I dont really by parts in person but central computers is your go to shop for PC repair. I brought in my custom build (5 years old) because my CPU indicator on my MoBo turned red, and I honestly couldn't figure it out, I thought it might've been the processor that wasn't seating right, thermal paste, chord issues, etc. Central Computers not only did they find the right issue which was some weird faulty reset button in my tower, they made sure to not force the wrong option on me and accidentally sell me a new processor/MoBo/whatever the most common replacement is for the error. They gave me back my computer with diagnostics fee being the only cost I paid (39 bucks at the time!) and she's back in working order! Really appreciated their ability to work around my schedule too. Great job y'all, real computer detectives out here. read more

I'm not a techie person, but I was glad to tag along with my son to this particular expedition! Lol he's making his own computer and needed some specialty parts that he could buy, and physically see in person here at this particular location. The different employees at work here were all incredibly helpful in assisting my son on building his computer, they pretty nerdy, but all in the good way! Lol a lot of items were behind the lock cabinets, but there was an employee behind the counter that could quickly come unlock everything. They had their own private parking lot in the back and prices were basically the same as online my son said, unless you were buying us somewhat used item from a private vendor. So yes, I will come here again to tag along with my son since I do not know how to make my own computer, but he does. He loves this place!! read more

Central Computers - Solid state drives- idk what any of that means... but my son loves this place! Hee - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Came by the other day to pick up a microSD card. Central Computers has 2000s vibes when Fry's was in town. Parking is plentiful in the private lot or on the street. The store is pretty much secured so staff is required to gain access to stuff. Despite a slightly higher price in store, they match prices to their own website. Store inventory is also reflected on the website which is helpful. Staff were wearing uniforms and were friendly. The store was pretty cramped though. read more

Central Computers - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - Santa Clara, California

I had a pretty poor experience with their service department. I recently built a new small form factor PC. For some reason I could not get it to boot as the DRAM led was on so I gave it in for a diagnostic report to this shop. The initial guy I spoke to did not seem like he was interested at all in his job. He kept pouting and just looked very unhappy being there. Overall custom service was pretty subpar nor friendly. Regardless, he checked me in and told me the estimate was 2 days. After numerous checkins, I finally got a response from a women a week later. Thankfully, she was friendly and overall much better to speak to than the first guy. However, I was told my CPU had bent pins and that my motherboard did not work but they did not know why. This is a 9800x3d (an AM5 CPU) which has no external pins exposed and I did not see any visible damage on it at all. The die is flat. Anyways, I was suspicious so I just bought a new motherboard, updated the bios, let the thing memory train for 10 seconds and low and behold the DRAM light went away and I saw a BIOS screen. Thankfully I did not buy a new CPU which clearly was not needed. Overall, I wasted a week and 30 dollars just to end up with incorrect information. I should have just bought a new motherboard and called it a day from the get go. Attached a pic of what the back looks like when I mean there are no exposed pins. read more

Central Computers - Standard back size of an AM5 cpu. - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Everyone! I've been using central computers for many years and their service is absolutely awesome! Their sales staff is knowledgeable and friendly and accommodating! Their tech staff is the best! Every one of them! Kudos to Susan she's helped me a lot also! I've had four computers custom built there! Two most recently during the start of the A.I. revolution! They have a lot of items and hardware that you can't find anywhere else, as well as a great selection of millennium new wave gear, hardware and ready made systems! And also special little convenience items you'll not find anywhere else! If they don't have it (which is highly unlikely) the other Bay Area stores can assist you or even transfer between stores! Great job Central! The tech store! Both my computers are putting like cats, and they have strong large and small business services! Great job! Thanks Central! read more

