I needed a new external hard drive, so I did a Google search for computer stores near me. One store had a poor selection of drives. Then I telephoned Central Computers and I was happy with what I heard about their choice of products. When I visited their store, a salesman showed me a wide variety of devices at reasonable prices. He was very helpful and an expert who reassuringly answered all of my questions. My visit could not have been better. This product, from Samsung, was perfect for me. It was plug and play, the easiest type of technology to use. I certainly recommend Central Computers at 837 Howard Street in San Francisco for your technology needs. read more

Just got a 3070 from them! Thank you for getting these cards into the hands of actual gamers instead of the first bidder! Also generally very friendly and knowledgeable about any/all pc topics. Support this local business! read more

Good inventory, poor service. If you know what you need already, save a trip and get it from Amazon.

Lots of stuff here. Cables, adapters monitor, computers etc. You'll find it here! Staff was also very helpful. I needed a cable and I couldnt find it and he helped me right away. read more

Central Computer was almost a monthly stopby for computer parts in the early days of computing. it's been a decade or 2 a since i've returned. still remembering the hunt for bargains and the cheap gas. the metered parking is only partially to blame for my lack of repeat. read more

It was Friday evening and my sister had an important presentation to make the following Monday morning. She was given a projector and laptop and told the video inputs of the display she'd present on. None of the three devices' video inputs/outputs were compatible. That's where Central Computers came in. Central Computers is located just outside the Financial District. I like this place because it stocks computer parts, cables, accessories, etc. that a big box retailer, like Best Buy, wouldn't typically have. It's an old school computer store. The sales rep that helped us, Harris Yu, did a great job identifying the issues and solving the problem. He located a mini HDMI-to-HDMI cable to connect the laptop to the projector. He then found an HDMI-to-composite video adapter to connect the projector to the TV display. Before we left the store, he unboxed/unpackaged the products and tested them out on a TV in the store. Everything worked. We were in the store no more than 15-20 minutes. If you need a computer part and don't have time to wait on shipping, go to Central Computers. read more

If you can get into Central Computers they have literally thousands of tech gadgets (made in China mostly) that you didn't even think you wanted, and at bargain prices compared to other consumer tech gadget emporiums. I discovered folding keyboards that fit in my purse to bluetooth to everything I own for only $35. Check it out and expect to find the unexpected, handy, useful ... yet their employees are rank & file customer service wonkies that would rather not be too bothered by questions. read more

Let me re-iterate that customer service doesn't exist. On the receipt, it says no refund for heatsinks. I only wanted to exchange, but the old man in the red shirt said "no" in an unfriendly way twice. Still, this is only the accessible computer store within downtown. Sigh. I wish they would open up a Fry's at the old CompUSA San Bruno or San Francisco location. BTW, on the website their return policy says "they are strict with their policy because that's how they can keep their prices down". Well, let me just say that you're prices aren't that far off from Fry's and while both of you have customer service that doesn't exist, I'd rather pick the lesser of two evils. read more

Went in today looking for a new monitor and case after having a good experience getting a GTX 2080 from them a few weeks ago, and like last time their service and prices were exceptional. Found exactly what I needed at a ridiculously good deal. Peter helped me move the boxes around the store and eventually even helped me load them in to my uber. read more

The place is a great place to go with equally great prices. They staff are knowledgeable and helpful. read more

Central Computers - Great service & awesome products! - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - San Francisco, California

They don't allow single purchases of 30 series GPUs or Ryzen 9 processors unless you're buying 5 other components, I understand this is to prevent scalping and that's understandable. What doesn't sit well is the fact that they're scalping the products themselves! It's hilarious. Their CPU's and GPU's are marked up by $100 or more. A $800 Ryzen 9 they're selling for nearly $1000 after taxes, a $679 RTX 3070 gpu will sell over $850 after taxes, oh the irony, and to try to force the customer to pay for a whole new build if they honestly ONLY need a cpu or gpu....well that's just convenient for you Central Computers isn't it? You claim to be doing the community a favor, but we all know what you're doing. read more

