When my desktop died, I decided to go for an entirely-new system. I did the research and compared prices for Central, other local stores, and online retailers like newegg.com, and found Central to be my best choice for cheap, immediate supplies. I ended up making several trips to Central Computers, and while there's some cons to the place, the pros still make it my favorite computer parts store in the Bay Area. Pros: 1. Informed staff that are happy to answer questions, and if they don't know the answer to something, they can refer you to another staff member who can. I found them all very friendly and helpful, regardless of their tech-knowledge. (I've been told some amazing lies by ill-informed CompUSA and Best Buy staff in the past, but the Central staff never once steered me wrong and they actually helped me avoid a hardware-compatibility issue I'd blanked on my original specs.) 2. An amazing selection of the latest hardware. 3. Great prices. Cons: 1. They usually have twice as many customers as staff-needed, so you might need to wait 15 minutes for assistance. 2. While their website is excellent for their potential stock, they rarely have a full selection in the store. You might want to call ahead before visiting. (The website allows you to order for store pick-up, which works great, and you can order when you're in-store if they don't have something in stock.) 3. Be very, very clear on anything you order in the store or have them set aside for you. They're erratic on taking down details, and I had two lots disappear on me because they couldn't find them. They were great about trying to chase down things, but make sure you get your name on the order, and the name of the person that helped you. read more

Sick to death of ripoff computer businesses. THIS ONE IS NOT! Last year COMPUSA (now out of business) charged me over $300. for a complete overhaul which i found out now did not need to be done. It was simply my DC adapter which Robert Chu & Tony at Central diagnosed for me yesterday. Within an hour, I was tested, purchased a new adapter and was on my way. Both Robert & Tony are personable, friendly and from my experience (and that of a customer at the next desk to me) they WILL NOT sell you what you don't need. I left paying $50. and another $20. for a memory disk which Robert urged me to use in the event my PC Laptop does ever go down. read more

These guys are brilliant. Helped us to fix a very complicated issue on a smart home controller.

(+) They have a great selection of everything you may want/need at reasonable prices for a retail business in SF. The recent reorganization of their shelves means that you should probably make a visit if you haven't in awhile - there is much more stock available for viewing. As an IT professional working in SoMA, I rely on them for emergency parts and supplies and they have not let me down. (-) Wait times are horrible. Clueless customers hang out here to talk shop with the employees - similar to Fry's. I can walk in here knowing exactly what I need and still spend 30 minutes in the store if there is an irate/exceptionally stupid customer fouling up the works. They need a "no questions" checkout stand. Their staff is not exceptionally friendly, but like Blue Bottle Coffee, I can empathize. read more

I was in my hotel room in Union Square when my Toshiba laptop died. It was 7:15pm. I made it to Central Computer by 7:28, 2 minutes before closing. I explained to the computer technician as I panted from the run over. He could see that I was desperate, and immediately swung into action. He diagnosed my problem as an underpowered / aged power cable in less than a minute. He had to search for 10 minutes to find a cord that would work-- the store closed but he kept looking. The doors were locked, and i started to lose hope, when he suddenly discovered the winning cable! He plugged in my computer, we both waited in a moment of intense anticipation, and my laptop sprang back to life in an electronic blaze of glory! That's what I call service. Thank you so much Central Computer! read more

It's nice to have a local computer store for parts, upgrades, and repairs. While the square footage of a Microcenter or Fry's won't be found in the middle of SF, Central Computers has as good of a selection in cases, components, and parts as I would need. An experienced system builder would be able to navigate the aisles with relative ease, but a new computer builder may have to spend some time wandering aisles to find the part they want. An odd gem (blessing and curse) about this place is that they import some of their own off-brand accessories. It's nice to get a Lightning cable for only $8 (compared to $20 right from Apple) but they don't have the longevity/reliability of the name brands. read more

The people at Central Computers were amazing! They helped me recover from a hard drive crash, saved all my data and got me back up and running for a very reasonable price. Even better they were nice, and they were NOT condescending in any way. I would go back again. They have everything you might want or need to build your own computer or do your own repairs. Fantastic, wish there was one nearer to me. read more

