I'm a hardcore gamer. And like a lot of hardcore gamers in the Philippines there was a time when I…read moredidn't have the time to blow my cash on a great rig to play the games that I want. There are plenty of computer cafes out there that lets me play games with a high speed internet connection and a good rig. Most of them come off as generic and don't really give off a unique vibe to them, not Minesky Infinity though. The thing that makes Mineski Infinity unique is that it wasn't started by people who looked at it solely from a business oriented perspective. The people who started Minesky Infinity are a group of students who were themselves hardcore gamers. Their internet cafes are basically made by hardcore gamers, for hardcore gamers, of hardcore gamers. Everything is great. Sure you won't be using products from the likes of Razer, but their keyboard and mice are of great quality. They have headphones that do a good job of bringing a level of sound and comfort I wish I'd get more often from other internet cafes. they clean their equipment regularly and replace the ones that are broken. Given just how well some kids treat internet cafe equipment I'd say that's a massive plus for Mineski Infinity. To date, I haven't found a internet cafe franchise that handles its business as well as these guys do. Sure there are probably cafes that are as good, if not better, but none of them have the presence that Mineski has. It is the gold standard of internet cafes so far as I'm concerned.

Silicon Valley is a computer and technology specialty store, wherein almost all gadgets and…read morecomputer needs could be found. What I like about Silicon Valley is that they have great service, starting with their very helpful staff who assists us in our questions, and still being polite if we did not find what we need and therefore did not buy anything after a series of questions. USBs, computer monitors, printers, headphones, computer accessories, MP3 players, phones, and many more!

The reason why I love the PC Express in Market! Market! is the size of the store in this branch…read more It's one of the biggest PC Express stores I've seen yet. There are so many stuff, brands and stock to choose from - rows of laptops, desktops, a variety of computer mouses, IT parts, and even mobile devices and accessories. Whatever electronics device or computer accessories you want to buy or anything technology related really, you can find here. My big brother who is a huge tech junkie spends hours here looking for the perfect items he needs either for work or personal use. My family and myself have bought computers, software devices, gaming stuff, headphones, and many more here and they are always in great condition and of good quality. Staff is very helpful and knowledgeable so buying stuff there isn't difficult at all. Also look out for sales, discounts and promos if you want to save money.

When you've landed on Gilmore and you're being harrassed by store staff out on the street, all you…read morejust really want to do is find a safe haven in the land that will offer you peace and security in this dog-eat-dog world. And then you'll find yourself at PC Options. PC Options is a store that's easy to spot in the tumult of Gilmore as it's set apart from the rest of all the computer and laptop-dedicated buildings across it. What's odd about it is that they have two separate stores beside each other, both under the PC Options brand--I haven't exactly figured out what the difference is, though I think one's more on the hard drives and and more delicate stuff, while the other's more on the accessories like mouses and headphones and things of that nature. Clearly I know nothing about computers. But what's so good about PC Options is that they do make you feel so secure even if you don't know shit. I was looking for an external hard drive and my friend Lara, who also doesn't know computers, suggested the place, and I understand why. You just feel like you're getting your money's worth and not getting bamboozled, since everything looks so nice and professional. Hell, they have their own security guards for *both* stores and have a proper queueing system to get and pay for what you need. I'm not sure that other shops in the area have the same measures, and I don't think I want to find out. I'll just stick with PC Options.

I go to Octagon when I want to browse through computer equipment without anyone bothering me. Since…read moreit's such a large store and feels closer to a grocery than a computer shop, you can wander the aisles without some nosy salesperson constantly tailing you or pushing products in your face. Of course, they have all the basics around. Laptops and desktops, bags and cases, mice and peripherals. They're also one of the few shops in the SM Cyberzone that has computer components and spare parts - perfect for when you work in Ortigas and your laptop suddenly breaks down (this has actually happened to me). With the size of the store, the odds of you finding what you need are slightly higher than the smaller stores; and if you're lucky, they will have more than one brand for that product. They may not be the cheapest in Megamall, but they are the most convenient.

I have a laptop for replacement and the day after, they gave me a new unit. Kudos to the management…read moreand their care for the customer in Octagon megamall!

Believe it or not, there are people who wake up some Saturday afternoons (who the heck wakes up…read moreearly on a weekend anyway?), and say, "I'm going to upgrade my PC today!" I should know, because I'm one of them. In fact, back in 2012, I changed out my entire PC motherboard, processor, video card, and memory. To those of you who aren't PC-savvy, I basically bought an entirely new "box", meaning the casing and everything in it. And which shop did I go to do it? Dynaquest PC, a medium-sized business that has four branches to date. I went to their branch near Cash & Carry Mall & Supermarket. Dynaquest PC comes highly recommended by a friend of mine who buys his upgrades and gadgets from them quite often. I can understand why, because their stocks are great and their work is topnotch. What I mean by their "stocks are great" is that they usually have the most popular and durable components in-store; what I mean by "topnotch" work, is that they are excellent in putting together an entire PC from separate components, assembling into a compact casing, then wiring it all neatly. This is important, because I usually open the "guts" of my PC myself to install additional RAM, or change out an old videocard for a newer, more powerful one. When the people at Dynaquest PC assemble your PC, you can even open it up to get the dust out; the way they do the wiring is just perfect in that the wires are just all out of the way and neatly bundled. Unlike other shops, who just slap everything on sloppily, leaving the wires a hair-pulling mess, then they just take your money and brush you off. If you ever buy a new desktop PC, you HAVE to let Dynaquest PC do the assembly, it's almost a masterwork to behold, seriously. What's great also about this little shop is that they have a pretty wide selection of different RAM modules and video cards from NVIDIA, but that's just a personal preference. Thanks to their components being readily available, you can just pass by their shop, pick up additional RAM or a new video card, stick it into your PC at home, then play the latest games with higher system requirements. If this reads like Greek to you, have a gamer friend of yours explain. Or just go to Dynaquest PC for your PC stuff, and maybe some gadgets. You won't regret it.

