. Learn some customer service skills read more

Went in with questions about getting my hard drive repaired. They have a "not sure if we can do this, but if you want we'll try" attitude. The asian guy at the repair counter was basically steering me away from getting any work done there. He asks me "is this hard drive even important to you?" Uhhh yes you idiot, thats why I'm coming here to get it repaired, the fuq... Continues with "well we can open it up but not sure if we can fix this for you, the risk is completely on you." So I'm like, peace ! read more

Staff is very friendly. They always have what I am looking for at competitive prices. I've been a customer since 2006.

Went there planning on just buying the bare bone hard drive (OEM) and cables. Ended up also buying a router, a HD fan and surge protector cables.... went home and got the new SATA drive installed and working but old drive was totally messed up by accident and also had some incorrect BIOS settings. In total panic mode, took the PC in (great open 7 days a week especially for tech service!) The technician was busy but saw my desperate and would-not-leave look he worked on it right the way. These people are knowledgeable of their products and help every way they can. Maybe they don't make a lot of eye contact, or maybe they don't treat you like a king or queen, but do you really care? This is not a restaurant where you go and have a 9-course meal; this is a place where you will get expert help on your computer! On the same note, they even called a cab for me so I would say these people earn a pat on their back! read more

I dropped my laptop off on a Tuesday 03/06/18 to be diagnosed and repaired. I was told it would be ready by that Friday. It wasn't ready but I was contacted on 03/09 and told it would be done by the next week, it wasn't. Not only was it not ready but no one called me I had to call and see what happened (multiple calls). My laptop wasn't done until 03/30/18 and I was offered a small discount for my troubles which wasn't enough to keep me from writing this post. It was extremely frustrating and the staff is dismissive and laid blame everywhere except with them. read more

I come here for ALL my local computer needs. EVERYTHING is priced where it makes sense to buy it locally. If you know what you want, go for the good stuff for a price that makes you want to buy it locally, this is it. Service? I think it's pretty good. I've never been to a computer store in which you get pampered or have people walking you through everything.. So I think CC is pretty good in that respect. read more

Looking to build/rebuild/fix a computer? This is the place to go to in SF. This is like the Costco of computer repair stores. Tons of peripherals, cables, accessories, adapters, hard drives, etc. As far as service goes, you get what you pay for. If you want good customer service, then I suggest PAYING FOR IT and spending your money at a place like The Apple Store. read more

Being a Mac-head I can't take full advantage of Central Computer Systems selection. But every time I've needed some random piece of hardware or a goofy cable, this place had it! I've purchased my external hard-drive and 19" monitor here, and am very happy with the prices - aside from doing the ebay thing and waiting a week for what I need, this place has the lowest prices by far! read more

I am not the most technologically adept guy on the planet, so when I find people who are I stick with them. That's how it is at Central Computers. I really trust these guys. I'm generally good for one problem per computer. Ricky is my man at the service counter and never lets me down. He always explains things to my level of understanding, or perhaps in my case, misunderstanding. I truly appreciate this ability in him. Who among us doesn't like to know what's going on? He suggested some anti virus products for me based on my computer's specifications. I didn't know there was any difference prior to this conversation, uh, lesson, I thought it was all the same stuff. These guys understand all of the blips, letters, gizmo's and whatever else make up the insides of a computer. I can see they can build a computer for you, customizing it to your wishes. I'd tell you that they can assist you with any computer problem, but I don't know enough about computers to say that with a degree of certainty. However, they sure look, act and sound like they can. They've got the products to do it, too. I never saw so many cords, parts or whatever else you call that stuff. I'm talking shelf after shelf, aisle after aisle, too. The customer next to me was "in there" with all of the computer talk, and he said this place was the best in town. So that's two of us, each coming from vastly different places on the computer-user spectrum, agreeing that Central Computer is first rate and the place to go. An interesting note: One of the times I was in the store a fellow came in who looked perfectly well adjusted, wore nice clothing and was well groomed. However, once he opened his mouth I immediately knew that he was a casualty. He was unbelievably loud (and I'm from New York, so I KNOW loud) as he started shouting out questions to one of the store's associates. The Central Computer associate really kept his cool, answering the person's questions in a normal tone and manner, showing respect at all times. I really liked that. read more

So my first and only experience here was really bad , it's seem like a group of Asian that have no idea about how computer work or should work managing it. Took them 10 days to tell me that they can't repair my computer and then they could for 500$ change one part , bad service over price will never come back here again read more

Great find. I was in need of a RAM upgrade for my Macbook pro and rather than pay an insane amount of money at the Apple store or at a couple of other place that were charging over $160 or RAM and installation I decided to go to Central Computers. 8 gigs of RAM was $100 and they let me borrow a screwdriver so I installed it myself in the store. Most stuff isn't in fancy packaging but it sure is cheap. I will definitely be going back for parts. It was maybe $5-$10 more than Crucial.com but I can get it today as opposed to waiting for the mail. Central Computers FTW. read more

Very helpful associates, helped me figure out the surface pro dock, and linking it to a separate monitor. They were more helpful than the Microsoft store reps at nearby Westfield mall!! read more

