Review on Micro Center by Eddie Timbeross

Many people wonder whether they should buy gaming rigs or build them. After years of experience in this area, I've seen many cases when the latter was definitely the better choice. One of these situations is when you are looking for a decent prebuilt computer at affordable prices. This brings us to Micro Center - one of the retailers in the United States that sells computers and components both separately and together (I'll be focusing on their bundled deals).

Micro Center advertises itself as "the leading national retailer for custom builder desktop computers, barebones kits, parts, upgrades, and consulting services". While I wouldn't call it "leading", it still is an interesting option for PC builders because its offers usually beat out brands like Dell or HP if you are looking for a decent prebuilt rig. And that's coming from someone who has built hundreds of computers.



Micro Center is available only in the U.S., primarily on the east coast with physical stores in NY, NJ, PA, MD, VA, OH and IN along with an online store . Here are some examples of current deals you can find at Micro Center:

Mini PC Bundle - Intel NUC + Microsoft Store $100 Gift Card Bundle - Asrock Fatality B85 Killer + Microsoft Store $50 Gift Card Advanced Gaming Rig - Asus ROG Strix GTX 1060 OC + Thermaltake Case Advanced Gaming Rig - Razer Blade Pro 17" Touchscreen Laptop Powerful Workstation - Xeon E3-1245v5 + Quadro P6000 Workstation - Xeon E3-1245v5

Keep in mind that bundles don't always contain the highest end components at Micro Center. The "Advanced Gaming Rig" comes with an Intel Core i5 (not i7) along with a GTX 1060 (non-Ti). These kinds of PCs might not be for everyone and their prices can vary widely depending on what deal you get, but they still provide a good starting point. For example, the XPS Tower and Razer Blade Pro both sell separately for $1,800 and $2,900 respectively , but when bundled together they only cost $2,500 .

Micro center advertises themselves as the leading national retailer for custom builders. However, it is not accurate. They are available in the US East Coast with physical stores in the New York, the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Indiana. If looking for high end components you might need to look elsewhere. I would avoid buy components from microcenter because their prices are not competitive with other retailers and they do not provide support of any kind and their customer service is nonexistent.

I would avoid buying components from Micro Center because their prices are not competitive with other retailers and they do not provide support of any kind. I have found that the PC builders at MicroCenter often come with lower end parts, but if you're looking for a good prebuilt rig then there is always something to choose from. If you're in need of high-end performance, look elsewhere - it's just too expensive here.