San Francisco--the heart of Silicon Valley (yes--up here guys)--wouldn't be what it is without this place. You need a place with inexpensive tech--in high volumes. This place will outprice Amazon and is right downtown! It's a complete and total lifesaver. No bones about it. This is an institution. If you need a reel of Cat6, a new Router, a new Switch, some new Wireless Access Points--any kind of USB or data cable--this is the place. It will save you a bundle and they'll have the options you're looking for. iPhone and iPad chargers! Data HD to USB converters. All the USB-C adapters and converters. HDMI... it goes on and on. Plus laptops, drones, speakers, batteries--tons of batteries--selfie sticks... keyboards, displays... CPU cases! Power supplies, motherboards, memory, HD and Solid State Storage, Processors, 3D cards! All the hardware. All of it. Right here, downtown. read more

I have been going here a long time I am torn been customer service here, one time I go I get everything answered by several of the staff, another time I go I get I dont want to help you look but im the only one here so dam my life I have to help you they definitely got alot of stock, several choices on every component for a computer, casings, video cards, audio cards, hard drives internal and external, processors, ram, cooling fans, only thing I didnt see several of was motherboards other then that they got enough of everything and most of staff are helpful just keep in mind some of the staff are not very helpful you will know when you ask for help they will be the ones that look at you like really really kill me know cause I was doing nothing and you bothered my train of thought of nothingness.. service *** some staff 5 stars other staff super negative stars price $$ depends what you are getting they do not do price match ambiance *** it is a computer store in the city space is limited but they make the most of the space parking = ( sucks out there drive around 2 times if you can't find any parking still park at the garage next to metereon pricey but gets the job done if you can't find street parking They sell OEM's for all OS's way cheaper then just purchasing an upgrade at other stores which are not full versions haha read more

Would 100% recommend this business to anyone with computer issues. The technician did a great job trouble shooting and then repairing the issue, all while being friendly and professional. All employees were helpful. read more

This place is outstanding. I can't imagine anybody giving them a low rating. Their prices are competitive, they are extraordinarily knowledgeable, always honest, and they even have a great repair department. This is always my first stop for computer parts and accessories and peripherals. read more

I BARTed into the city to attend VMworld at the Moscone. I got there, popped open my digital camera and BAM. No SD card. Central Computer is right across from Moscone West, an easy 10 minutes later and I had a SD card. What I love about this place is that it reminds me of the old school computer shops (which are a dying breed). Random computer parts everywhere, asian owners, it was like a flashback without the high priced markup! read more

Good inventory, great prices for the City. Horrible customer service. They close early, 5:00, which can be a drag. I knew that and beat it downtown yesterday afternoon to get there at 4:45. Sign on the locked door said they were short staffed and to knock, someone would come to the door. Which I did. 5-10 minutes later someone shows up and starts pulling the gates on the inside to close down. I tried to explain all I needed was a plug adapter. He refused to help me but flashed one of those big cheesy smiles that geeks use to pretend it means they are giving good service. They aren't. read more

Friendly, ethical, and knowledgable. They aren't scalping on hardware components during current inflation/supply shortages and very grateful that we still have a decent retail service in operation. I have stopped buying parts thru amazon/newegg and only shop here. read more

Their customer service is great. Their supply and inventory is next to none- however, the techs in the back are a little too old school for my tastes. They mumble or speak unintelligibly, have no suggestions or input about installations and gave me awful advice. And to top it all off they did a hack job putting my build back together including but not limited to: installing my cooling system backwards so my tower overheated and could not load Windows. While installing a new motherboard they didn't ask me which drivers I'd need installed- they didn't even have the common courtesy of putting my USB 3 connections back online- and it took TWO MONTHS! Bottom line: you want supplies- a hard drive, a motherboard- TO INSTALL YOURSELF -great spot. You want speedy service, someone who can talk shop with advanced users, and tip top repairs? Go elsewhere. My computer is everything to my business and they made things exponentially worse. I will not return. read more

