We know returns can be a hassle. That's why we want to make them as easy as possible for our Micro Center account members! Now, not only do you get an extra 14 days on all returns, you can take care of all the paperwork before you arrive at the store with Micro Center's Online Return Check-In!

Micro Center's Return Check-In takes care of all the fuss with only a few quick questions you can answer from anywhere. Take care of your return the night before on the couch or as you're walking through our front doors. Then, simply hand our associate your return, show them your Return QR code, and you're done!

Here's how it works:

How To Use Micro Center's Online Return Check-In

To start your return, sign in to your Micro Center account, then navigate to your Orders tab, highlighted in a red box below:

From there, select the product you would like to return and click the blue RETURN button. Please note that if it is outside of the indicated Return By date, you will not be able to complete the Online Return Check-In process.

Once you have selected your item for returning, our Return Check-In will ask you two to four short and easy questions:

1. How many of this item are you returning?
2. Have you opened this item?
3. If you have opened this item, why are you returning it?
4. If you select "Defective" or "Damaged Merchandise" for question 3, you'll be asked to briefly explain what is wrong with the product.

For question 3, your options include:

• Defective - this option is for products that did not work as intended when used. Please let us know what element of the product was defective, such as "USB port not connecting"
• Did Not Perform as Expected - this option is for products that work pefectly but not for your needs.
• Wrong Item - this option is for products that work perfectly but aren't the product you intended to pick up
• Damaged Merchandise - this option is for products that were physically broken when you recieved them. Please let us know what element of the product was damaged, such as "cracked LCD screen"

Once you have answere all questions, click the blue CONTINUE button.

This step is just to ensure that your return is accurate. Please review your information and verify that it is as accurate as possible. Once you've ensured everything is accurate, click the blue SUBMIT button.

That's it! Our Return Check-In will generate a QR code for you to present to the associate at the store when you make your return. Bring your merchandise to your local store and head to the returns counter to complete your return!

Be sure to bring your original method of payment to complete your return

Two quick reminders:

• Ensure all cords, cables, and parts are included with your return. If pieces are missing, we may not be able to complete your return.
• Bring the original method of payment to the store.

Our goal is to make every trip to Micro Center fun and easy. We hope that our online Return Check-In will help make even the return trips a little bit smoother. And don't worry, if you prefer to simply walk into Micro Center with your return, you absolutely can - no Check-In needed!

We, as Americans, use billions of plastic bags each year, and nearly all of them end up as waste in landfills or litter the environment. In an effort to reduce this massive amount of plastic waste, we aim to eventually eliminate plastic bags from all 25 stores. The rollout will be in phases, starting with five stores, including Denver, Chicago, Fairfax, Sharonville, and St. Davids.

“We know our customers are used to having plastic bags at checkout, and moving away from them will require some getting used to,” said Ralph Gilson, our Senior Vice President of Operations. “We appreciate our customers’ support and understanding during this transition as we focus on doing what’s right for the environment. By working together, we can eliminate over 4 million single-use plastic bags every year.”

 We will be transitioning to reusable bags, which will be available for purchase at checkout. And if you're interested in learning more about our electronics recycling program, speak with any of our associates at the Knowledge Bar.

Recently, Micro Center partnered with ASUS to bring you a brand-new tool, designed to make the hassle of improving your home network as easy as a few quick clicks: the ASUS Router Finder! Whether you're choosing your first router or upgrading because your current router is too slow, doesn't cover your whole house, or just quit working, the ASUS Router Finder can help you get the router you need to surf the internet with ease!

How to Use the ASUS Router Finder

The ASUS Router Finder is located under our Networking tab on the main Micro Center website - or you can simply click this link and go right there:

https://www.microcenter.com/site/content/ASUS_Router_Finder.aspx

Once you've arrived at the landing page, simply click the "Start Searching for Routers" button and you're off to the races!

We'll ask seven-to-eight questions about your internet, home, and use cases. Below, we'll break down each of these questions, what we're looking for, and why we ask them, so you can feel secure knowing we're recommending routers that'll work exactly as you need them to!

At the top of the page, once you've selected "Start Searching for Routers," you'll see two buttons: Back and Start Over. "Back" will move you back one question and "Start Over" will take you back to the beginning of the questionnaire.

Choose Your Router: What's Your ISP Plan?

The first question the Router Finder will ask is what your ISP - or Internet Service Provider - plan looks like: Basic, Mainstream, Fast, Extreme, or Not Sure. There are a lot of variables between ISPs plans, so we've simplified them to their speeds: up to 50Mbps, up to 200Mbps, Up to 500Mbps, and up to a gigabyte and above, respectively. Selecting the one that most closely resembles your internet speeds will help the Router Finder pick out routers that can handle your internet speed without going beyond your needs. If you're not sure what your internet speeds are, simply click "Not Sure." Once you've made your selection, we can move onto the next step.

Choose Your Router: What's The Coverage Area?

Once you've selected your internet speeds, we'll ask about your coverage area. This is to understand how much space your WiFi signal will need to reach to fully cover your needed area, such as a house or office space. This will again help limit your options to routers that will fit your needs, as some may not have the power needed to reach the entirety of your coverage areas, while others may be far too powerful and reach well outside of your coverage needs.

Choose Your Router: What Best Describes Your WiFi Usage?

Similar to the previous questions, understanding your WiFi usage will help the Router Finder remove routers that may be under or overpowered for your needs. Basic usage is perfect for folks with only a few devices who use their WiFi for light, daily tasks like single-device streaming, email, and similar tasks. Medium usage is where most users will probably fall, as it covers school, work, and smart home devices - the average household. High users will have lots of devices, gaming setups, multiple TVs streaming at the same time, and numerous smart home devices. Extreme users will have full home security, stream high-quality video regularly, have multiple users gaming simultaneously, and/or need high bandwidth for work and school.

Choose Your Router: How Many Users Will Access This Router?

Routers, by default, don't have a hard and fast limit to the number of users that can connect to them, but when more users are connected, they will start to slow down. This question helps to understand how many people will be connected to your router on average to ensure you don't throttle your network. An important note: this question is not asking for the total number of devices, but users - we'll ask about devices in just a moment!

Choose Your Router: Number of Devices That Need WiFi?

