This is my first experience at Central Computers. I had heard commercials on the radio about this place, and since I was in the Hillsdale area, I decided to stop by and see what it was all about. The design of the store is very straight-forward, and everything is labeled clearly. I like the hardwood floor touch, makes for a not-so sterile looking environment. The store was on the quiet side too which I appreciated. Hate talking to salesmen over the noise of loud stereos, computers, home theater systems, crowds, etc. The price of items seem quite comparable to what you'd find online, with the exception of a few things. The one thing I did not like was the selection in some departments, or lack thereof. Very limited brand-wise as far as computer hardware is concerned, but it's definitely better quality than what's available at your big box electronics stores. I actually did buy a car charger there for my phone. It cost me $15, and well worth it. Feels sturdy and it works for my purpose. The problem was trying to get someone to ring me up, let alone get someone to recognize my presence. Took a little less than 10 minutes to get someone to the cash register to ring me up, not exactly what I'd call good customer service, especially considering I was one of three customers in the store; and there were definitely more than three employees there. Either way, my first experience had its high and lows. I will probably go again and give it another shot if I'm in the area. read more

Just horrible services. Called for some questions about windows 7 purchase and the tech rep was rude and just not willing to help. Go to best buy you get your money worth... read more

The customer service helped me find great parts for my PC and everyone there was extremely nice, 5 star review.

I am a fairly sophisticated computer user and my desktop started slowing down and was using memory up. I brought it to Central Computers and they diagnosed it to have a bad hard drive, bad memory and a faulty graphics card. The recommendation was for a new computer. My fear was that I had tons of apps and short cuts and setups on my old computer that would be lost with a new one. Josh assured me that he could clone my old computer and my new one would have all the settings from the old one. I was skeptical (this isn't an iphone). Josh was correct the cloning process worked perfectly and my new computer is fast and runs great! The cloning and set up is why you should buy your next computer or laptop from Central Computers. Josh will take care of you. read more

Bottom line is: I paid $59, nothing is fixed, and had rather poor service. - Unfriendly service. At least the dude who I happened to work with seemed totally annoyed having to serve customers, and seems to have an issue to verbally communicate beyond an initial 'hello'. - I signed up for diagnose. They did more - updated some drivers, apparently - and charged me another $30: without even asking. Glad they didn't change the MB just like that and charged me a few $100! Driver updates didn't fix what very apparently is a HW problem (the boot-process doesn't even kick-in). So I am not surprised that the problem still persists. Bad thing is, I have no idea where to go next for that sort of issue :( read more

Helpful service, good selection, good prices Almost 10 years ago I had a problem with a server. I called around everywhere and could not find a replacement motherboard for it, even from the company that I purchased it from initially (Hint: another Bay Area Computer store). I finally found one at Central Computers, and when I phoned and mentioned that I might not make it there before closing, one of the salespeople stayed late to make sure I got my motherboard and was able to work on the server that night. That's what sold me, and their great service and wide product line keeps me coming back. They will help you get the parts you need to repair your problems, and if you get stumped you can even have them help you out. If you buy a motherboard and CPU, they will even do a test post in the shop before you take it home if you like, so you know it works. Their prices are good and there are no shipping charges. You get instant gratification because you leave the store with what you want, and if they don't have stock in the morning, they can usually transfer your items from another store before the end of the business day. You have to watch a bit on the non-name brand stuff, remember, you get what you pay for and if you buy a cell phone charger for $1.50 it's still going to be a $1.50 cell phone charger, no matter where you get it from. Overall I love this place and will continue to go there. read more

Went here cause I read some good reviews. I have something buggy in my laptop that wasn't there before an upgrade. It's driving me nuts that it won't function as it did. Central Computers spent some time and took a look, and I thought they'd resolved it (so did they) but sure enough the problem persists. Gave it 3 stars cause I think they did their best. read more

I called Central Computers (San Mateo) with a power supply problem / question for my Dell laptop. They were helpful on the phone, so I took it in for a diagnosis. I had talked to Nick on the phone, and he was also who helped me in the store. Very polite and very helpful. He diagnosed my laptop's issue/problem; offered a solution; sold me what I needed (at a good price); and I was on my way in 15 minutes or so as a very happy (and grateful) customer. : ) read more