A computer store that smells like soldering tin is a dead ringer for me. Their prices are really good, even if you compare them to online stores such as www.newegg.com. They might not have the biggest selection on some items such as LCD monitors, but if you're looking for an inexpensive hard drive, a computer case or mouse or some RAM, this is your one-stop solution. Check out their website for weekly specials and ask for their free "Preferred Discount Card" that gives you a few percent on each item you buy. read more

I've been coming here for years, and only once was I disappointed with it. For the most part, if you know what you want, Central will typically sell it at a more competitive price than almost anybody. I've found in many cases that Central is typically more competitive than Fry's, which is great, since the closest Fry's is way the hell down in Palo Alto. I've bought almost everything from these guys: motherboards, cases, memory, CPUs, keyboards, power supplies, routers, switches, drives, etc. My one disappointment was when I'd bought a power supply, and upon believing it was defective, I returned it in mint condition, original packaging, original receipt, less than a day after purchase. They tested it and it passed their test, so they refused to take it back. But since it wouldn't work in my system, what was I supposed to do with a $100 door stop? Even with original everything, original receipt AND being a long-time customer, the lady at the desk was being a real hardass. She finally relented and let me exchange it with another item, but damn - that warned me that customer service here wasn't as good as their pricing, and when push comes to shove, Central will put money over customer happiness. Kinda weak. So caveat emptor, know what you want when you go in. You'll get a good price, but good luck if you need to return something, you may have to strongarm them into doing what most other electronics retailers will do without batting an eyelid - accepting a legitimate return to keep a customer happy. Best parking is at the 5th & Mission garage. Don't even bother to find street parking nearby - with all the development in this area in recent years, you'd be lucky to find a spot. read more

Great customer service -- both on the phone and in-person. They were a little uncertain about the micro-SATA adapter I was hunting for, but once I read off the part # from their website, they were right on top of it. Extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Their selection is very good -- far greater than Best Buy, marginally less than Fry's... but the closest Fry's is in Palo Alto. Prices at Central Computers are mostly on par with web stores, far cheaper than Radio Shack or Best Buy and pretty comparable to Fry's. Though they still fail on my #1 biggest pet-peeve: their HDMI cables are still 200-400% more expensive than Amazon.com's generic brand cables. I know it runs counter to the afraid-of-human-interaction geek inside all of us, but if you're hunting for something very specific and don't see it on the floor, ASK. They have a large store of items that are listed on the website but not on display on the store floor. Do not assume that just because you couldn't find the item in the store that they don't have it. The staff is very friendly and will hunt the necessary bits down for you. Within easy walking distance of Powell St. BART station. read more

I've build whole systems with parts from this store. - They have only Asus brand motherboards. - No liquid cooling solutions. - Pretty good sales from time to time. - Hardware seems to be slightly outdated. - Go to people sitting at desks and ask them for help. People behind counter just don't know stuff. Prices are a little higher than newegg, and the selection is more limited. However, you have a store you can return things. Far better than BestBuy. read more

OEM Central! Best computer store in SF. Best Selection outside of Fry's (and if you're in SF you're not going to drive to Palo Alto). The location SUCKS! It's impossible to find street parking here unless you wait or get VERY lucky. I used to order my company's computer systems here. Custom Build Computers baby! Sometimes it's hard to get help from the counter people. The repairs guy is helpful. The corp sales woman (Helen I believe) is helpful as well in processing my company orders). read more

Central Computer saved my life today. This morning I awoke to delicious coffee and the Blue Screen of Death (in that order). Let's just say the former took some sting out of the latter, but I was still left with a pricey paperweight and a deadline to meet, a deadline I couldn't meet without my laptop. BTW, if you're reading this for whatever reason, back up your computer right now. I'll wait. Okay, ready? Good. The knocks against the place are as follows: a) parking is difficult unless you're willing to walk an entire city block, b) the folks who work there have, at best, a tenuous grip on the English language and c) there doesn't seem to be any SYSTEM in place - where to stand to get a salesperson? Where to stand to actually buy something? And where IS Repair anyway? (It's in the back, on the right.) So that's a little maddening. Oh, but the PLUSES they've got going for them ensure that I will never go anywhere else in SF for my computer needs. Great prices on peripherals, hardware, etc. And the repair... Well, they did save my life, right after scaring the bejeebus out of me. Me: (panicked, barely keeping it together) My computer won't boot up - it does this (showing him a page of error messages). Him: (barely glancing at either the laptop or my scrawly notes) You have any data on this that you want to keep? My head exploded. YES I HAVE DATA I WANT TO KEEP! This is not merely some pretty accessory that I keep with me to bring out the sallowness in my complexion. I thought, what have I done? Maybe the Geek Squad is worth the hit-and-miss-ness of their service. But no. Because immediately he started to run some diagnostic on the laptop - that is, within 30 seconds of me taking the laptop out of the bag and turning it on he was already at work on it. He told me to pay for the repair deposit - $29 - up front and said it'd be a couple of hours. I left and called back in a couple of hours - he said they were still working on it and I sweetly reminded him I had a deadline. Could they get some data off of it in the meantime so I could work on that on a borrowed laptop? He said he'd see - and an hour later he called. Laptop fixed. I was so happy that when I was paying the repair fee - $89 - I bought an 8 gig flash drive they had on special. Such a deal - $35.95. At these prices, who wouldn't? read more