Exactly like the number of users, as more devices are added to your router's network, it can start to throttle and slow down your WiFi. Stronger routers can handle more devices, but they come at a premium - knowing how many devices you'll have connected to your WiFi (approximately - it doesn't need to be exact) will help to ensure that you get the best power/price ratio that will fit your needs. Most houses have somewhere between 10 and 25 devices hooked up at any given time. Devices like: cell phones, laptops, desktops, gaming consoles, home automation, security, smart TVs, and more!

Choose Your Router: Other Preferences

There are a lot of options and we'll go through each one individually, but here you can select any features that you either need for your home setup, like specific ports, or nice-to-haves, like RGB lighting. There is no limit on how many options you can select, but you may start to see your "Available Router" number decrease as you add more features to your perfect router. If you don't have any additional requirements, just click "No Preference." Once you've made your selection, click "Available Router."

Other Preference Options and What They Mean:

• Gaming feature: This will mostly be interesting to users with gaming setups, as it opens options to focus your WiFi network on gaming devices, decreasing speeds and bandwidth for non-gaming devices.
• Subscription free internet security: This adds an extra layer of security to your home network, offering additional protection from malicious attacks without a monthly fee.
• 2.5Gb port: These are ethernet/LAN ports on the router that allows for direct, wired connections with speeds of up to 2.5Gb.
• 10Gb port: These are ethernet/LAN ports on the router that allows for direct, wired connections with speeds of up to 10Gb.
• USB port: USB ports on a router allow users to connect USB storage devices to their network that can be accessed by everyone on the network, like a NAS drive.
• Need more LAN port (4+): Most routers come stock with 4 LAN ports, but some users may need additional ports for more wired devices.
• WiFi 6E support: WiFi 6E is the newest WiFi bandwidth, offering faster speeds and more stable connections for devices that are WiFi 6E enabled.
• Powerline Mesh for thick wall environment: If your network has trouble reaching through walls in your coverage area, a powerline mesh feature can help to extend your range when used with additional repeaters.
• Upgradability - AiMesh: AiMesh allows users to connect multiple compatible routers together to create an interconnected network for a stronger, more reliable signal.
• Powerful and highly customizable: Routers that meet these criteria have a wide range, lots of user/device support, and are open to user customization for creating their perfect network.
• Needs frequent VPN connection: If you are a user that frequently uses VPNs - or Virtual Private Networks - this is a must-have.
• RGB lighting effect: Light your router up in any color you like with customizable RGB lighting!
• No preference: You don't need any of the above

Choose Your Router: Single Router or Whole Home (Mesh) WiFi?

The final question - are you looking for a single router, or do you want to set up a mesh network? Single routers are easier to set up and often provide all the coverage you'll need but may leave small corners of your coverage area with spotty connections. Mesh networks, however, take a bit more work to set up but offer stronger, more reliable connections and can be repositioned to ensure that your whole home is fully and completely covered. Of course, if you don't have a preference, select "Either one is ok." Depending on how many options you have left, you may be taken to your recommendation page once you've made your selection or you may be taken to the final question.

Choose Your Router: What's Your Budget Range?

The final question - how much are you looking to spend on a router? "Good" will show routers up to $100, "Better" will show routers up to $200, and "Best" will show routers over $200.

And that's it - click "Available Router" and get your recommendations!

Ready to start picking out your next router? Head over to the ASUS Router Finder and upgrade your network today!

Lego – @BenjaminLaRocque125

The enchanting Expecto Patronum set, from the Lego Harry Potter collection, is a great option for fans, allowing them to build one of two Patronus spells – Harry’s stag and Remus Lupin’s wolf. It is the perfect gift for Lego Harry Potter enthusiasts. 

Of course, if you’re just a Lego enthusiast, we’ve got you covered with  great sets like a Lego rendition of The Great Wave, buildable succulents, and model Bugattis. And if you’re buying for young ornew Lego fans, sets like Creative Monkey Fun and Adorable Dogs are fantastic options for all ages.  

Headphones and a Massage Gun by @RachelleR05   

Everyone uses headphones, whether for work, online meetings and classes, or just listening to music or watching something on your computer or phone. The Sony wh-1000xm5 active noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones are perfect all-arounders, with a lightweight design and up to 40 hours of battery life. Their hi-res audio support gives them great audio quality, and with eight built in mics, any voice chatting you’ll do will sound just as crisp. 

Alternatively, the Havit MG1508 deep tissue handheld massage gun is an easy gift that’s great for everyone. It comes with four different massage heads, with each head targeting a different muscle or joint, as well as a number of speed settings. I personally own one of these and wish someone had got it for me sooner. Of course, there’s nothing more disappointing than a gift that needs batteries. Thankfully, the MG 1508 is rechargeable, so it’s ready to go out of the box.  

Magna-Tiles by Jose Garcia

Trying to figure out a last-minute gift idea for  kids? Check out our wide selection of Magna-Tiles sets! Perfect for young engineers, Magna-Tiles feature large, magnetic pieces, making them great for tiny hands. Whether your new builder is interested in big machines, dinosaurs, or animals, Magna-Tiles has a great set for them. There’s even a number of theme-less sets, so their imagination can run wild!

Sansui S55VAUG by @ChaosDTV

A beautiful smart LED TV is perfect for any friends or family. Who can’t use a new TV for a bedroom or office? And the best part is that a new TV doesn’t have to blow out your gift budget and we recently got in some new smart LED TVs that are great budget options. 

The Sansui S55VAUG offers a super slim LED display that can be placed virtually anywhere in your home. The built-in LED technology delivers amazing picture quality with a vivid range of colors and an incredible range of brightness. If you’re still using an older television, LED technology uses a significantly lower amount of electricity, which means you’ll also be giving the gift of electricity bill savings. A win-win situation all around! The Sansui retails for around $400, but we currently have it on sale for $200 - literally half off. 

Whether you’re getting a gift for someone on your list or yourself, the big 55-inch Sansui Smart LED TV is a great choice. It’s a budget-friendly smart TV with great visual fidelity and is ready to connect with your favorite apps – and a great reason to stay inside as the weather gets colder! 

But that's not all - we've got tons on sale, so be sure to check out our Holiday Buying Guides and then stop by your local Micro Center today and finish your holiday shopping! 

The G502 X and G502 X Lightspeed takes one of the most beloved mouse series around and makes them even better than the original. And they’re available now at Micro Center!

What’s New?