Central computers did not uphold their very own first come first serve rule. I've come in multiple times and been to their other locations which have upheld the first come first serve rule. For this specific location on their "display/pickup shelf" it said "hold until end day" in big and bold letters and it was two days after marked/tagged date on the post-it note so I asked the employee working if it was possible to buy that 3080 with the bundles. He said yes and was grabbing it for me when some other dude came by who I assume was his manager telling him not to give it to me and that It was going to be given to someone else instead I was confused and asked who else would it be for if it was an item that was on hold for the end of the day ONLY and he said it was for someone else on the wait list and then proceeds to tell me that I NEED to be on a wait list for a 3080. I then ask him "how do I sign up for a wait list then?" and his response was...."wait list is closed"... I was just very disappointed and upset at that point there were signs everywhere saying its first come first serve and IF you are getting any 3080 series you have to buy it with bundles (which I was planning on building a new pc anyways so I would've bought everything) to come find out I CAN'T get a 3080 that is IN stock and was just on HOLD UNTIL THE END OF THE DAY.(I have had another friend come here and buy a 3080 when that specific dude wasn't there and was able to buy one for his build) (I have built three separate PC's for friends from the other locations in San Francisco and Santa Clara) and they were all with bundle deals meaning you could ONLY get a 3080 if you bought certain items or a full build. TL;DR : Guy didn't want to sell me basically a 3080 with other stuff giving it to someone else on a waitlist that Isn't available. My friend was able to come back and get one with 4 other components when he got the 3080. (which was what I was planning on doing as well) Def recommend other locations compared to this one Santa Clara if possible their service WAAAAAAAY better. read more

Obviously, not the first choice would pick especially when there is Amazon with low prices and fast shipping right to your house. But I was quite surprised when i walked in and check a couple of the items they had were very on par with online pricing. And on top of that, I am a System Administrator and work on a lot of hardware components. So when i need to touch and feel a product before I buy, also just wanting to get that one part right away the same day, they are close by can just swing by and pick up that part i need. I am glad I have this location close by because doesn't seem like Frys is moving here any time soon :) read more

I walked in earlier today looking for a new desktop computer. The store is nicely laid out, brightly lit and has a large inventory. I was in there long enough to wander down every aisle---not one employee bothered to ask what I was looking for! There was (only) one other customer in the store, so it's not like they were overwhelmed--- I'd love to hear their "excuse". I did get VG service there about five years ago. Sigh. Maybe I'll try Fry's on Monday------- read more

I just spoke with Josh about how to use a projector--something they don't sell but even so he took the time to go over usage with me--what great customer service! I'll be in to buy an HDMI cable! read more

Great customer service! I bought the wrong sized screen guard for my iphone. They told me before I bought it that I could not return it after I opened it. But, I didn't know I had the wrong size until I opened it. They totally cut me some slack for me buying the wrong one and promptly let me return it. That's what I call good service! read more

best service you can get for gaming pcs! they have so much in stock you can get really high end parts here with the help of employees with great knowledge on the product! really happy with my first visit here! read more

Paolo and the other workers at Central Computers are great! I stopped in to buy a motherboard because of some mysterious ailment not allowing my system to POST. I had almost bought one when they asked for my symptoms and what I had done to test it out, and said I could bring in my rig so they could test it before I bought the mobo. Turns out, it was both the mobo AND CPU. I decided I'd get the mobo from them at a later date and order a CPU after I'd done some research. They didn't charge me a thing on that first day, as they had not technically solved my issue, even though they pinpointed exactly how to fix it. I then took my rig back to them with the CPU in hand in order to have them help me build it, as previously discussed. After having messed up my build previously, I wasn't taking any chances, and was willing to pay them to do it for me.They let me know that after my first visit, they got a bunch of rigs they needed to build first, so they wouldn't be able to get to mine for a while. However, they were willing to test the mobo I buy off them, which was primarily the part I was concerned about. I have a little experience with building desktops, but I had bent a pin last time, messing up both my mobo and CPU. With them putting in my CPU and pain-in-the-ass CPU cooler, I had very little work to do myself after that. I'm back up and running, and they only charged me for the mobo! In the end, they really helped me a lot with thorough testing and such, spending a decent amount of time on me, only to charge me for the mobo and say "we're happy to help". read more

I love this place. I purchased my lenovox201i laptop + accessories from Central Computers last year-- I talked to Chester at the store who was super friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. This past week I had an issue with the computer & took it in for service-- I was helped quickly, they diagnosed the problem for $30 within a day, fixed it for a reasonable price and got me my computer back in a couple of days as promised. It's running like new. I'll definitely keep shopping here in the future instead of the big box stores because of the excellent service. read more