Hi to all, i needed a new charger for the Iphone. I work across the street from this place. So, I say to myself, I just go over there to get a new charger real quick and that will be that. Crossed the street and walked in the front door, one customer was being serviced by a sales person. So that's understandable. Walk pass him and start looking for a charger on my own. Other sales person on a knee restocking/looking at something on a shelf/rack. Doesn't see 'me'. Fine, continue to look for a charger. See one person sitting at a desk. I attempt to make eye contact. That person does not say or acknowledge 'me'. Fine. Look at the overhead aisle signs,( but didn't really need to because chargers rack right in front of my face.) Found what I am looking for return to register area. Oh! Now you see 'me' "Ping!" from the person looking/doing something at the shelf when I first walk into the store across from her?! Ok. cool. She rang 'me' up on the register. I hesitate for a moment thinking do I want to use the debit card or pay cash. Decided to hand her cash. Now she runs the two ten dollar bills through the scanner to see if the bills are not counterfeit. I say thats alright changed 'my' mind, and either asked or took the ten dollar bills back and mutter to "myself" that I go some place else. Unfortunately, "I" expected b.s. from most places, but that was just nonsense from both them and me. Aiya! I ended up walking up to Target on 4th and Mission St. and got a charger from there. The sales person was actually courteous, helpful and the charger was about $5.00 cheaper. Anyway peace! read more

A quick and good place to get parts if you know what you need. Now, if you need a great working computer network in your office or you having trouble with your PC, it is best to hire an individual consultant. read more

Central computers is great, they have NewEgg prices in a brick n mortar store. Living in the city, when I need a part to be replaced ASAP, this is where I go. If Fry's is too far away or you don't have a car, this is _the_ place for computer parts in SF. Also, places that do price matching, like Best Buy will price match Central because it's a brick n mortar place in the city. read more

I've been at this a LONG time. My first computer was a Commodore 64 and I followed that with an Apple II, so I know something about buying computers. I've lived in San Francisco for more than 50-years, so I know something about shopping in SF Central Computers is the best in the City. Popular place for techs to buy parts, hardware, software. Good prices on netbooks and notebooks. They sell OEM licenses for Microsoft software - much cheaper than the retail plastic box & CD gimick. Good techs, good service, fair prices, big stock, very reliable, good return policy and right downtown San Francisco. They're across the street from the Moscone annex - 2 blocks from the Fifth Street Garage - 3 blocks from Powell Street BART/Muni station. I know most of the stores in town and Central Computers gets 4 stars from me. Yep, I'm a fan. read more

Way cheaper for cables than Best Buy, Radio Shack or the Apple store. I needed a firewire 800 cable for a project I was working on and the least expensive one I could anywhere was $37.00 at Best Buy. I found the same cable at Central Computers for $17.00. The only downside was that they were out of the length I needed but I got the longer 10' cable and was only charged the price of the smaller cable. The service was friendly and helpful so I'll definitely be back. read more

Helped me get my Lenovo Yoga laptop repaired via warranty, even though it was of no benefit to them to do so. I've kept returning since then, and always got the help I needed. Knowledgeable and friendly, with a good selection. read more

Their repair service is top-knotch. Tony is knowledgeable, careful, and friendly. I'd badly stripped a screw while trying to disassemble my laptop, but he managed to get it out. He even gave me a set of high-quality screws to replace my laptop's crummy ones, all free of charge. Also, their weekly sales are often really great. I snagged a top-of-the-line solid state drive on discount recently. read more

Their return policy is terrible. You could have something that doesn't work with your system, but instead of replicating the situation, they just plug and check with one that works. There is no benefit of the doubt from them to customer. And their option is for you to bring your system in, check to make sure it doesn't work, and charge you 30 bucks vs the 15% restocking fee. They are making money off customers either way, and it is the last time I purchase anything significant from this store. read more

Great selection, competitive pricing, good amazon alternative for same day needs. I support this type of place. Solid costumer service as well. read more

My old computer died & wasn't worth upgrading, but I'm a contract worker & needed a new system ASAP. Ordered a customized one from Central and it was ready in 4 days (!!) The new system boots super fast, isn't loaded with all the crap Dell, Lenovo, and the others pile onto their systems, and it's been a breeze to move all my drives over to this one. Super friendly staff when I picked it up as well. I'll definitely be using them for my future computer needs. read more

I went back for a couple more things; I found an HDMI cable for half of what best buy is charging, and came really close to buying a combination USB mouse and Skype phone. I mean, come on. Look me in the eye and tell me you don't want a mouse-phone. honestly. read more