If you’re a fan of lightweight mice with lots of options and killer responsiveness, the G502 X should be at the top of your list. Both the wired and Lightspeed model shed the weight of previous models, dropping the Lightspeed down to 102 g and the wired model to a measly 89 grams. Both feature Logitech’s first-ever hybrid optical-mechanical LIGHTFORCE switches for faster speeds and reliability by combining the speed of optical switches with the tactility of mechanical switches. Add to that the HERO 25K sensor for sub-micron accuracy and zero smoothing, filtering, and acceleration, and you’ve got a mouse that’ll be ready the instant you are.

The G502 X series isn’t just about internal improvements, though. It’s about user customization. The new adjustable DPI-Shift button has two swappable button options with extra configuration options for each, so you can customize your mouse to your exact taste. The scroll wheel offers two modes as well, with quick switches between free-spinning hyperfast mode and the precise ratcheted mode. Plus, you can tilt the scroll wheel left and right for even more button options.

Specs at a Glance:

G502 X

Mouse Orientation: Right

Mouse Buttons: 13

Optical Tracking with HERO 25K sensor

16000 DPI

CPI Range: 100 – 16000

Max Tracking Speed: 400In/Sec

Weight: 89g

G502 X Lightspeed

Mouse Orientation: Right

Mouse Buttons: 13

Optical Tracking with HERO 25K sensor

25,600 DPI

CPI Range: 100 – 25,600

Max Tracking Speed: 400In/Sec

Weight: 102g

Battery Life: 140 Hours

Our Hands-On Quick Review:

When we got the wired G502 X and Lightspeed models in, we let two G502 fans play with the upgraded models. Here’s what they had to say:

@Rich_CGR - G502 X

I’ve been using the original G502 for several years now, so I was expecting a bit of a transition period when making the jump to the G502 X, but after going 3 for 3 in Valorant, it was clear it was going to be an easy upgrade.

The G502 X is remarkably similar to the G502, but with some subtle-but-serious quality of life improvements. Most noticeably, it’s way lighter. Of course, mouse weight is a personal preference, but I found myself flicking my reticle around noticeably faster, which is great for a game as quick as Valorant. The side buttons – M4, M5 – feel way more accessible and comfortable. On the original G502, I would occasionally hit them in the middle of a frenetic fight, but G502 X keeps them just out of accident range but were absolutely still there when I needed them.

On the whole, the G502 X delivers a more comfortable grip than its predecessor and the reduced weight makes it a beast in twitch shooters.

@Vitamin – G502 X Lightspeed

Coming from the original G502 Lightspeed, the G502 X Lightspeed feels considerably lighter. While it took me a bit to adjust to the weight difference, I can absolutely recommend the X model to anyone who prefers a lighter mouse. It’s also a bit wider than older generations of the G502, making it a great choice for folks with bigger hands who have struggled with tiny mice in the past.

After a bit of adjustment, I started to play with some more of the smaller features of the G502 X Lightspeed, like the swappable DPI-Shift – or “sniper” - button. I really like the idea of a moddable mouse, and the G502 X does a great job, offering a slimmed-down “sniper,” if you prefer a low profile. The scroll wheel feels quieter and more responsive, and the wireless dongle has a really clever hiding place on the bottom of the mouse.

There are a lot of people out there who are going to use the G502 X Lightspeed and immediately fall in love with it for its light weight, slightly larger size, and ease of use.

Both the G502 X and G502 X Lightspeed are now in stock at Micro Center. If you’re still not sure which one is right for you, stop by your local Micro Center and one of our associates will be happy to help!

By Dan Ackerman

Bambu Lab, best known for its speedy, multi-color 3D printers, has a new printer just in time for Holiday shopping. 

Right now, all we have is a teaser image, a release date and some details about a special opportunity to see the printer in action early. 

The new printer doesn't have an official name or price yet, but the single teaser image released by Bambu Lab calls it a "Big bro," and references the A1 Mini, a beginner-friendly multi-color 3D printer that can handle four different colors of filament simultaneously, starting at a very reasonable $299. 

Read more: ​​What is 3D Printing? A Primer for Everyone

But the A1 Mini has a relatively small 180x180x180mm build area, so a big brother would be a welcome addition. 

There are a few things we can confirm about the new Bambu Labs printer. The first is that it will go on sale December 14, starting at 9am ET. The second is that it will be on display at select Micro Center stores on December 13, so you can see it in action, running 3D printer demos. The third (and most important) is that Micro Center will be the exclusive retail launch partner for this new 3D printer, so if you want to see one in-person and then walk out of the store with it, come in and see us. 

Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to the release date. 

See all 3D printers and accessories at Micro Center

Micro Center Editor-in-Chief Dan Ackerman is a veteran of tech news publications including CNET and Gizmodo and has been testing and reviewing laptops and other consumer tech for almost 20 years.

It’s been four years since we’ve seen a new flagship board from the Raspberry Pi Team but that changes today – announcing the Raspberry Pi 5! There are a lot of new features that are easy to notice in the image below. But some of the biggest changes are what’s happening inside the Pi, showing why this is an amazing next step in the Pi lineage.

Let’s first take a look at some of the changes on the board itself and then we’ll dig into the performance and specs.

The Board:

On the board itself you’ll see a number of new features. Starting on the right, you’ll notice that the USB and Ethernet jack have been switched back to the layout of the 3B models. This was to allow for some very important updates as well as opening up some extra space on the board itself.

As the processor continues to get more powerful, cooling is going to be a more important. The new Pi 5 includes a dedicated PWM Fan connector, allowing you to connect cooling solutions such as the new Active Cooler. The Active Cooler utilizes a large heatsink and blower fan to cool the processor and associated chips. The Pi 5 even includes mounting holes designed for specifically for it! The newly designed Pi 5 case also comes with a cooling fan built in and is extremely configurable for a wide range of applications.

In the upper-right corner you’ll see Raspberry Pi’s RP-1 chip, which is Pi’s first custom Silicon on a flagship product. This “southbridge” style controller was custom designed along with the Broadcom BCM2712 processor to act as the metaphorical air traffic controller for all inputs and outputs, including the GPIO, the USB ports, and the Ethernet port to list a few. Because of this custom silicon and the new 27w USB C power supply, the Pi can supply more power  to external devices.

To the left of the ethernet jack you’ll see two MIPI connectors that will allow you to connect up to two cameras and displays, in any combination.