I have been to this location before, and the service was good, and the on sale $ 45.00 hard drive was hard to beat, but today they did something I just have to acknowledge. I've been working on upgrading a Blackberry 9530 phone, so I went to Central Computers to buy an 8 GB microchip. The girl at the counter tried to help me install it, but couldn't. She then took it to "Phillip" who discovered that there was a piece of old microchip lodged in the media carriage. Phillip whips out some tools and after about 20 minutes, finally removed the old chip, and installed the one I purchased from them. It was on sale, too, marked down to $8.95!! Great service, Thanks Phillip and Staff!! read more

I'd look to other shops for tech help. I needed a 5 minute diagnostic test that I didn't have all the parts for. I called ahead and they said they had the parts and it would be a $29 bench fee. Fine. They were too busy today so could I come in another day. Fine. I came in right at opening. I describe my problem again, and they say yes, they remember my call. They talk to the tech lead and he says he's too busy can I come in on Monday. Fool me once shame on you, but I'm not stupid, I'm not playing the same game and pissing away more time. Its a five minute test. The whole point of the test is to avoid mailing the parts off to the manufacture for testing. Looks like doing so is faster than dealing with a local brick and mortar store. It is the crap service you get at local stores that is kills them. This wasn't my first dealing with these folks. I made the mistake of going to them earlier in the week. I spent at least twenty minutes going through the parts I was looking to buy before any of the employees stopped watching and ever said anything (and as other reviewers point out, the store is quite empty). Once I decided which item to buy, they of course couldn't find the box of parts, so they only have a version that is $20 more to sell. This isn't a busy shop, get your inventory straight. read more

Thought I was a computer genius but it turns out I'm delusional and desperately needed some assistance on some motherboard repair. Central Computers staff was über quick, friendly and didn't make me feel belittled by their intellect on the subject. Fixed me up within 20 mins and even had some great market insight on GPU future releases. Don't see myself going anywhere else for assistance down the road! 5/5 read more

I am very happy for their service with comparable repair price. Don't wasting time and money to go best or any big box store.

This experience was something to tell you about. The Microsoft monsters tried to update Windows 10 and was able to freeze up my computer. I took it in to Central Computers in San Mateo and I want to mention two things. 1. The store personnel were helpful and courteous. The information they gave me was accurate and complete. 2. The big plus was Chris, the Supertech. I am going out of my way to mention this because it is unusual to be able to talk to and explain a problem directly to the person who is going to repair it. When I explained the difficulty, he understood it and had seen it before. He explained what he was going to do and what it would cost (very reasonable). The computer was repaired when it was supposed to be but I had a small problem with getting the mouse to operate. I called Chris back and he remotely fixed the problem in a few minutes. Now everything is working well. This is the best I've been treated in a retail environment for a long time. I hope the management appreciates what an asset Chris is. read more

Staff is smart and friendly. Store is clean and well organized. Varied and deep selection of PC, components and accessories. Also sell hard to find stuff. Repair and custom build services outstanding. I highly recommend the Central Computers. read more

Really great experience ordering parts to build a gaming pc during the Shelter in Place order. I made an online order and picked it up two days later and the staff over the phone helped me pick out compatible parts. The staff also addressed any concerns I had about the parts as it was the first time I built my own gaming pc. Also, the parts were all compatible and I was successful in building it! Definitely going with them over Amazon or other online retailers when I can. read more

Walked in on a late night evening slightly before closing. Needed to pick up some late night items some geekery at my apartment. Luckily these guys were open and nearby. Walked in, knew exactly where to run (oh shhii-- registers closing) grabbed it quick and headed to checkout. No problems, just quick, fast and easy. read more

These guys rock. I left my pc idling in a game, and the next thing I knew, I heard what sounded like firecrackers had gone off. It smelled like something had burned down. My pc wouldn't turn on after that, and fearing the worst, I thought several or all of the major components inside my pc had fried. I took my pc in the next morning and dropped it off to these guys, as I needed to head into work. Much to my delight, within a couple of hours or so, they called me to let me know that all the major components inside my pc were fine, with the exception of the power supply, which had fried. I told them to replace it with a Corsair 1200 watt power supply. Later that afternoon, they called me to let me know that the pc was repaired and ready for pick up. When I went in and picked up my pc after work, they booted up the pc for me to let me know that it worked properly. The Corsair power supply was very reasonably priced - the same as Newegg's. The price of troubleshooting the issue and the installation of the power supply was a very reasonable $59. I couldn't be more pleased with their pricing and their service. I was able to get my pc fixed the same day for a very reasonable price. To top if off, they even carried the pc to my car for me. For all your pc needs, I cannot recommend these guys enough. Friendly and knowledge staff, quick turnaround on repairs, and very reasonably prices. read more