My previous experience with Central Computers has been OK, but today's experience was far from satisfactory. I came in to buy an NVR. They had a Unifi NVR in stock for $299.99. This product had good reviews even though it was a little long in the tooth (old). I don't have Unifi or Ubquiti cameras. So I asked the salesperson if the NVR would work with my cameras (Amcrest). He turned to his expert who assured him it would work. So, I bought the unit and took it home. I also bought an 8 TB WD Purple drive to put into the NVR. Total = $600+ for 10 minutes work. I carefully unboxed the NVR and the disk and inserted the drive in the bay. This was pretty easy. I downloaded the Unifi app and got started with registering and getting a login/account. But then I hit the wall: using non-unifi cameras! It was not going to be a simple procedure. It required me to go to some external site and download instructions on how to create a cam-proxy. This is not what I expected or wanted. So, I packed up everything and took it back to the store on Lawerence Expwy. The product had not been out of the store for more than 12 hours. They wanted to know who told me it would support Amcrest cameras. He said we always tell customers it only works with Ubiquiti and Unifi cameras. NO It was you! You are the expert the salesperson went to. He made a lam excuse that he thought the question was about a disk??? Then he proceeded to examine the NVR and claimed that it was scratched in several places. This was bull as I was very careful unboxing and reboxing the unit. This led to a restocking fee. So, I said, you can have your restocking fee, but you have lost a good customer and you will receive a poor review. I used to like Central Computers because I felt I could talk to people who actually used the equipment and knew and understood the issues. I have build more than a few PCs from bare boxes that have worked wonderfully. However, I would not trust the people at Lawrence. read more

Even though it's a chain store, it certainly gives mom and pop computer store vibes. Everything is fairly priced and the staff is really helpful in knowing what to recommend for your needs. read more

I came in to get my diagnostic for my computer which was having problems. When I came in to ask about my computer getting fixed the guy at the front took my computer, told me to pay and didn't say any other words. I was confused so I asked him for more details and he seemed annoyed he had to explain. I came in today to get my computer back and my case glass was scratched, my cpu cooler was unscrewed, my glass case was not screwed right, cables were disconnected, everything was out of place. Then they made me sign a paper saying that I was satisfied when I was not. Horrible experience and would not recommend to anyone. read more

Central Computers - Cooler misplaced and cables unplugged. - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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First of all I want to send a very positive shout out to sales tech Rigel! Thank you so much for your patience and professionalism a few weeks ago ! I had no idea what I was doing when I walked into your store a few weeks ago! But your knowledge eased my concerns and quickly helped me to solve my issue! Didn't even know that Central computers.com existed until I was referred to you by one of your competitors! You definitely have the respect of other companies who deal with issues of the Tech.!! I will definitely be referring your services to my neighbors and personal friends! And I will definitely be returning for any and all tech related issues I may need in the future! Thanks again Rigel! Take care and keep up the good work! This former United States Marine is very impressed with your professionalism, insight and expediency! Thanks again and peace out for now!!!! Semper Fi!!!! read more

I dropped off my computer for repair three weeks ago, based on their estimate that it would take 1-2 weeks to complete. When I followed up at the two-week mark, I was told it would just be a couple more days. We're now going into the third week, and I still have no idea when the repair will be finished. What's most frustrating is the complete lack of communication from the shop. Not once have they provided an update on the status of my repair; I've had to initiate every single check-in myself. This kind of service is unprofessional and inconsiderate, especially when customers are relying on their devices for school and personal use. I expected better based on their initial assurances, but unfortunately, they have not delivered. I wouldn't recommend this business to anyone who values transparency or timely service. read more

Went back in 2 more times, once to drop off the PC, and once to pick it up again. A total of 7 times. They said some pin was broken on the motherboard that's why it wasn't working, and had to replace.. Pretty sure one of the pins got pushed in when they were originally installing. My question is when I specifically said the usb is broken and I get a call saying it's fixed and checked and verified. But it was not... makes me question how were they able to check and verify. Visited 7 times and no compensation other than waiving the installation fee. 1x - Visited to pick out parts for computer 2x - Got my computer and generally happy, fixed ssd by myself 3x - Realized getting a bunch of power kernal errors and frequent freeze and restarts so brought it back in. 4x - went in after over 8 days of silence to check status 5x - went in to pick up computer again, turned out they messed up on installation, got my installation fee waived 6x - usb error still happens, went in again to drop off computer 7x - picked up computer. Warranty is one month, but I've left the computer there for over 10 days. read more

Good service - I got a broken screw on the main board and they helped me to remove the screw.

