Micro Center Review
I've heard about Micro Center a lot in the past year as I brushed up on the latest technology and built new computers for my son and me, while also participating on various tech forums and helping other consumers. Some conversations have been very fascinating, but I digress.
Micro Center has locations in several states, mostly the East and Midwest, with a lone one way off in Colorado. It offers a range of brands and products for computers, including some testing equipment (multimeters, primarily), DIY (components, breadboards, etc.), as well as a build your own (BYO, as they call it) section if you'd like to enjoy the benefits of a custom-built PC (assuming you know enough or can get competent advice). Sales associates are incentivized to know the products in their area. You won't find as much variety as you would in an online store like New Egg, B&H Photo, Amazon, etc., but the prices will likely be similar to some of those places (but Amazon and eBay have the best prices most of the time, although you have to watch out for scams on those 2 and New Egg). The cheapest prices can be had on sites like Temu and Ali Express, but the risk of counterfeit and poor-quality products, as well as complete scams, is much higher. In fact, it's safe to say that most famous name-brand products on those two sites are liable to be knock-offs, although I only know this from other sources so it may not be accurate and I cannot say what percentage of vendors will do that. I also don't recommend using Ali Express because, like Temu, it's a Chinese company so all your data will be shared with the Chinese government upon request and I would NEVER recommend installing a Chinese app because they often are very intrusive and harvest every bit of data from your phone/PC that is possible. Basically, any website that offers third-party vendors the opportunity to sell on them introduces the risks of frauds, counterfeit products, and scams.
You need to understand that sales associates are paid on commission, so there is an incentive for them to learn all they can about the products they are tasked with selling. It also means that some may try to get you to buy more expensive products. Some will even engage in unethical behavior, as happened to me when I went there a couple of weeks ago (my first visit to an MC). The sales agent, when I asked which water-cooler he'd choose for his own PC if money were no object, chose the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360mm, which was out-of-stock. That was a good sign because it's possibly the quietest AIO on the market, although it's not the top performer, but then he either made a mistake...or did it on purpose. He told me he'd replace the included fans with some very expensive Lian Li fans, which he claimed were the most powerful in the store.
I have two problems with this.
First, I looked through the fans and I found several other fans that were less expensive AND more powerful.
Second, he failed to mention that those Lian Li fans have proprietary connectors that require specific hardware to function in the computer - and that would likely be a problem because now several brands are doing this and it makes picking and choosing (mixing brands) a headache because you may end up buying extra components to be able to do so. This doesn't even just apply to fans and coolers. It also applies to cases, power supplies and other parts of a computer, although I think that graphics and sound cards, as well as CPUs and most motherboards would be exempt from this category. This is especially problematic for inexperienced buyers because it can result in a big headache when you get home and perhaps discover that you can't connect something because you weren't told you'd also need another proprietary item.
The move to proprietary parts applies to many brands, some of which MC carries, and includes Arctic, Asiahorse, Corsair, Fractal Design, Jungle Leopard (mostly on Ali Express), Lian Li, NZXT, Phanteks, QP (mostly on Temu), SAMA, and more. Some companies are only doing this with certain products (e.g. Asiahorse Magic-C ARGB fans use proprietary connectors but Asiahorse Fishbone fans don't), while others seem to be moving everything to proprietary parts (e.g. Phanteks' complete line of new RGB and D-RGB products, including cases). Mostly, the proprietary connectors I've seen are for ARGB LED connectors, but not the power connectors for those fans, but the Asiahorse Magic-C uses a JST connector that combines power (PWM) and LED control together in one.
But I digress from the review of Micro Center.
I didn't explore the entire store, so I can't talk about everything there. Everyone working there was pleasant if not enthusiastic. The 3 associates I spoke to (although one might have been a manager - I'm not sure) were all helpful. The second one, whom I asked about ergonomic keyboards, pointed out some fairly standard types of (relatively) inexpensive ergonomic KBs, and then a couple that were hundreds of dollars and could be customized, and that was because I asked if there was anything else. That was good, because she didn't make a bee-line to the most expensive ones. Unfortunately, the ergonomic KBs I was hoping to find were not there (they are even more expensive than the ones she showed me) despite being amongst the few that actually provide proven benefits to users.
I ended up walking out of there with a couple hundred dollars in parts, although I didn't find everything I wanted. I was also able to get a $12 discount on one product because they price-matched it with the sale price on Amazon, and another was discounted $5 because it was an open-box product. In fact, most of the other products I purchased I managed to save money on versus online without any shipping delays, although a couple were incomplete because of being open box, one of which had none of the accessories, so I probably lost money on it.
I have no doubt that, had I been there to build a computer, I would've gotten competent advice. I'm pretty sure it would've cost more than it should've, and probably included proprietary parts. If you're looking for a full-mesh case, they don't have those. For DIY, or for testing equipment aside from the extremely limited selection they have (very few and mostly just multimeters), you may be better off finding somewhere that has a really nice selection. Other than Radio Shack and similar, I don't know where.
Conclusion:
MC offers you the conveniences of seeing, touching, asking questions and taking home your products immediately, but they don't have the variety of online stores. They will price-match to make you happy (if you ask), although I don't know if there are sites that they won't price match (e.g. price-matching Ali Express, for example - but ask!). If you're going to shop at MC, you should:
+Know what you need in terms of components. Better yet, know exactly what products you want to get.
+Be able to compare prices.
+Ask probing questions.
+Have your phone/tablet with you so you can find the best price and then ask for a price-match at check-out.
+Be wary of the possibility that your sales associate might be out for the biggest commission, so they might direct you to the most expensive brands/products.
+This is not specific to MC but know that some products have proprietary connections that may frustrate you later, especially if you want to fully customize your build. If you're planning to only use one brand, this shouldn't be much of an issue unless you decide to mix different product lines. Make sure to ask about this!
If you want to build your own computer, I suggest asking for help in the forums on BleepingComputer.com, LinusTechTips.com, TechPowerUp.com, TomsHardware.com, Overclocking.com, Overclock.net, and other tech sites prior to visiting MC. Many people online recommend MC, and they will also tell you to price-match. I don't recommend Reddit, and if you're going to research products, take whatever advice you see on websites (PC World, PC Mag, Tom's Hardware, etc.) with a grain (or a shaker) of salt - some of them sell their reviews, even if they say they don't. The same is true of YouTube (and other) video reviews, although my reviews are never bought (no one can afford to pay me a trillion dollars per review!). You can sometimes find good prices on/at Best Buy, Target and Walmart, but don't bank on it. You have to be very patient and watch and wait until a truly valuable sale occurs.
No matter where you go, you will find people who know a lot, who really want to help, and who won't necessarily agree. Some of them are unpleasant and/or impatient, some know less than they think, are brand-bound or otherwise can't give you the best advice. Some are company shills. Some are foreigners with an incomplete understanding of English. Others are not foreigners but may suffer from dyslexia or have other challenges. I'm certainly not the most knowledgeable of the people on the forums I haunt. I help where and how I can, and I'm honest.
https://www.youtube.com/@ThePCExpertAmateur
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