These guys are great. They offer top-notch service: they patiently answered my questions with well-informed explanations and recommendations. They don't have hard-sell sales tactics. Very reasonable prices; better stock and prices than Best Buy. Super safe during covid (they take temperatures upon entry, have plexiglass everywhere, social distancing, they get you the equipment you need. They were very accommodating in testing my old equipment out for defects and testing it with the new accessories. Easy, free street parking on Sundays. read more

I've gone to Central Computers a few times for upgrades, replacement parts and most recently, to get a problem diagnosed and repaired. Well-stocked with all sorts of computer parts and pieces, the sales reps are in the front and technicians in the back. Aisles and shelves are labeled pretty clearly but I have wandered for a bit and had to ask for help to locate some smaller bits and bytes. Prices are pretty good and the service is excellent. I was given an estimate of 2 to 5 days to have my system diagnosed and repaired. It took them three days to get to my machine, fix it, then call me for pickup. I was a bit annoyed that they had found a secondary issue tied to main issue but didn't fix it for me (or even ask if I wanted it repaired). If you're looking for better service than Best Buy and a wider range of parts and upgrades, Central Computers is the place to go. read more

The hard drive in my Dell crashed last month, and a friend recommended that I take my ailing computer to Central Computers. They diagnosed the problem, made honest and reasonable recommendations (including that I could probably get by with a smaller and cheaper replacement hard drive than I chose to purchase), installed a new solid state hard drive and some additional memory, and salvaged the old data (including photos, etc.) on an external hard drive. The work was done within a couple of days, at a reasonable price, and my computer is better than new. I agree with the comments that it takes them a while to respond to phone messages, etc., which is the only reason I didn't award 5 stars. read more

was having a really hard time finding the PSU I wanted, and they came through, even during lockdown! Thanks!!!!

I received extremely rude and unprofessional service from this store. I went in looking for a silent mouse so I could work late at night and not disturb my partner. I asked if there were any quiet mice and was told that they're all the same, that none are quiet. When I mentioned why it meant a lot to me to find one, he told me condescendingly,"just tell your girlfriend to put in headphones", and that I need to "man up" as I was checking out. I explained to him why that's unreasonable to ask late at night, marvelling at how unempathetic and misogynistic this employee was. To top it all off, I ended up finding the exact product I needed by myself, the Logitech Silent Plus. So they're incompetent as well as rude and clueless. read more

My past experience with CC has been okay. Had it not been, I wouldn't go through the hassle of parking at the Mission St garage and hauling my computer(s) in a cart just to get to their shop. Finally, someone there told me about their 'Will Call' pickup area in the back off of Clementina. This last experience, I was told it was likely that my screen (LED) had to be replaced on my desk top computer. That was on July 26th. I called a couple of times the following week to get a status report... both times always left on "HOLD" for an excessive period of time (8 minutes and 11 minutes) forcing me to always call back to speak to anyone else who could tell me what was going on. Communication is definitely a hassle. Never got any kind of satisfactory answer to my inquiries. Last time I called was on August 8th and Victor said he'd call the techs at Santa Clara and call me right back. He didn't. Then on August 10th, I receive a voicemail stating they couldn't find a replacement screen and to pickup my computer. I guess it took 12 days to determine the 'unavailability' of this particular part. read more

I came at the recommendation of a colleague. They said it is a fun store. It wasn't. Upon arrival, I wasn't able to find what I was looking for. After checking all the isle, I approached the only employee not engaged with a patron. His responses to my question of where I could find the charger I need was, "Go ask a sales person." This store treats patrons terribly with rude staff who refuse to provide any service. Spend your hard earned dollars someplace where they will treat you with respect and assist you. read more

Had trouble for weeks trying to get a dark hero board due to scalpers. Found this company hidden among some links and they had in stock was hesitant cause it was sold out everywhere else and going on eBay for 650 plus. I emailed them they emailed me back almost immediately confirming it was in stock for shipping. Placed order it was out next day had in 4 days. Give this company a shot idk why they don't come up more when you search for items. read more