DO NOT COME HERE!!! I have never written one star review before but these guys made my experience with them so miserable that i would never want to go back to them again and would not want the same experience for other customers. I dropped my iphone to them yesterday at 10am in the morning for my iphone speaker got some liquid in it and was not working properly. They said it would be ready by 3pm and i came back at 3pm and it was not there. It was being fixed in another location and could not be delivered on time. They promised it would be ready by 5pm so i came back at 6:30pm and it was not there. They said they forgot and the other location was already closed. They said they would deliver to me by 9:45am the next morning (today) and it is 10:30am and not even an email from them. My husband called and yelled at them and they said they will deliver by 11am and still no word from them. Terrible services and i am getting really pissed off now. NEVER EVER COME AGAIN!!! read more

Stunningly helpful. I've come here before and bought a cable for my iTouch. Good price; much better than Apple. I have also bought a stylus. Since then I have returned to buy multiple styli or styluses. (I had to look up the plural.) The staff helped me find what I wanted and were always attentive and prompt. Today I was really impressed. The power cord to my laptop charger was broken, and I really didn't want to buy the whole device. I brought in my pieces, and the person sprang up, went over to the rack and searched for the right cord. No luck. "Just a minute," he said and rummaged through a box on the floor. Up he comes with just the right cord and gives it to me. "What do I owe you?" say I. "Nothing," says he. "We want to have loyal customers!" Great service. Great prices. What more can I ask? read more

They had what I needed, then I opened the packaged and noticed I picked the wrong charger and I brought the product with a destroyed package (from me trying to open it) and they exchanged it for the right product. I like this place because its like Fry's, except on a smaller scale and good customer support. read more

my husband took my dell laptop in late january for a "tune-up" - there was nothing wrong, it was just a bit sluggish. he dropped it off on friday morning, they told him it would be ready in two days, on sunday. we called sunday, it wasn't ready, they said to call on monday. we called on monday, it wasn't ready, they said they would call us. we called on wednesday, it wasn't ready, they said it would be ready friday. we called on friday, it wasn't ready. maybe saturday. we called on saturday, it wasn't ready they said it would be ready on sunday. they called on sunday. it was ready. nine days later, seven days late. for some reason, they deinstalled (deleted!) our purchased anti-virus software application. without asking. without permission. if you're looking for a customer-service oriented, "professional" business to work on your computers, i would recommend you look elsewhere. and if you find someone, please let me know, 'cause next time i'll be looking for one, too. read more

Great service. Across the street from work. My go to supply for phone accessories. Great selection

I have been in Central Computers three different times looking for various parts for my custom built PC. The store has a really solid selection of everything PC related, down to a decent variety of case fans and wiring. Their case selection was also surprisingly good, as I did not see any super gaudy, hideous cases that the younger crowd tend to gravitate towards. I was really happy to see some of the higher end graphics cards in stock, as well as other components that enthusiasts would purchase. I'm honestly a big fan of being able to walk into a store and buy something, versus ordering it on Amazon and never leaving the house. Central Computers gives me the option to do exactly this, within five minutes of my home. Unfortunately, of the three times that I have been there, I have never been asked if I could use any help, or greeted in any way shape or form. I have pretty thick skin, but if someone is looking at different types of RAM for 10-15 minutes, I would think an employee should probably ask them if they need some help. Customer service is such an easy thing to get right, especially when you have four to five employees sitting in the large central hub with direct views of the whole store. read more

This is the best computer store in the Bay Area. I buy all my gear here because they have a very knowledgeable staff and great prices.