Dropped off my desktop here after I woke up one day, and found the thing kept crashing non stop. After taking everything apart and followed through multiple youtube, and google advised for a couple of days, I ended up just seeking help from this place. After dropping off my pc, and the initial assessment fees, i think it took them 1 week to resolve it. They did said that they were super busy, and i think it took them about 2 more days after I called to check in to resolve it, and asked me to come pick it up. Originally they thought it was the ddr5 RAM, but i have been using these RAM without any issue at default setting for 4-5 months. At the end of it all, they told it was the cmos battery. They replaced the cmos, and the system is now stable. Never would i have thought of this, and none of the youtubes folks ever mentioned this. PC repair folk on youtube needs to do better mang. Anyway, after i brought the pc back, everything was super stable. All of my spec are still the same. I went ahead, and swapped out the amd gpu w the nvidia one. Enabled DOCP, and everything was still stable while gaming. There was no additional fees besides the $29 assessment fees to have this issue resolved. Communication was good, I called in to check up, and they did called me back, and explained the process, and detail. Good service. read more

Central Computers - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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The computer techs were ready to help me fix my PC. It was great to have staff keep me updated with my PC and it was fixed so it was great read more

Central Computers - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Ordered a custom PC online. Its almost impossible to get a GPU at msrp these days, so I was happy that I could get a PC prebuilt with the GPU of my choice (RTX 3070). The order took about 3 weeks to process because of the obvious shortage in GPU supplies. The team here was very good at communicating the status of my order (phone and email). The pickup process was pretty simple. Overall I'm very happy with the build. I gave it a 4 star because they installed Windows when I had opted not to have it installed in my online order. Had to pay ~$100 for that. read more

Central Computers - RTX 3070 - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - Santa Clara, California

I have purchased a couple mid-level performance computers from Central Computer in the past year, and had a fairly smooth experience finding the computer system we were looking for, even when they had less stock due to the component shortages. In the past year, the decline of cryptocurrency has finally led to high end graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD such as the 30xx GTX series coming down to reasonable prices and are now much easier to find in stock. Fortunately, I sourced and assembled a cutting edge system with an AMD 5950x and Nvidia 3090 RTX on an MSI x570 Godlike motherboard just before the big price spike, but it's been a relief to see things changing for the better on the GPU front. On this visit, I brought a friend to Central Computer because I thought with the variety of pre-built computers and customer service would make it a smooth experience. He was 100% going to purchase a computer to replace an older system that had broken down at a sports bar. Instead, the staff seemed to move away from us when we were looking toward them for assistance. When we walked to the service desk, the man who was there mumbled something and then left. When we asked a question about where there were additional pre-built computers, one of the staff members pointed toward a section where there were only monitors and components. I only saw one or two i5 and i3 systems in our budget range between $1,000 to $1,500. We couldn't find out if they had any better options because they didn't make any suggestions to us, much less come out from behind the counter to help. At that point, we looked at each other and got the vibe that the staff there that day was not interested in making a sale to us. So we left. While I always try to support local storefront businesses over online shops and franchise businesses headquartered who knows where, there was much wider variety of pre-built computers and much friendlier staff down the street at Best Buy at Santana Row. We picked a pre-built computer with an i7 CPU and an Nvidia 1660 GTX for about $1,100 and bought it 20 mins after we walked out of Central Computer. I hope their selection and service returns to the level that I experienced in the past. read more

I just heard a student ask an employee about Wi-Fi cards and adapters. He told them they didn't have what he was looking for. About 20 minutes later they start shit talking all about his question and how "don't they teach these kids anything these days in school?" "They just take a class so they can get the ba/mb." "What do they learn?? Java is so dead now C++ barely anyone..." and then rambles. I'll use Amazon no problem I'm noob at this so I think now that I've heard that I'm done with place. Edit: I know what I hears and they were talking about the student in complete disregard that he was still there. The long brown hair with glasses even awkwardly made himself sound superior in the mock scenario.. And even if they were talking about themselves was that really appropriate to talk shit about students now in society in general??? Is that a real good image for a dying breed of tech specialty stores we need to keep alive? Youth brings our community together yet here our students in San Jose are ONLY going for their BA/MA and they know nothing. Thanks! read more