I have a huge issue with this place. I dropped of my laptop for repairs on Wednesday and told them i needed it back asap for finals. I was told I would get a call to pick it up within 2-3 days. On Friday afternoon I get a call that my laptop cannot be fixed. So, at 5:30pm, I go to pick up my laptop and I'm told it's not at the store (????) and that I should call on Monday. Monday morning (today I might add) I go online to check the store hours. Their website and yelp page state they are open Mondays at 9am. 9:15am I call and get a message stating they are closed and will be open at 9am. Uh OK? So I wait 15 mins. 9:30 I call again. Answering machine picks up again and tells me they open at 9am. 9:45 I call again. Still hearing the same message. 9:55 I call again. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. 10:30am I call again and still, no one picks up. As a customer, I'm not asking for much. I'm not asking for the store to work miracles. If something can't be fixed, then I'll pay what I owe and walk away with my possessions. However, I do ask that I walk away WITH MY POSSESSIONS. Not only did I have to wait 5 days until I could "possibly" pick up my laptop. I STILL DON'T HAVE IT! If a store is going to advertise their hours for the convenience of their customers, then at least be open at those times! I'm sure the owner would love to know that he's overpaying his workers because his employees are not opening when they should. This place gets two stars instead of one because: 1) they did do their job and ran the tests needed to find the issues with my laptop, and 2) the worker that helped me on Wednesday and Friday was very helpful and courteous. *Update: I called at 11:08am and finally got ahold of someone. However, it is now 11:45am and 4 different people have picked up the phone, asked me for my case number, and have put me on hold. It wasn't until I "very sternly" told the 4th person to tell me where my laptop was that they connected me to "Tommy."He then told me their testing center has not sent the laptop back to the store yet and that I would have to pick it up at 5:30pm. Thanks. I will now dock 1 star. I will never take my business here again. read more

I took my computer to get my batteries changed because unfortunately I actually accidentally spilled liquid on it I had asked the engineer if you can change the battery he said yes I come back two weeks later after they called me to tell me that my computer is fixed and the guy kindly said oh I apologize the computer is not working I had said well I don't understand I came to change the battery is the battery changed he told me No the engineer says there was no need he again took it back to the engineer which was OK and that was fine I had no problem everybody was nice but I am a online student I had went to the manager and asked ternal is it OK if I can get a discount since you are going to charge me $150 more when I was told I was only going to get charged $200 to get my batteries changed and you added $150 more she had said I will speak to the to the engineer if you can do that I said that will be fine my husband and I waited for 35 minutes I had asked one of the workers where did the manager go we had found a manager sitting at her desk eating and ignoring us and not even asking the engineer when I went to pick up the computer I was told that I was never told to change the battery when it says on my paper the battery must be changed the manager did not even care that she did a mistake and the only discount she gave us was $20 off I will be speaking to HR about this manager because she did not even consider that I had came three times and was told that the battery which will be changed and it was not twice and charged us twice when the first time she had told us it will be around $200 the manager does not care about the customers because she has no idea what she is doing she didn't even know how to spell couple of the words on a piece of paper when she handed it to me that is not a managerIn my view but I will say the people that work there are very helpful and very kind and they even sympathized with us but couldn't do anything because the manager barely knew how to speak English and barely knew how to spell as well and did not know what to do to keep us 35 minutes we took a picture of her and we are more than happy to give it to HR again the people that work there are very kind the manager is a scam artist that's trying to make money to make herself look better thank you read more

Go here every week and check out the deals they have posted in the window. They don't ALWAYS have a great deal, but every so often, I'd say one out of every two or three weeks, they have some insane price on hardware, like a 10TB HD for a quarter and a piece of blue string, something like that, and you MUST BUY IT. read more