In its current incarnation as V-Mall, this place still manages to retain the charm (at least, for…read moregadget lovers such as me) of its past life as Virra Mall. Yes, there are places to buy appliances, furniture and authentic shoes. Agreed, you can purchase toys and collectibles, and get your hair cut. Those options notwithstanding, personal electronics are inarguably the focus here. The plethora of gadget shops that occupy half of the space on the third floor are the best reason to visit V-Mall. You'll find pretty much anything you want, from the latest and greatest devices to computer parts and everything in between. Unlike the tiangge area, bargaining is not always a sure thing but feel free to try, especially if you're purchasing a lot of items from one store. Most things sold here are as brand-new as they claim, although caveat emptor should still remain your motto while shopping. Keep your receipts for warranty purposes! If you get hungry, the food court is opposite the gadget side. The selection is typical, for the most part, although there is a Sbarro's outlet in case you don't mind spending a little more for higher-quality dishes. To the side of the food court is Beyond the Box, which has an excellent selection of Apple devices and accessories. Prices here are pretty good, too.

Before there was V-Mall, it was once called Virra Mall! Virra Mall was THE go for gadgets and…read morecomputers, second-hand gadgets, games for gameboys or PS1/PS2, branded and imported clothes. You name it, they had it! Sadly, after how many fires, they had to close it down for a few years. Then, from the ashes, Greenhills rebuilt and renamed it to V-Mall! Everyone goes to the Tiangges in the GH shopping center for the cheap electronics. But, the problem is that you don't know if those are real, fake or second-hand. That's why, if I am in need of a new gadget or need something fixed, I go to V-Mall. Most of the kiosks on the third floor are of legit electronic dealerships. They not only offer monthly installments, you also get a one year warranty. The second floor has a few clothes shops, toy shops, an appliance center and a furniture store. If you look at it as a whole, it's a fairly small mall. But, the kiosks here are places that people go to for specific services and needs. For me, apart from the gadgets, I go here for the foodcourt. :P Nothing fancy about the foodcourt. It's actually a good place to just sit, eat merienda then wait for meet-ups with friends. V-Mall isn't like how I remembered it as a kid. I'm still happy though that it's still around and still has it's charm! :)

There are many instances where I've been thankful to Alva. One, thank you for saving my wallet for…read moreproviding cheap but great quality photocopies. It also saved me from the expensive books. Second, for the convenience it gave. The place is just across the university where I study. They also print cheap but the quality's great for presentations like pubmats or selling especially stickers. Their photocopy rate is only 65 centavos per page but I swear, the paper they use is 200 gsm which costs around 50 cents each. Most of the photocopy centers charge 75 cents but use paper that just around 100 gsm. I'm kind of making it a big deal because I'm quite OC when it comes to the thickness of paper. It's just that I hate it when the ink bleeds through the paper. I also hate it when I see highlighter marks at the back of the paper which is why I highly prefer at least 200 gsm for paper. I'm really thankful that Alva lets you get more than what you pay for. The only thing I don't like about going to Alva is when there are a lot of students queuing up especially during lunch break despite having more than three photocopying machines working all at the same time.

I have two Beyond the Box branch favourite but I chose to write here at the Greenhills branch page…read morebecause I bought more items (gadgets) here and at the other one (Robinson's Galleria) I've only bought accessories. I think everyone who goes to Beyond the Box GH has fallen in love with its design, the place simply looks awesome! and the displays would definitely make you want to buy. They have almost everything there so you won't have go out and buy else where. One thing I've learned from buying at Beyond the Box is that they have this magical thing called cash discount which you can really appreciate when buying gadgets because you'll feel the big discount. That and they have a 1 week replacement and 1 year service warranty. Price-wise, it's sometimes cheaper to buy there if you can believe it and the sense of security that warranty brings me since I'm one of those people who's really unlucky when it comes to buying gadgets.

It's difficult to turn around and stop yourself from giving this store a second look once it…read morecatches your eye as they've done a phenomenal job at engaging the sights and senses of their customers, both potential and current. As opposed to their computer iStudio that's chosen to go with a monotonous color scheme, it's all about color here. There's plenty to explore within the premises: if you're in search of new earphones or headphones, they've got it. There are phone cases, iPad cases, iPod touch cases, laptop cases, etc. And then there are speakers. If you're a techie or a gadget person, come through. This is in your element.