Central Computers is a resilient computer parts store. Other retailers like Fry's Electronics and Surplus Computers went bust and somehow Central Computers survived. I love how I can walk into a store and get the items right there and find stuff I didn't know I needed. (i.e. RGB cases/fans/keybards) It is not possible to hear how loud a fan is or how much air is pushed by a 200mm fan online. The prices here are competitive and they have stuff in-stock where they are sold out online. For example, I saw a 6GHz i9-13900KS 24 core CPU in stock. Some stuff like a 5.7 GHz Ryzen 9 7950x 16 core is $590 at Central Computer but is only $542 on Amazon. But if you buy the CPU and a motherboard at Central, they will take -$80 off the CPU and -$35 off the motherboard (-$105 total.) Not bad at all. If something screwed up on my computer, I've always had a positive connotation with Central Computers and their employees because I can fix it that day without delays. Don't have to wait for parts to arrive online. Love the selection of cat6 cables. Good job Central Computers! read more

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Shout out to Norman who got our PC working!! We decided to build a PC around a 4090 graphics card from Best Buy and got everything else (minus the CPU, 2TB M.2, and graphics card from BB) from here with help from Rohan. Prices are fair, about consistent with Amazon, don't mind paying the price diff to support local. This store is also awesome because it's a physical store with actual people who know about PCs. Took a whole day to put everything together, booted up, but there was no video. We went back here to see if they could help troubleshoot the problem. Norman instantly was able to pinpoint our problem back to the CPU, he took it out and lo and behold: it was a faulty CPU from BB that we had bought *new* in store. LESSON LEARNED - stuff from BB is susss. Unfortunately, the next day we experienced games freezing on start-up, wasn't able to run anything, so we brought it back, with some troubleshooting we're *pretty* sure it was the graphics card (if you'll recall, we ALSO got this from BB...), as putting in CC's (low-end) card was able to run the same game it crashed consistently on. We ended up getting a graphics card here. We also did a BIOS update which SEEMS to have fixed all the problems. Fingers crossed!! read more

Horrible online fulfillment!!! Do not buy anything online from Central Computers!!!! Purchased items that were in stock and even called to verify that they were pulling the quantity I ordered from their other stores. Was told yes they had them and were going to have them both shipped to the store to ship to me. Fast forward a few more days and no shipping confirmation. Called again and now they are only able to send me 1 of the 2 I needed. Pretty much sums up that nobody did anything and sold the items in store instead of shipping my order. Buy elsewhere!!!!' read more

Today I want to thank Ethan for providing excellent service and support. He fixed the problem I had with my computer and did a very attentive job. I also want to thank Craig for the customer service. You guys are amazing! read more

rigel was very helpful, A+, they did a great job making me feel more comfortable with the store and their customer service was amazing!! ask for rigel!!! gold star read more

Came by here to get parts for my pc. Staff was super helpful. Will definitely come again.

A buddy of mine texted me to tell me they had Nvidia 30XX series video cards in stock in store only. I was surprised and elated to see these cards in person for the first time after trying to buy one for over a year due to supply shortages. I was even more elated by the excellent customer service by their friendly, honest and knowledgeable staff! I was assisted by Jack, a professional who really knew the details of computer parts, especially graphics cards. He explained the subtle differences between the choices, along with honest and straight forward assessment of the market and how it affected pricing. Ultimately I bought a 3070 TI and a Keychron tenkeyless mechanical keyboard . Ultimately I could not possibly be happier with my shopping experience, and highly recommend anyone come here who is interested in high end computer gear. read more

Central Computers - EVGA NVIDIA 3070 TI Keychron K3-E3 - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - Santa Clara, California

+ Everything is really well priced + They basically have everything you need for your computer + Store is clean and organized + Great Black Friday deals - Only has computer stuff Yeah shoutout to Elijah for showing me this place. This place is basically your one stop shop for computer parts. On black friday, i bought my GPU, CPU, SSD, and thermal paste for my build from here. It has some stuff that Fry's Electronics doesn't, and a wide selection too. That said, it isn't your typical comprehensive Electronics store, it specializes in computers, so you won't find stuff like games and anime here, for example. read more