The Pi 5 carries on the Pi 4’s legacy of Dual Micro HDMI ports, now supporting up to 4K 60Frames on both screens at once. Between the Micro HDMI ports, you’ll find a new connector for UART. This will allow you to hook up the Pi Debugger Probe and trouble shoot your Pi without having to connect a keyboard, monitor, and mouse.

To the left of the Micro HDMI ports, you’ll see another new port which is for a Real Time Clock battery. With the addition of the RTC, you’ll be able to keep your clock consistent and set up new features, like timed wake ups.

The USB C port supports Power Delivery style USB adapters, and the new 27W USB C power adapter from Raspberry Pi provides ample power to run the Pi and more via USB and other ports.

On the left side of the board, above the USB C power connector, is a much anticipated and asked for feature: An On/Off button. Finally, long gone are the days of extra adapters to turn the Pi on and off. This button will work with the operating system to ensure a safe power cycle alleviating the potential for corrupting your operating system.

Above the power button is another new connector which opens up PCIExpress 2nd Gen connectivity. At launch there won’t be much in the ways of accessories, but things like an M.2 hat could follow on in the upcoming weeks or months.

There are a few other, small changes as well. The POE hat connectors have moved and there will be a new version of the POE+ hat in the near future. You may also notice the lack of analog audio/video out. This was removed in favor of adding a few new connectors such as the PCI Express and new MIPI connectors for the camera and display.

The Specs

Now onto performance. Compared to the Raspberry Pi 4, the Pi 5 will see a two-to-three times increase in overall performance. Utilizing the Broadcom BCM2712 processor and depending on how you measure it, it’s about 130x performance delta compared to the original Raspberry Pi 1. We’ll got a full spec list below, but for those looking to utilize the Pi 5 as a desktop solution, these performance increases will be greatly appreciated.

The microSD card slot now supports high-speed SDR104 mode, which is roughly two times the speed of the traditional SD card controller. The two USB 3.0 ports are capable of supporting simultaneous 5Gbps operation. All of these improvements combined really work together to create a powerful user experience which isn’t throttled by antiquated limitations.

There have been several user interface improvements to the operating system as well, which should help users in areas such as power consumption and network management. For best power performance we’ll recommend using Pi’s new official 27w USB C adapter and, while it can work with the former Pi 4 power adapter, it won’t be able to supply optimal amperage to power external devices as well as the new 27w variant can.

At launch the Pi 5 will come in a 4GB and 8GB variant utilizing LPDDR4 SDRAM.

Ultimately, with all of the new connectors and the boost in power and performance, there are many questions around what sorts of new use cases will exist for the Pi 5. We can’t wait to see what you come up with and we can’t wait for a whole host of new products for the Raspberry Pi 5. The boards should be available in our stores around the 23rd of October. There will be limited supply at launch as Raspberry Pi ramps up production for the Pi 5, but we’re excited to get these in the hands of as many of you as possible. So until then, keep an eye on the Community for updates and comment below with your favorite new features of the Pi 5!

Experiencing the Quest 3

Back in 2019, I picked up the very first Quest headset at launch and was instantly in love with virtual reality. I was experiencing vast open spaces, roller coasters, and expansive gaming without leaving the comfort of my living room. I spent hours slashing notes in Beat Saber, fighting baddies in Vader Immortal, and enjoying casual rounds of golf with friends in Walkabout Mini Golf. So when I got the opportunity to try out the Quest 3, I absolutely jumped at it.

The difference four years of innovation makes is immediately apparent. While the Quest 1 was incredible for wireless VR, it was a bit unwieldy and weighed heavily on the front of your head. The Quest 3 is far more balanced and supported. I could tell it was a system I could keep on for hours without weight fatigue setting in. I also spent far less time fiddling with the straps. The Quest 1 had a tendency to slide down your face as you played, especially in high-intensity games. The Quest 3 felt like it wasn't going to go anywhere.

Once the headset was fully on and powered, I understood Meta Reality. The first Quest also had a passthrough system - mostly for setting up boundaries - but it was more than a little grainy and tinted everything an off-blue color. The Quest 3's passthrough was crystal clear and the only thing really telling me I was in mixed reality was the floating logo for the block puzzle game Cubism. The new passthrough system is an absolutely feat of technology and improved cameras are just the beginning of what it can do.

While arranging blocks in Cubism, I learned a bit more about what Meta Reality is all about. Rather than indicating a play area like the original Quest, you can add elements of your environment to your experience. Tables and walls become tools for the Quest 3 to use for games like Lego Bricktales, where you can build virtual Lego creations on your actual table

After spending some time with Cubism, we shifted to Meta Reality video demonstrations, which really showcased the power of adding physical elements into your mixed-reality environment. Doing so enables you to "place" your screen anywhere, sticking your video to any spot on the wall. And once you hit play, your immersive home theater experience begins. I got to see clips of The Matrix extend beyond the screen as scrolling lines of code obscure the entire room. Clips of The Ring feature surprise virtual visits in your actual, physical room.

But it doesn't end with the videos coming to you. One clip of a music video doesn't extend out, but extends in, encouraging you to lean in and peak around the corners of the frame (and also risk bumping your head on a wall as you crane your neck to see how far in you can go). This was a spin on watching videos that I was never expecting and was a great reminder of how VR can still surprise even folks who have spent plenty of time immersed in these digital worlds.

When I used to take off my Quest 1, there would be a moment of disorientation as my brain had to remember what reality looked like. Thanks to the Meta Reality passthrough, it felt like barely anything changed when I pulled the Quest 3 off. I was already ready for what was on the other side of the headset and ready to go about my day immediately

My experience with the Quest 3 was incredible. I was fully blown away by the changes and updates from the Quest 1. The Quest 3 feels feels even more approachable than the already fairly-accessible Quest 1. If that sounds like something you'd want to try but you're not sure that it's something you'd love, I highly recommend stopping by on of our stores on a demo day. Its a fantastic way to get the VR experience before picking one up for your home!

Try the Quest 3 Yourself!

Ready to see what Meta Reality is all about for yourself? We've got plenty of opportunities to try the Meta Quest 3 at your local Micro Center from now until the end of the year. Check the list below for stores and dates - and enjoy your time in mixed reality!