Predatory and Inept After ignorantly enriching this business for years, my nearly 70-year-old friend consulted me on his perpetually crashing system that was originally purchased from them and that their repair department had just returned to him. My friend's computing needs are stereotypically modest: email, browsing, and word processing. As soon as I saw the case Central sold him, I smelled elder financial abuse. My friend, who subsists on a monthly social security check, had no problem describing his rudimentary technology needs to me, yet Central sold him an opulent, giant Cooler Master Stacker 830 case $200+ with a comically mismatched Asus micro ATX motherboard/Intel Core i5 2500 $300+, GeForce 650 Ti gaming card $170+, and 8GB RAM/1TB hard drive $200. As recounted in other reviews of their repair service, a new hard drive is this business's panacea for software problems: To solve intermittent blue screen crashes, Central sold my friend another 1TB hard drive $100+. By the time this computer came to my attention, Central had extracted around $1,000 of his retirement funds, hours of labor transporting the Goliath case back and forth from Pacifica, and weeks of down time. Regrettably, my friend abhors confrontation, will not demand a refund, and is doomed to return there for an adapter they failed to supply with the $170+ gaming video card to make his ancient analog VGA monitor connectable. read more

They play static filled radio every day, Its absolutely unbearable to stay in the store for more than 5 minutes because of which. Come on? A tech store that can't sort its own audio system? Most of the staff aren't very helpful unless you grab them, but even then the best they can do is point you to an area you could have found on your own. NO REAL TECH KNOWLEDGE. (Correction, there is one guy that is pretty helpful but the rest ignore you like they're just there to collect a paycheck and not be bothered.) They do have a tech that fixes computers in store. Completely overpriced and rude, not willing to help with any questions at all. I watched first hand this same tech sell a foreigner an overpriced video card and then setup a deal to install it at 2 billable labor hours. I think he quoted him 150 dollars for the install. This install takes 15-30 minutes max and should be free if they bought it there. No thanks on this place. Won't ever spend another dollar there. BUY ONLINE. DIY read more

As others here have said, you have got to know exactly what you want when you walk in the door. There's little customer service and for gods sake, don't tell them you use a Mac - they'll just shake their heads sadly and walk away. But, otherwise, the selection is decent and the prices are good (make sure you check out the specials taped up by the front door). Plus if you want something right now and you don't want to shop at a soulless corporate outlet, it's one of your few choices in SF. read more

when i used to build computers, i wouldn't trust anyone but Central Computer. they had EVERYTHING that i needed, and if they didn't have it, they could get it to me by the end of the day. i'm guessing they have ancient chinese connections. not only did they have all the latest and greatest computer hardware & software, but they were WAYYYY cheaper than the big box stores (compusa, bestbuy, etc.) there's always someone available if you needed help finding something or wanted advice on which part is the best to buy. read more

When my laptop died, I just wanted a quick and honest answer with a diagnosis and possible options. English is not the staff's first language, but there is no question that the employees are very knowledgeable about computers. I called Best Buy's Geek Squad, stopped by CompUSA, and tried out a couple of the other places listed on Yelp. None compared to Central Computer's speed and straighforwardness. If those are two qualities you value in computer repair and service, this is the place for you. read more

Central Computer stocks a wide range of cheap components and provides it with crappy crappy service, which is exactly how computer stores should be. I pine for the days when shops like this were everywhere. read more

When I looked on their website and saw that they have a branch in Shenzhen, China I knew all I needed to know about this place. This is where you go for CHEAP computer gear. Like stuff that comes in a bag without any brand name on it. Like stuff produced in a Chinese factory across the street from the one with the deal with the Americans and built to nearly the same spec. Name brand HDMI cables usually can run from 80 to 100 dollars. A cheapass one here will go for $20. Just don't expect a warranty. Don't cry if it bombs on you. Don't ask where it came from. read more

I've never given a bad review before but this place had the worst customer service ever. First of all, the staff contradicted each other in front of me on OEM pricing to the point that I was still confused when I walked out of there. Has a huge selection but wouldn't buy anything here unless you know exactly what you need. read more

Hands down best computer store in SF. They have the largest selection of parts and much better prices than big box chain stores like Best Buy and CompUSA. They're also one of the only places in SF you can build you own barebones computer. As others have mentioned the staff tends to be rather brusque (in particular the phone service) but they are knowledgeable. I run a local computer repair business and I purchase most of my parts from them. read more