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Used to love this store! Great selection of products, friendly staff, perfect place to buy any components business or personal. Unfortunately, they recently changed the policies (sorry "now enforce"). We were waiting to check out and a staff member said "you have to check your bags" my wife (small purse) never lets it out of her sight, and was basically told that you had to check it out or leave (this was in the checkout line). Treating every customer as if they are shoplifters doesn't make a store feel welcoming. Very bummed since we used to frequent the shop pretty regularly and have referred countless friends and businesses over :( read more

I came with my girlfriend to pick out parts for her first build. It was spontaneous and we also saw that they had gpus in stock so we decided to just come in. We were a little nervous and intimidated because everyone seemed so busy, but Derek approached us and assisted us in the best way possible. I used to work in consumer electronics and IT so I was fairly knowledgeable on what parts to look for but I also wanted input from an associate. Derek went above and beyond our expectations and was so helpful by not only finding the parts together, but also educating us on specifications and providing his personal opinion. This no longer felt like I was talking to a sales person but instead a specialist. I brought up that this Central Computer location is much more friendlier and provides way better service than the one in East Bay. My girlfriend and I were weary on going to another Central Computers because all of the associates at the East Bay location ignored us or didn't seem to want to work. Derek and another staff member expressed their apologies and assured me they will provide feedback to the manager at the other location. Derek helped us load in all the components into our car and was just the friendliest person to work with us. We were super happy to finally have all the parts to build a pc, but we were even more happy that Derek helped us. Im not sure if Derek is a lead or manager but I sure hope he and the other associates get paid well for the service they provide. I will for sure be returning to purchase any components in the future. You guys definitely scored a loyal customer! read more

Central Computers - We were super excited to get this since it is almost impossible to get a GPU at this time. - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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I had to get a work laptop (lenovo thinkpad) fixed due to a fan issue. The fan was making ungodly noises that sounded like a fly was getting zapped with the electric fly killer. I came in before Christmas and they said that their technicians wouldn't be back til after Christmas which is understandable! December 26th - They called me and said that they have to order a new part and it would cost XX amount. Okay, I'll bite. They ordered it and they fixed it. They quote me $189 including the initial inspection so fine. A bit expensive but its a work laptop and needed to get it done. They ended up calling about 3-4 days later saying its ready for pickup! Great turnaround time as I didn't know they could get the part and fix it that fast. I came in after the new year, got my laptop, paid the fees and was on my way. They make laptop repairs easy and have quick turnaround time. They do have steep prices for fixes so if it's too expensive, might just buy a new laptop. This store has a lot of services and parts to order. You can buy refurbished laptops, headphones, keyboards, gpus, cpus, and everything computer related. I would come here for personal laptops if i was extremely desperate. read more

They just fix stuff right. Click away blows chunks. They fixed a rig I didn't have time or parts to troubleshoot. Will return again and again. read more

They know their stuff, AND they have a great attitude while helping out. Huge shout out to Edoin who helped us fix our gaming machine. It was an easy fix for him. But it made our day!! This ahighly recommend this place. read more

Central Computers - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Ethan is a very helpful employee. He helped me buy my first keyboard within budget! Told me which ones were good for what I want.

Had a good experience in this store! I've been serviced twice by Ethan and he is super helpful when picking out keyboards. He showed my friend and I what switches we would like based on our preferences. Rang us up and helped us pick objects based on our budget ! Wish they had the switches I wanted in stock though. read more

The store is legit, they have everything and have good pricing. JK helped me today with a keyboard, mouse, back-up drives, ect. He took the time to go over my current build list and he gave me a bunch of recommendations to help me get closer to completing my new white gaming build. Thank you JK for spending almost an hour going over everything and helping me out. I highly recommend this store, great job! read more

Disappointed, do not trust their estimates... I used their service for a lenovo laptop issue. Paid 29$ for diagnosis and was told that 29$ will be returned if I go with them. At the end , decided to do only battery fix as other fixes were more than laptop cost itself and was not worth it. They changed their commitment at pickup and charged 29$ extra instead of using the diagnosis charges against the labor. So, no matter what they use for marketing they can change their position on how they bill you. This lost my trust on them and will not return or recommend them. read more