Dates are subject to change

Denver, CO: December 9th, December 10th, December 23rd, December 24th

Duluth, GA: December 23rd, December 24th

Marietta, GA: November 11th, November 12th, December 16th, December 17th, December 30th, December 31st

Westmont, IL: October 28th, October 29th, November 18th, November 19th, December 23rd, December 24th

Overland Park, KS: November 11th, November 12th, November 25th, November 26th, December 9th, December 10th, December 23rd, December 24th

Parkville, MD: November 18th, November 19th, November 25th, November 26th, December 9th, December 10th

Madison Heights, MI: November 18th, November 19th, December 9th, December 10th, December 23rd, December 24th

Saint Louis Park, MN: October 21st, October 22nd, November 4th, November 5th, November 18th, November 19th, December 9th, December 10th, December 23rd, December 24th

Brentwood: MO: December 16th, December 17th, December 23rd, December 24th

Paterson, NJ: November 18th, November 19th, November 25th, November 26th, December 23rd, December 24th

Westbury, NY: November 25th, November 26th, December 23rd, December 24th

Yonkers, NY: November 4th, November 5th, November 25th, November 26th, December 16th, December 17th, December 23rd, December 24th

Columbus, OH: October 28th, October 29th, November 25th, November 26th, December 9th, December 10th, December 23rd, December 24th

Sharonville, OH: November 25th, November 26th, December 9th, December 10th, December 23rd, December 24th

Saint Davids, PA: December 9th, December 10th, December 23rd, December 24th

Dallas, TX: October 21st, October 22nd, November 11th, November 12th, December 23rd, December 24th

Houston, TX: November 18th, November 19th, December 9th, December 10th, December 23rd, December 24th, December 30th, December 31st

Micro Center’s Knowledge Bar is a core piece of our identity. From repairs to upgrades and everything in between, our technicians are skilled enough to navigate the difficult environment of tech repair with efficiency. I’ve had the pleasure of working at the Rockville location and getting an up-close look at the day-to-day life of a service technician. These folks work extremely hard to manage repair requests, offer solutions like ESET and MCA plans, and, of course, repair customer PCs, laptops, and all sorts of electronic devices.

Recently, I had the opportunity to shadow a member of the team and get a better idea of how the Service Team works. While I had seen the Knowledge Bar operate from a distance, I had never seen the ins-and-outs of the service department. The experience gave me a whole new perspective on the unseen side of the Micro Center stores and how repairs work.

Mishtak S. is one of Rockville’s newer technicians and one of the folks I got to shadow. That day he had a Build and Learn with a young man named Ramsey. Ramsey was very interested in the details of each part of the build and what they did. Mishtak took the time to answer every question thoroughly and gave Ramsey the confidence to take the reins midway through the build process and finish the PC himself. Mishtak acted as overseer and teacher while allowing Ramsey to get hands on. These types of experiences are not uncommon with the techs. Their expertise is a large reason their department is revered the way it is and moments like this create lifelong tech enthusiasts.

Of course, it’s not just Build and Learns. We see plenty of builds, rebuilds, and upgrades on a daily basis. Rockville technician Travis R. worked with a Mr. Zachary to execute an upgrade. Zachary was looking to upgrade his mother board, CPU and graphics card. Travis used the original build as a visual aid while answering Zachary’s questions, explaining exactly why he was doing what he was doing. Being able to point out a specific part and explain why that upgrade was a worthwhile one made the experience all the better for Zachary. That one-on-one process earned Travis a great review and Travis happily left with a I9-13900k + Gigabyte 4090.

Working at the Knowledge Bar, you’ll encounter your fair share of folks frustrated with their PCs. People typically come there perturbed by a situation out of their control and rely on our expertise to help right the ship. Rockville Technician Daniel P. handled a situation like this while I was shadowing him. We had a computer come in that required extreme repair. The person had spilled coffee on her mother’s machine and the cost to repair was, unfortunately, higher than replacing it with a new machine. After breaking the bad news, Daniel took the opportunity to suggest the next machine she buy be equipped with a Micro Center Accidental Protection Plan so that if that an accident, like a coffee spill, happens she would be covered and wouldn’t incur any out-of-pocket cost.

Daniel then walked her to the Apple department where they were met by a salesperson. Daniel explained the situation succinctly, stating that she may need data transfer and setup services. From there, the salesperson was able to find the right machine that met all her needs and was within her budget. She then headed back to Daniel to ring up the new MacBook. Later that day the, she received her new computer with all of her data transferred over, as well as ESET, a new backup drive and a 3-year accidental damage plan, just in case. What could have been a really rough day turned into a bright day with a new computer and no loss of data thanks to Daniel and the Apple associate. (Plus, protection in case another spill happens!)

Experiences like these are what makes Micro Center’s Knowledge Bar and Service Center so well known. We strive every day to provide the best possible care and service, working one-on-one to solve issues and provide the best possible customer service. The high quality of technicians in our service department makes experiences like these an everyday occurrence. Whether a customer needs to upgrade their build, had an accident, or just needs guidance, they can trust the service department at Micro Center to provide the solutions they need in a friendly, helpful manner.

Quotes edited in-article for clarity

On the Pi 5 Feature Set:

Andy: We're very excited - and I think I speak on behalf of the whole community - some of the features of the Pi 5 really set it apart from the Pi 4

Ebon: It's even it's got a power button!

Andy: I know, I know. That's, that's huge. And the real-time clock battery connector.

Ebbon: I mean this was a $25 million engineering program for us.[Its] the first flagship Raspberry Pi product, that has Raspberry Pi Silicon. That alone was about a $15 million component of the program. But I think, you know, when we do, the stack list is like 100-point font: POWER BUTTON, 50-point font: real-time clock. Then ten-point font: 2.4GHz Cortex-A76 with 2MB L3 cache.

On the Improvements over Pi 4

Andy: One of the things that I want to convey to our customers and our users is all of the new features and what really puts this board into a - not that the Pi 4 wasn't - but a full computer scenario.

Ebon: Yeah, that's an interesting thing. I think we're looking at about a factor of... we're saying two-to-three, but it's for most use cases it seems to be on the three end of of two-to-three [times] performance uplift over Pi 4, and that's uplift over the 1.8 gig Pi 4.

And remember the Pi 4 already picked up 20% increment during it's lifespan as we ran from 1.5 to 1.8GHz. So its then another two-to-three [times] on top of that. And that means you've got probably about, depending how you measure, maybe a 130 [to] 150 [times] performance, delta between Raspberry Pi 1 from 11 years ago on Raspberry Pi five.