Terrible Service. I was having a technical issue that I couldn't figure out. An old HDD kept blue screening randomly after a few minutes of use. I couldn't reinstall Windows on it because for some reason my USB installer wouldn't boot. Now I'm concerned that there is something else wrong with my PC. I've been to Central Computers before several times to buy parts so I'm familiar with their store. I called them and asked if they were available. They said they had no queue and I could swing by. Unfortunately when I got there, they told me that I would have to wait a full day, despite them telling me they were available and there was no queue. Since I was also having an issue with my USB installer, I asked if they could verify if my installer worked. This would take a few minutes max (plug it into a computer and check if you can boot from it) as they are a windows shop and have plenty of available, powered on window computers at the ready. They refused to do that for me. So overall, I called them for help, was told they were available, dragged my PC all the way to their store, found out they weren't actually available, and to top it off they wouldn't even verify if my USB installer worked. Actually, to top it off, the USB installer and pretty much all the parts in my PC were bought from that store. Good parts, good prices, piss poor service. read more

So I came in to return a motherboard that I was not satisfied with because it didn't seem to work right with my video card. one of the employees then takes the mother board and fidgets with the box its in. he opens the bag the mother board was in and tries to put the cpu protector back on.. he puts some stuff on top of it and sticks some wires that were in a bag ontop of the box. he forces it closed. after 20 minutes of walking around the store the employee comes over and tells me that the CPU connections are bent and that they don't accept returns on broken merchandise. Livid. I tell him that he must have broke it with how he was carelessly shoving things into the box. goes on to tell me theres nothing the store can do and that I can contact the manufacturer but that it would take a month for me to get it back and that they'd charge me 150$ to send it in. thanks for the 300$ useless motherboard that you broke. Truly the worst electronics store I've ever been to. They make fry's look like heaven for customer service. not to mention they wasted my time and provided no help at all. I hate these people so much. read more

I'd give them 6 stars, if Yelp would let me. They usually have better prices than Newegg, Fry's or Amazon and they are _LOCAL_. Their staff has always gone above and beyond for me and have enabled me to build my dream custom liquid cooled PC. Candy, really helped me out by transferring the RAM I wanted from their Sunnyvale store up to SF. This saved me time, a long drive and gas! Vincent gave me some great tips on where to look for some custom liquid cooling components and I'm on my way to a fully custom hard line system. Again I can't emphasise enough how helpful, kind and knowledgeable their staff members' are. I've bought a Titan Xp GPU, ROG Rampage VI Extreme Motherboard, 128GB of Samsung RAM, and 12 Corsair Maglev fans from them. I believe it's important to support local businesses, you should too! read more

I'm an IT consultant. For around 20 years, Central Computers in San Francisco has been my go-to store for whatever hardware, parts, and accessories I need for my clients and my own computers and network. They have such a variety of stuff in stock, from drones to monitors to every manner of cable, motherboards, cases, power supplies, network switches...whatever I need at any given moment they usually have choices for it. Prices are competitive with internet-only outlets. They can order specialty items, also at very competitive pricing. They also support corporate and government clients in the area. Sometimes I have pretty esoteric technical questions. There's usually someone there who's up to speed on the latest technologies who not only understands what I'm talking about, but can answer off the top of their head. That's way faster than googling it. Before pandemic time, I often saw the people in there helping "normal" customers who didn't know too much about computers. They're straight up with those customers too, which is nice. I've also seen some customers try to game them or screw around in various ways; I don't recommend trying any of that crap at Central Computers, it just wastes everyone's time and they don't get away with it. Because I've always been very clear and transparent with them, my customer support experience has always been great. The manager, Candy, is really on top of things and very helpful always. Harris, Sam, and really everyone on the staff there is great to deal with as far as I'm concerned. Central Computers is bay-area wide, they have a number of locations, so they're solid. As of now, it's unfortunately not allowed for customers to come in and browse, but you can place your orders online and go pick it up, or just walk up to the door and talk to someone without going in. Highly recommended. read more