A better option than Best Buy. If you need memory, hard drives, external case enclosures, cases etc this is the place to go locally. They always have exactly what I am looking for, even the really weird cable that nobody needs except for me. The weekly specials are really nice and their prices regardless are better than anyone else around here. My favorite items from them have been the budget enclosure and OEM drives....much cheaper than the local competition and right on with any web vendors. My one knock on them is sometimes the customer service and/or language barrier. It usually works out somehow but it can be a chore. read more

MEGA stars frequent this place. I bumped into Robin Williams (the actor) when entering through the door. I seems like noone else even noticed him, till I saw him and started having a mild panic attach. ROBIN WILLIAMS is soooo cool! He came up to me on his own to shake my hand because I wasn't positive if that was him at first. I ended up getting a picture with him and also an autograph. You might be wondering, "how is this story relevant" to the store? Well, for one. The entire staff treated him with the same respect as another other customer in the store. They did not discriminate and cater to him solely--something of which really impressed me. I mean, I went in there looking for an Asus or Lenovo laptop, and this one guy was helping me the entire time I was having a mini-stroke, panic attack from being withiin 5-8 feet of a international star who has been in the entertainment business for the last 40 or so years. Anyways, I'll veer off from that and try to focus on the store itself. The staff is pretty well informed and helpful. They are open to negotiating, so try bargaining with them to get a better deal. They have all of the high-end specialized stuff that you won't find at your local office max/depot. I am planning on building a desktop and I think I will be purchasing the large majority of my parts from this store. They have a flat rate laptop repair service that is pretty damn affordable, I believe it is like $135 or something. They often times have some really great sales going on for top-notch Asus/Lenovo models, so I recommend going here if you want to get a true deal. The staff is highly attentive and will go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. Also, they will special order computers and parts for you per request (at no additional charge). One time, I went their to pick up a laptop on hold, but there was no parking (as i drove in circles for 15 mins), in the end, I phoned them and told them to help me out. So what they did was let me park in front of the store, while another sales associates came out and got in my car to make sure no cops came by to tow my car. In and out in 5 minutes flat! Anyways. If you want to get real computers that professionals use, I'd recommend going to this place instead all those other generic computer places. read more

I come here because I'm one of the people I know that haven't jumped on the MAC bandwagon...yet. Tony helps me every time I need a new power plug, battery, piece of mind, etc. Pricing is fair and I love that I get my comp or new part in about 48 hours. read more

I don't mind getting PC parts online. However, call me old-fashioned, but I still like the feeling of going into a store and walking out with a big ol' box of parts. I walked in with the idea of getting parts to build a high end desktop for gaming and photo editing. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted. One of the salesmen was very helpful in choosing the parts that I wanted. He wasn't pushy either, and was even recommending a lot of parts that were slightly less expensive than what I had in mind. It was nice of him to offer me the choice and not try to be too pushy. In the end, I had everything I needed for the new PC, and the price was only minimally higher than it might have been from Newegg or Amazon. Even better, they installed the CPU and memory in the story and did a POST test just to show that it was working. Overall, this was a great local experience and definitely better than going to a big box store or something. If you are in the area, I recommend checking it out. read more

Central has great repair staff. A couple months ago I had an issue with a laptop which wouldn't recognize the new hard drive I'd bought from Central. I brought it back and they swapped it out for another drive. When it didn't recognize the 2nd drive either, I realized that the issue was probably the laptop itself. I brought the drive and the computer back to Central and one of their repair guys (Ray) spent half an hour working with me to diagnose the issue. I'm pretty computer savvy but in the end it was Ray's expertise that finally solved the problem. read more

You need to know when you walk in this place that if you are not in the know on things computer related you will not succeed here. You will be taking a ride in the fail boat, and the fail boat is non-stop to Best Buy. So long as this is understood if you need it fast, and you need it cheap Central is the place to go. Cables, parts, cases, components, and shrink wrapped "OEM" crap direct to you from the hands of 10 year old sweatshop workers in Shenzhen. Don't worry, the stuff at Best Buy comes from the same place, just at twice the price, sinner. read more

This place has a lot of mixed reviews- personally, I had an excellent experience today. After seeing the prices that RadioShack and other big-box 'office supply' stores in the city were charging for the cables I needed, this place was a godsend- they had an excellent selection of items and at a fraction of the cost. Clearly, this is not a store for the type of shopper who wants to try out ten keyboards before they pick the one they like. Likewise, it's not the place to go if you need your hand held while you shop or if you're not 100% sure of what you need. I received perfectly pleasant customer service, but I get the impression that these guys don't suffer fools gladly. Do your research first and this store is both efficient and inexpensive. read more