Very helpful, fast, and nice to work with. My computer would not boot up so I gave them a call. Bring it in! The tech sat down with the machine with me sitting right there and took the computer apart, testing everything he could on the spot. No luck. They'd have to do testing on the mother board and I'd have to leave the machine for a few days. They called today. Yep, dead motherboard. An hour later I carried home the hard drive in an enclosure that they had set to plug into a USB port on another computer. All my data, saved. Cost? A bargain. $29 to do the diagnostics, $15 for the enclosure. Nice. read more

IMO, two kinds of people would like this place: those who like to build a computer from parts that they select, and those who like to buy name brand stuff at good prices. Now gas is so expensive, I rarely go down to Fry's in Palo Alto. This store sells computer components, such as motherboards, graphics cards, hard disk drives, networking gear, and all kinds of cables and accessories. They also sell notebook computers and monitors. I am the kind of customer who does not want to be bothered while browsing around, so I like the staff here; they are polite, but they rarely nag you. If you need help, just ask. They are more available and knowledgeable compared to the staff of a big box store that sells everything. I have been to the San Mateo store a few times, but I don't know them well yet, so I am giving them four stars for now. read more

Service: they had my laptop for 8 days. No calls with an update. I called them, it took 10 minutes to "locate" my laptop and only to report there was some malicious malware corrupting the OS. They told me that when I dropped off the laptop. I went back to pick up my laptop and they refunded the diagnostic charge without argument. Obviously they never look at it after I left. Oh, how the mighty have fallen! read more

Recently, my entire digital world was saved by a computer wizard and genius named Chris Vincent at Central Computers. I am forever grateful for his vast knowledge and almost-magical expertise in resurrecting ALL of my data from a blue-screen-of-death situation ... then creating an elegant custom computer for me which runs effortlessly and meets all of my needs. Chris's customer service far exceeded my expectations -- and his confidence and kindness gave me relief that there was actually a solution to my gut-wrenching system crash. I cannot give high enough praise for Chris's computer savvy -- he is simply brilliant. I am now a devoted customer of Central Computers and love to spread the word about this gem-of-a -guy on their technical support team! read more

I bought a new computer (custom built) from Central Computers - with a new baby in the family, I didn't want to take the time to build a new one and expected to pay a premium for good hardware and the construction process. The good news is, I got the great hardware but none of the extra cost. The parts were all pretty top of the line, and price comparisons with other online stores showed the prices were comparable (or in some cases cheaper) than good reputable stores like newegg. Likewise, I got good in-person advice from the techs and store clerks, and the assembly price was very low. Finally, when my home computer kicked the bucket and I called to ask if they could expedite the build process, they not only finished it for me THAT DAY but also charged me only a tiny amount for the rush. They had it ready to go a full week ahead of time and the topline charge was barely changed. Seriously, I cannot recommend these guys enough. They're fantastic. read more

I call this store at 5:30 to put this hard drive on hold. I told them I'm on my way from redwood city and will be there around 6pm. I'm there 6 on the nose and it's locked with at least 4 managers inside. They ignore me so they don't have to complete anymore transactions. Guess they value their time more than their customers... read more

Bottomline: poor customer service and lack of professionalism at the San Mateo location - going back to Fry's. I'm in the IT business with multiple customers around the Bay Area so I have to make local purchases all the time. I go to Fry's and Central Computer at multiple locations. Since this location was closer to home I decided to try it - big mistake. After my last experience there I've tossed my Central Computers Preferred card and emailed their corporate office. I returned a $100 Cisco router that I bought for a customer/friend. She was the victim of the Cisco Connect Cloud firmware update (google it - big mistake by Cisco). I returned the router and they charged me a 15% restocking fee even though the router I purchased on 6/18 will no longer let me get into the admin interface unless I sign-up and go through Connect Cloud. I also filed a case with Cisco which is a joke because there is no real resolution. Check out the T&Cs at Connect Cloud that lets Cisco cut off your internet access if they feel you are "inappropriately" using their router!?! read more

This place is fantastic!! Windows would not open on my desktop; it just kept cycling, acting like it would open but then it would go back to the opening screen. I had this problem once before and took it to another repair place. The other place said they had to re-install Windows, and they kept it for 2 weeks and charged me a lot of money. Central Computers said they could get my computer back to me in 2-3 days. Two hours after I brought my computer in, they called and said it was fixed. Just a bad sector on the hard drive. They only charged me $59, much less than I paid to have Windows re-installed at the other place. A couple weeks later, I brought my laptop in because it needed a new DC jack. In a couple days, they called and said it was ready. They were having a sale on laptop repair, so I got a $20%. I have found all the employees here to be extremely helpful and polite. The service is fast and efficient. I'm giving it 5 stars! read more