On Non-General-Purpose Computing:

Andy: What sort of things, projects, do you anticipate coming down the line that people might be using [the Pi 5 for] outside of even just general purpose computing?

Ebon: Well, look, I'm super excited about the general purpose computing angle, particularly the PCI Express. We have a we have a little FPC connector on the board that exposes a single lane - an X1 - of Gen 2 PCI Express. A,nd then we have the official case. [Y]ou have a fan which is positioned over the over the CPU, and then you have the PCI Express connector at the edge of the board.

I think what I think we're going to be able to do shortly after launch is to produce an accessory that takes that PCI Express line into a kind of L-shaped board which exposes it to an M.2 connector that allows you to plug a small NVMe driveexplosive for them to connect to the line, to plug a small line V drive into it - a 2230 forman NVMe drive. And thata drive will fit inside the enclosure because that L-shape fits around the fan. And so what you have is you'll have a completely compact enclosure that has very high speed, nonvolatile storage.

Andy: And high capacity with like, let's say a one terabyte or two terabyte. Now you're talking about network attached storage options.

Ebon: Yeah, yeah. So we are particularly so so far for general purpose computing, obviously in particular within.

On the Future of Computing:

Andy: For our children's generation, what are your hopes and dreams for their interaction with computing?

Eben: I, I think we went through a very dark period, right? We went through a period where there was an expectation from everybody. Education system, policymakers, parents that the future for children was office skills. The future, the bright future of our children was to take a step back from really understanding what happens inside the piece of hardware that's in front of them and just say, Hey, you know, this is a tool. This is a tool for my department, This is a tool for my productivity. This is not something, this is a piece of functional magic.

I think the huge change that we've helped create, but certainly that we've been present at the same time as is this, this, this move back to an acknowledgment that there is value, even if you're not saying everybody needs to be a computer programmer, but that areas valley and people having some understanding of what this object in front of them is actually doing inside.

The Raspberry Pi 5 will be launching later this October - for all the details, be sure to check out our Raspberry Pi 5 announcement with all the details, upgrades, and news about the Pi 5!

Digital Twin Technology by @Lambdaben

As we approach the end of 2022, I've been thinking a lot about what the future holds for NVIDIA’s digital twin technology that they announced at GTC (GPU Technology Conference). One area that I am particularly excited about is its potential to transform the retail industry.

In 2023, I think we will see digital twins being used in a variety of ways within retail. For example, they could optimize store layouts, predict customer behavior, and streamline supply chain management. Digital twins can also help retailers better understand their customers by analyzing data from in-store sensors, online interactions, and more. This will give retailers a lot of opportunity to better improve customer shopping experiences, employee workflows and productivity, and even general facilities maintenance. Micro Center has already dipped its toes into similar spaces, with 3D maps of each of our stores, so you can plan your trip ahead of time!

I am really looking forward to seeing how digital twin technology will continue to shape and improve the retail industry in 2023 and beyond. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Next-Gen Samsung Phones by @ChaosDTV

Samsung Galaxy A53

The most exciting thing I can't wait to see is what Samsung has in store for us with their next generation of smartphones. They absolutely knocked it out of the park in 2022, making massive waves in the phone industry. 2023 is looking to be even more exciting as they continue to revolutionize what a phone is capable of with next-generation processing power, design, and who know what else! Its a really exciting time to be a Samsung fan, and I'm incredibly excited to hear more news about what may be coming down the pipeline for Samsung. And if you haven't gotten a chance to check out Samsung's lineup, stop by your local Micro Center - we'll be happy to show you why they're fantastic phones!

White Noctua Fans by @JeremyS

We haven't seen what they'll look like yet, so pretend this Noctua NH-D15 is white

Noctua, world-renowned for their performance, quality, silence, and, of course, color choice, is finally starting to veer into more options for its ravenous fans. Confirmed back in January of 2022, Noctua announced the roadmap for anticipated releases, such as version two of the NH-D15, a desk fan, improved existing fan models and coolers, and a major change for their color palette: white fans. Previously, Noctua anticipated the release for the white fans in quarter 4 of 2022, but delays have pushed them into the new year. So far there is no official sneak peek at the look of the new fans, coolers, or desk fan, but I have no doubt it's going to be gorgeous and a welcome addition to their already stunning lineup of fans.

PSVR2 (PlayStation VR 2) by @TreBouncee

Image: Sony/Playstation

2023 is here and with the new year, there is new tech to be had. As always, there are rumors circulating a plenty, l but I wanted to focus on one particular product that’s actually confirmed. Sony's second generation PSVR is reportedly releasing on February 22, 2023. The successor to the original PSVR coming 7 years later is highly anticipated for a few reasons. The addition of USB-C, a pass-through view, and an increased resolution are a few of the most eye-catching upgrades. With the success of Sony's PS5 , it seems the PSVR 2 will slot into the PlayStation lineup with ease. I believe Sony has an opportunity to be a major player in the VR space thanks to their exclusive catalog of games and increased resolution. I’m certainly looking forward to a fun first quarter in 2023. Of course, if you're looking for VR today, be sure to check out the fully-wireless Oculus Quest 2!

I recently had the opportunity to sit down and interview one of the Service Technicians from Micro Center in Marietta. My interviewee, Lance, is an Apple Technician whom I have had the pleasure of working with since I joined Micro Center in 2019. He has a great temperament, displays a high level of humility, and shows excellent professionalism. I have a great respect for Lance both personally and professionally. He is coming up on 13 years working with Micro Center, having started on a Black Friday back in 2010. In all the Black Friday flurry, he didn’t even get to perform his main duties as a Technician because he was so new. He mainly directed customers and helped them find the bathroom. Having been a customer for years previously, he at least had an idea of where some things were!

Who is Lance?

Technology has been an important part of his life since he was very young. Seeing the latest technology and getting to use it has fascinated him for as long as he can remember. His father helped nurture this interest in technology. When he was in middle school, Lance’s dad would allow him to join him at IBM during the company's Bring Your Child to Work days. Lance remembers his first build in 1998, where he got to build some of the beige computers at IBM and learn from his dad who was a tech since the 90s. He learned to enjoy building computers and learned enough Command Line in DOS to play games on his computer at home. Lance was so cutting edge, he even took a laptop with him to school back in the 90s! I know it doesn’t seem like much in 2023, but for those of us who went to school in the 90s, we remember most people didn’t take laptops to school with them. 