I miss Frys but Central has a pretty good electronics selection. They have many products so I appreciated the staff helping to find stuff for me and answer product questions. Maybe I was unlucky but the products I looked at were kind of mixed up like solder equipment and some didn't show prices. They checked prices for me but that's a time waster. I just want to grab what I need and go because of the parking meter. read more

Hands down the best service I have had regarding computers !! So I brought in my 8/9 year old iMac I know I know smh this is pathetic trying to fix or repair this, everyone reading is thinking if this guy can afford a iMac you can afford to buy a new one & you are correct. I built my own PC for gaming and it is beast mode ! Ok back to this iMac so along time ago the HDD broke on it when it was 2 years old & I took it to Apple, Apple fixed it no problem. The iMac has ran perfectly for the last 6 years & since I built my own pc I decided to be a good son and give the iMac to my mom who's 64 so she can watch YouTube and play free games, well I set the iMac to factory settings totally deleting every trace of Pornhub & Xtube because I don't want my mom having a heart attack thinking she's clicking on ( Island builder 3 ) and next thing you know ( Once you go black 9 ) starts up... How embarrassing would that be for me. Jk I don't care she's old and has 3 baby daddies she knows what's up !?!?!? Ayyyeeeeee Mom Anyhow drive to Vacaville and set up the iMac for her I put her name as a user so she could feel like she was a Saleforce employee sitting at her computer desk & rolling my homemade tortillas at the same time... A week goes by and the hard drive fails BOOOOOO, called these folks took it in on a Saturday & they had it fixed in 2 days flat ! Went from a 1TB HDD to a 512 SSD mom didn't need the storage because she doesn't download porn but if she does hmmmmm I wonder what she would download ???? Fiesta gangbang 2 or something like that, anyhow THESE PEOPLE ROCK AND IT WAS INEXPENSIVE read more

Went here twice and had pretty good service. Picked up an adapter then replaced my hard drive for more storage space. Doubled my storage $150 done that day with all dada transferred over. They are not the warmest bunch of people but heck who is now of days. They did good by me - I will use them again. read more

Central Computers - Repair Area - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - San Francisco, California

No doubt about it, with a large selection, reasonable prices, knowledgeable staff, Central Computer is the best source in San Francisco (outside the Internet) for buying computer parts. Central Computer has received some knocks for its service. I can see how, but I don't think it's totally fair. Service is actually OK, it's just not American. The staff knows their merchandise inside and out and will take the time to help you. But few speak English as a native language and most have the brusque attitude of say a Hong Kong shopkeeper. You won't get a warm Nordstorm's style greeting. You might not even get eye contact. But (at least in my experience) if you are willing to grab someone by the lapels (metaphorically, of course) and say "Look, guy, this is what I want to do. Can you help me?" you'll be surprised by the amount of time, effort and knowledge you'll get back. read more

I've had some good experiences in the past with C.C. building custom computers for my music studios, which is the only reason that I will be as fair and accurate as possible with my review despite my high level of frustration with this business. By day I run a support department for a software company, and we usually order parts from Amazon to build our own machines for new hires. We've been adding more new techs than usual this year, so I said, "hey guys, I know a cool computer store just around the corner." There was some push back from some of my coworkers, but eventually we went and picked up an HP tower for a new hire there about 2 months ago. The idea was to support a local business and also have the ability to get the machine serviced quickly if we had an issue. 10 days ago, this plan went awry when the computer they had sold us went dead in the middle of the new tech doing an installation. "Don't fear", I said, Central Comp is right around the corner and they'll take care of you. We brought the computer over and were sure to indicate that we had purchased it there, filled out the form with our company name and they took possession of it to diagnose. They called us 2 days later and left a message stating that we would have to take the issue up with HP, that the motherboard was fried and they didn't have it in stock. They charged the tech who picked it up $30 and sent him on his way. I called back and politely expressed my concerns, that we had bought this computer from them to try and deal locally and that this experience seemed to be in contrast to my prior good experiences there. The gentleman told me that "I should have bought one of their custom built PCs" and that "HPs are crap." I reminded him that he sold it to us and still have them on the floor in their store. He then became dismissive of me. He refused to refund the $30 that he admitted should be waived for machines that were purchased there because he said that hadn't been made clear when it was dropped off. I know for a fact that it was made clear, and I have a receipt for the workstation, but he refused to refund the $30 fee anyway. At this point I told him that we'd be taking our business elsewhere for future machines (I'm needing to buy more as I type this) and he said, "that doesn't matter" and hung up on me! As I mentioned, I run a support department, and I've never EVER had a tech hang up on a customer no matter how unreasonable or abusive they might have become. This experience spoke volumes to me about how they value their customers.. As much as I hate pumping even more money through Amazon and out of local shops in the city, I won't go back. -Adam read more