I've had problems with my wifi at home for a while, so after complaining to comcast, getting a new modem, and router, neither of which helped, I finally realized it must be 1) comcast because we all know they just suck.. or 2) the wifi card in my laptop. I called Central Computers to find out if it would be possible to (with a deposit) borrow a doggle or something, to test the theory and find out of that was actually my problem - which would lead me to purchase a new wifi card and have them install it. First, they didn't pick up, then they didn't return the call. So finally I just went in and asked. They said "no." I said, well what if I buy it and it doesn't help, can I get my money back. They said "no, we don't lend out equipment that isn't what we do here. YOu can give it to us to diagnose [i.e. take more of your money for something I wanted to do myself] or purchase the wifi. I reiterated that I'd want to purhcase the card and have them install it if that was in fact the problem, and I'd be more than happy to leave a deposit that wold cover the cost of the doggle. Still "no". SO I left. Then I remembered, they never called me back, so I called them and said "I left a message, but you never called me back, you don't need to anymore, and just so you know, your customer service sucks and you've lost a customer." To which he replied, "yeah whatever." and i said, "Yeah, whatever is right, I'm going to Best Buy right now." and he said, I swear to god he said, "You'll be back, their customer service is worse than ours." Welp, guess what? No its not. I got exactly what I wanted. They said I could take the wifi out for a test drive for two weeks, which I did. It is in fact the solution to the problem, so now I'm going to to buy the more expensive internal card from them as well. And my other computer needs, repairs and such, will be handled by others... thanks, but no thanks Central Computer... I've been a customer for well over a decade, but no more. read more

Based on the information on the Central Computer website, I tried to bring my laser printer in for repair. The person who answered the drop off door immediately told me that it would be better to return it to the manufacturer or throw the printer away--without hearing anything about what was wrong with it or what type it was ... nothing--since the repairs would be so expensive. Then he said, well, I could bring it in if I wanted to. I expect a business to at least find out what is wrong and give me an estimate, or they should not advertise that they offer this type of service. It was very annoying to have made the trip in vain. read more

If you know what you need or what you want, this is the place. I am usually in and out in 10 min or less. I have no problem with their services. They have always been quite professional to my associates and I. I have also been to their Newark store. They are also quite professional. I am also glad to see them run Comp USA out of business. If you want instant gratification and some quality service, this is the place to go. I do not know where the bad comments are coming from. Nor do I care. But my experience and my associate's experiences with Central Computers have been "A1" positive. I highly recommend Central Computers. read more

Best computer store in the city. They're legit as fuck. Any time I need a thing that plugs into my computer, I go here. I cannot preach my love for Central Computers enough. I will happily pay their 2-3 dollar brick and mortar premium and will continue doing so, so long as they are available. Apparently people onestar them. I was looking at these reviews, and most of these people are stuck up retards who expect too much. I mean really, giving 1 star for not price matching? What fucking crazy ass expectations do you have? Sure, the customer service can be a little salty at times, but it's IT, and that's the expectation, just roll with it and know your shit. read more

So, this place had been sitting in my yelp bookmarks for a while and I never really got around to checking the place out. Then while pulling the drive on a friends laptop I was in need of an IDE adapter. Since frys was so far, I decided to give this place a try and was pretty happy overall. They had the adapter needed and after taking a good stroll through the store I came out impressed with the up to date stock and variety computer supplies. The prices were pretty decent compared to many other brick and mortar stores and the sales that they had were enough to make me check the place out again. I'm a big fan of price shopping online, but It's nice to know that if I need a part that day I'm not being gouged like best buy, circuit city, along with most electronics retailers. read more

Great if you know EXACTLY what you want and you can't wait for it to get mailed to you off the internet. A much better alternative to computer parts than Best Buy or Comp USA for sure, but be warned of their draconian returns policy. read more

Good selection, good pricing which is competitive with CompUSA and Best Buy here in the city. Never had a good or bad experience here but then again I don't really need service in computer stores since I'm more l33t than your little brother. read more

If you want to see snobbery in the IT world, this is your place. If you know what you want and have no questions about the product or service, this is your place. As for myself I do like to ask question.... I've been here three times and insulted every time. Go elsewhere, not worth your time. And.... the prices are not that good, found what I needed elsewhere for cheaper with actual customer service. read more

if you don't have time to wait from ordering a computer part you can come here... but just make sure it's something that you really will use because their return policy pretty much sucks... i really don't think fry's is better than this place. fry's has a lot of crap that usually doesn't work well, especially since they just restock returned and opened items. at least all the things they sell at central computers hasn't been opened before. it's also a good place to get usb chords and other non-hardware items... read more

Walk in to purchase--as I told the salesman--two of the cheapest, fastest, largest, best SATA drives they had in-stock... and walked out thinking, "Perfect! Now I never have to go to Fry's again." read more