During Lance's free time, he enjoys playing games and hanging out with friends. He also builds his own gaming computers!

What does being an Apple Technician look like?

Lance likes the feeling of belonging to a community that comes along with being an Apple Technician. He likes to get hands-on with the computers and build rapport with his customers, so they feel safe coming back to him and working with him time after time. Lance has been here long enough that many Apple users and Lance work regularly and know each other on a first-name basis. I have had the opportunity to listen to Lance work with his customers and he is always patient, courteous, and looking out for his customers. I remember that one of our Service Managers used to use Lance as an example of one of the best Apple Technicians in the area! 

A Day in the Life of Lance

Lance sees himself basically as a problem solver. Something akin to a scientist using the Scientific Method to solve computer-related issues. When he gets in, the first thing he does is check his queue of units that need to be worked on. Afterward, he checks for anything that customers may have emailed him or notes that he or his team might have left for him to deal with later. Lance has a mantra that he tries to work by: “Mise En Place”. Literally translated as "set up," Lance embodies this by making sure all his tools are set to where they need to be and all his projects for the day are set up in a neat and orderly fashion. After checking that everything is where it belongs, he works through customer issues with their Apple computers and does his best to fix everything to customer needs, reaching out for clarifications and updates as needed. 

As we all know, work will ebb and flow, so it’s busier sometimes than others. When Lance is caught up with his main work for the day or has time, he attempts to help the rest of the service team. Sometimes this is with setting up for success during the day with workshop organization. Sometimes it’s in the form of advice or even building computers for other customers. Lance is like the glue that helps keep the service team together. Paraphrased from his own words, he is like the baker in the kitchen who can also help the team cook an amazing steak!

Toward the end of his day, Lance makes sure that he breaks down his bench, puts everything back where it belongs, checks his email for customer contact for the final time, and checks in with our current Service Manager.

What is working at Micro Center like?

Lance loves talking about technology. That can come in the form of teaching people about new technology or tech they have yet to experience. Other times it's in the form of learning new things. He shared with me some of his favorite moments at Micro Center. One of them was seeing the joy in a customer’s face when they saw how they could play World of Warcraft with the highest settings and could see shadows for the first time. Another moment is when he has the opportunity to work with Make-A-Wish and help a Wish Kid. On one of these occasions, we were able to work with a Wish Kid to build his own gaming computer! I was lucky enough to work on that with Lance at the time as well. Lance was patient and worked with him through the whole build process! 

One of Lance's other favorite things about the company is how customer-focused we are. Taking care of the customer is the most important aspect to us here at Micro Center. We work hard to treat our customers with respect and keep repairs and support simple and friendly. Lance also likes that other local companies will treat us as the Apple IT for their company. They come to us on a regular basis to fix their computers and service them. They will even bring in 5-10 or more units at a time!

Technicians and interviewers are not the only coworkers that Lance has to deal with. Sales associates will drop in from time to time to ask questions, generally Apple-related. The sales team coordinates with Lance to set up appointments and/or establish relationships with customers for their computer repair. Everyone that I have spoken with has a high level of respect and admiration for Lance’s work as an Apple Technician and we definitely let the customers know they are in good hands! Lance does his best to live up to the expectations of the sales team and the customers alike. He strives to provide unique and excellent customer service, so the customers come back and ask for Lance by name!

What are some of the Challenges Lance faces?

One of the hardest challenges for Lance was working on the 2013 Mac Pro Towers. They housed 2 AMD Video Cards in Crossfire and were difficult to troubleshoot. The entire machine had to be disassembled before attempting a fix. Afterwards, it had to be rebuilt and the lid had to be on perfectly and engaged before attempting to turn it on. This process can be a very lengthy process when he has to do it over and over when trying to fix the computer!

What advice does Lance have for New Technicians?

With computers becoming a staple of everyday life, more people are getting into the Tech Service world. Lance says that It’s okay not to know the answer immediately, but you have to have the ability and willingness to figure it out! Also, don’t assume that the customers know something that you consider common knowledge. Don’t be afraid to ask them what they know and understand. Take the time to explain it to them, teaching just makes it easier for you when they come back and helps build rapport. Notes are one of the major keys to Lance’s success! Unless you have a perfect memory, you need to leave yourself and coworkers notes. Multitasking is extremely helpful when dealing with a queue of computers that need to be fixed. Keeping detailed notes helps organize your work. Most importantly, you have to like the job. How can you be an educator and hate kids? 

If you're in the Marietta, Georgia area with a tech problem, stop by and Lance or one of our other local techs will be happy to help! We have great techs at all 26 stores nationwide, so no matter where you go, you'll be well taken care of!

More from the Micro Center Community:

Looking for more information about Building a PC? We’ve got PC Build Guides as well as articles on How to Choose Parts for you Custom PC Build, Product Reviews, and Part Comparisons. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to post a new discussion and the Community will be happy to help!

Starfield is the space-sim of your dreams. It’s a jaw-droppingly ambitious, expansive, and beautiful universe of over 1,000 planets to explore, fight, trade, and even love in. It will combine ship-to-ship combat, mining, conversational storytelling, first-person shooter action, and extensive crafting in Bethesda’s most expansive game to date, and the first new universe it’s developed in over 20 years.

While we won’t know how well it stands up to those lofty aims until it launches in September, we do know it’s going to be beautiful. That leaves some of our PCs quaking in their boots, as this is a game that is going to push even the most powerful systems. We know because along with gorgeous screenshots, trailers, and gameplay videos, we also have the system requirements, and they are steep.

Still, no PC gaming mountain is so high you can’t get there by throwing high-powered graphics cards at it, so let’s take a deeper dive into Starfield to see what it is you actually need to play it. If you find your PC just falls short of these lofty requirements, then we’ll have some upgrade and full system options for you so that you can be ready when this game launches.

Here’s what you need to run Starfield and various resolutions and detail levels, and what you might like to upgrade to in order to make it run its best.