I was in desperate need of upgrading my computer. Sam responded to my emails within minutes and soon enough he had the invoice ready to go. He updated me when some items were out of stock or when they had restocked on an item I had previously wanted. Derek was the technician that worked on the build and did a fantastic job of fixing up a BIOS issue I had after I had made some changes on the RAM speed. I had the PC ready to go within a week of placing the order. They're very busy so I consider myself lucky for getting it sooner than expected. Highly recommend this place for custom builds! read more

Central Computers - An Rtx 3070 with a Ryzen 9500x and castle 360ex and the 011 dynamic case from Lían Li - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - Santa Clara, California

I know central computers has been around for a while now but I don't know why I never went to it. They have pretty much everything you need to build your PC. I was due for a full upgrade and needed parts so I came here. I pretty much had in mind what I wanted already but wanted some input and advice from someone who worked there. So I asked someone and his name was Derrick. The help and recommendations he gave me were fantastic! He was extremely knowledgeable and pointed me in the right direction. There was no upselling or trying to get me to buy this over that and spending more. He was very respectful of what I was looking for and give me great advice on my build. I really appreciated his help and he never once rushed me even though I took about an hour of his time asking questions and having him help me. Thanks Derrick! read more

Central Computers - IT Services & Computer Repair Near Me - Santa Clara, California

I want to update my review and say that Central Computers have done a 360, I haven't been treated poorly anymore, they still aren't the end all be all when it comes to knowledge but they have their strengths, they now carry and limited selection of water cooling supplies which is nice. Customer service at this location has really been great. I am having a hard time thinking of anything else, I'll update this later. read more

if i could give zero stars, i would. their customer service is worse than jack in the box's at 2 am. it's like they don't care if a customer walks out unsatisfied. if they don't have what you're looking for, you're out of luck and don't even bother asking for other options because they obviously don't want to help you. the workers are miserable don't try to accommodate you, like is that not your job? i drove 40 minutes through traffic to get a graphics card, only to find out it was labeled incorrectly on the website and they were out of stock of the one i actually wanted. instead of trying to help me look for different options, they said everything else is "not for individual sale." they also said i could get something shipped from their website, but when i asked, they didn't want to help me ship an item. absolutely pathetic. i'd rather pay extra hundreds of dollars off facebook marketplace than see their sorry faces again. read more

Yet again, Central Computers saved me. I'm on Zoom a lot, so when my webcam died, I quick ordered a Brio 500 from LogiTech (their keyboard has lasted for years). It arrived with a few useless images and the online tech knew nothing about which app to download. QUICK: Central Computers. Susan downloaded the correct app and figured that my hub was not powerful enough. New hub. Within 15 minutes I was on my way. Thanks! read more

Think Fry's Electronics (RIP to them) but with inventory and customer service. Or think Micro Center type inventory but small business type vibe. I literally never knew this place existed until a few months back when on a whim, I did a search here on Yelp for computer stores when we were in the are for a weekend. I was pleasantly surprised when I first stepped foot in this store. It's like computer enthusiast heaven. They have everything you need to start your build at almost any budget point. That first time I went in, I really just meant to look around for 10-15 minutes, and not really buy anything. 45 minutes later I'm walking out with a new x570 motherboard to replace my x470 board. A month later I'm back to buy a new PC Case, PSU, and AIO. This store is dangerous for PC enthusiasts.lol Pricing is fair, in many cases better deals can be had on Amazon or Best Buy on a good day, but the inventory of what they actually have in stock and items that they carry cannot be match by any other brick and mortar store except for a Micro Center. And, you're supporting more local business this way. For those of you that want GPUs, they have GPUs, though for NVIDIA cards, most if not all of the higher tier cards are available only in a bundle and not standalone. And, as is the market these days, cards are sold for marked up market value vs MSRP, which is not to be unexpected. For those who want to pick their own parts they also have a build it for your service. You pick they build. If you're into PCs, if you're looking to get into PCs, or you're looking for wires, connectors, or niche items, there's a good chance you'll find it here. Long story short, it's like 90's era Fry's Electronics in terms of cool, interesting, and quality inventory, but without the crowds, poor customer service, and the smoke and mirrors decor. read more