Originally this review was about 4 pages long, but it's just simply best to say: Very unprofessional and rude. I felt completely disrespected. I came in 5 minutes before closing and caught an 2 minute ear full from the jellybelly behind the counter. I purchased the 120GB SSD by OCZ which I'll be returning tomorrow...and have a word with the managers. There was another sales clerk which actually helped me with the purchase, he was very helpful and It's sad that I've got to include him in this review but the reality of it, is I was beyond pissed when leaving that store. NEVER AGAIN ! ! ! read more

I went into Central Computers earlier today, needing help with a complicated situation involving a KVM switch, a Mini Display Port-to-DVI adapter, and a female-to-female DVI adapter. My setup at home, involving the above parts, along with a computer and monitor, was not working properly. Central Computers employee Harris went way out of his way to try and replicate my setup in the store, and thus help me eliminate which pieces in the chain might potentially be causing my problem. This is something you would never get from Best Buy, unless maybe you were paying extra for Geek Squad services. And I doubt the Genius Bar at the Apple Store would have had much luck either, because too much of my issue involved non-Apple parts. Three cheers for Harris and for Central Computers! The next time you're tempted to save two dollars ordering the thing on Amazon, consider buying it from Central Computers instead. Yes, their prices can sometimes be higher, but good, proper computer stores with this level of service and this caliber of knowledgeable employee are a dying breed. If we don't keep them alive, we will all suffer. read more

Central Computer -- a great selection of reasonable to really cheap high quality computer components. Fanless power supplies? They got 'em. Zalmann CPU heat sinks? Yep. Linksys wireless access points, AMD64 CPUs, RAM, etc. There's usually at least one or two major otaku motherboard geeks working in the store who know when you want DDR400 RAM and when slower stuff will suffice. Check their website for their weekly specials. These prices are competitive with Newegg (the online source for computer parts). They occasionally have high-end 250GB drives for the amazing (as of late 2005) price of under $100. They don't carry uniformly high-end stuff -- their networking gear is low-end but servicable (Linksys and Netgear, rather than HP or Cisco). But if you're going to build or upgrade a PC and have a clue, this is the place. They also specialize in building digital audio workstations. This is a fancy name for really quiet PCs with high-end A/D gear for recording studios. This also means that they have lots of quiet PC parts in stock. Not only the Antec fanless powersupply, but also one other competitor. Also passive cooling systems for graphics cards and slow-speed quiet heatsinks for CPUs. I put together an almost silent gaming machine with the gear from Central. I even got the case here. Central Computer's weak point is their returns policy. If you opened the box, they have a 15% restocking fee, even if it's because the part wasn't what you expected. I have only run into this once, and it was because I got a Linksys desktop gigabit desktop switch that turned out to be noisy as hell (louder than some rackmounted gear -- desktop use? I don't think so!). I had to wheedle and plead, and they finally waved the restocking fee. Your mileage may vary. Overall, highly recommended, and a dangerous addiction. read more

My wife's Surface died, no cloud backup, Microsoft store couldn't do anything. Rick at Central rescued the drive from the Surface, making it into an external drive, so we were able to recover her data. All for less than $100 and done that day.. These guys are not only good, they need to raise their prices. read more