Minimum system requirements

•     CPU: AMD Ryzen 2600X, Intel Core i7-6800K or better

•     RAM: 16GB

•     Graphics: AMD RX 5700, NVIDIA GTX 1070 Ti or better

•     DirectX: DX12

•     Storage: 125GB SSD

•     Operating system: Windows 10 21H1 or newer

For a game with over 1,000 planets to explore and the promise of incredible detail wherever you look or fly, the minimum system requirements for Starfield are at least approachable, and indeed achievable by most mid-range gaming PCs released in the past few years. The Intel processor recommendation is close to seven years old, and the AMD option isn't far behind, with a 2018 debut.

The suggested graphics cards are a little higher-end, and outperform what a large portion of Steam gamers can manage, according to the latest hardware survey. Still, they too are from several years ago, and if you’re upgraded to anything from the last generation or two outside of the very entry-level models, your graphics card is probably more than enough to get Starfield up and running, at least.

Even with a CPU and GPU that match these system requirements, though, know that your experience will be on the low end. These specs are designed to get the game running at 1080p resolution with all settings on low, and if you see much more than 30 FPS in the busier areas of the game, I’d be surprised. That’s important for PC users, too, because while console Starfield players will be locked at 30 FPS with no options of adjusting it, PC gamers should enjoy an unlimited frame rate; One that’s unlocked from the physics engine thanks to an improvement in the Creation Engine 2’s design.

That does mean there’s scope for playing with settings for better frame rates, even with a modest gaming PC like the one suggested for the minimums, but there won’t be much. Those bringing more powerful PCs to the table may be able to unlock much smoother frame rates.

You also need to install this game on an SSD. It’s not using the DirectStorage API, so you needn’t have an NVMe SSD – any old SATA SSD will do. Don’t try installing this one on a hard drive, though. At best it will load very slowly and you’ll experience significant pop-in, and at worst, it won’t run at all.

If you’re playing on Windows 10, make sure you update to one of the more recent releases first if you’re behind the release cycle. If you’re gaming on Windows 11, you shouldn’t have any trouble booting up Starfield.

Using a Prebuilt modern PC to play Starfield that meets Minimum System Requirements

Does your PC not quite measure up the minimum system requirements to play Starfield? Never fear. You aren’t alone. It’s a demanding game and many older gaming PCs, even those that have been playing high-end games until now, may not be enough for Starfield’s expansive galaxy of exploration.

But what should you upgrade to? The suggested components for Starfield’s minimum system requirements aren’t available new anymore – they’re years out of date. You could buy those specific components second-hand, but do you really want to be picking up a five-year-old processor and a six-year-old graphics card?

You’ll not only miss out on new features and security updates – including official Windows 11 support for the older Intel CPU – but you’ll be paying more than you should for very old, poor-performing hardware. If they were used as part of a cryptocurrency mining operation, there’s no telling how long they’re going to last, and there’s no warranty with a thrifted GPU.

You’re much better off buying or building a modern PC to play Starfield, even at its most modest of settings.

The best affordable pre-built gaming PC for Starfield that Micro Center has on offer, is the PowerSpec G516 Gaming PC. It’s packed full of high-powered components that give it incredible gaming power for a range of modern titles, including Starfield. Check out our full review here!

•     CPU: AMD Ryzen 5600X3D

•     RAM: 16GB DDR4-3200MHz

•     Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT

•     Storage: 500GB SSD

•     Operating system: Windows 11

The processor in this PC is a unicorn of modern gaming hardware. The Ryzen 5600X3D is uniquely available to Micro Center customers and offers amazing gaming performance that competes with some of the latest and greatest processors but at a much more affordable price tag. It’s jam-packed full of extra cache that helps it punch well above its weight.

The AMD RX 6650 XT is an excellent 1080p graphics card that will let you play just about any game at high settings. It’s optimized for AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution, too, which Starfield will offer full support for, further boosting frame rates.

The 16GB of high-speed DDR4 memory gives this PC plenty of scope for modern games, and you can have 10s of browser tabs open at a time before seeing any kind of slowdown. That’s partnered with a 500GB SSD for snappy operation and fast boot times, too.

Building a modern PC for Starfield that meets Minimum System Requirements

If you’d like to build a PC yourself or are more interested in upgrading what you have, then we’d recommend you start your PC with either an AMD Ryzen 5500 or Intel Core i5-12300 CPU. They have at least as many cores as the recommendations, and operate at much higher clock speeds, with newer architectures and newer processor nodes, making them vastly more powerful at a very affordable price.

For RAM, although we only need 16GB here, you might want to consider upgrading to 32GB since RAM is so cheap at the moment and we’re buying older, more affordable DDR4 at that. Any standard 3200MHz kit will do, whether you opt for 16GB or 32GB, though those with the higher capacity may see some performance benefit in Starfield and other demanding games and applications, particularly if you run a lot of background processes.

The lynchpin of this entire Starfield PC build is the graphics card, so we need to find the modern equivalent of a 5700 or 1070 Ti that’s still affordable. To that end, we’d suggest the NVIDIA RTX 3060, or AMD RX 6600 XT. Both offer performance comparable to, or in excess of those recommended for the minimum system requirements and bring substantial advantages to the table.

Both graphics cards feature faster and newer video RAM, which as new games start to crowd out the resources of older cards, is very important. The RTX 3060 has more, at 12GB, which might give it some additional longevity, but with no ray tracing or deep learning super sampling (DLSS) support planned for Starfield – at least in an official capacity – there’s no great advantage to be had with NVIDIA’s more-advanced RT and Tensor cores. Starfield is officially sponsored by AMD, though, so it will likely see more optimized performance on AMD hardware and will have full support for AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), so will likely work well with AMD hardware there. That’s a feature that you can enjoy on NVIDIA and Intel graphics cards too, though, so don’t feel like you have to go AMD just for that support.

For storage, any SSD will do and with prices as low as they are, you can easily grab yourself an inexpensive 256GB SSD and install Windows and Starfield on. You won’t get much else on there, though, so consider going for a 512GB or even 1TB model if you can stretch your budget. Models with their own DRAM cache are better, but they aren’t strictly necessary, and beyond saving you a few seconds on load times, there isn’t a huge advantage to the fastest of modern NVMe SSDs. Save some money with SATA if you need to, though you may want to upgrade to a faster drive in the future as the Direct Storage API becomes more widely used in modern games.

For the motherboard, don’t worry too much about which model. Just make sure it supports the processor you’re buying, the memory speed that you’re buying, and has enough USB ports for what you want to plug into it. More advanced boards might give you better overclocking, but you’re not going to do that on these CPUs anyway, and there aren’t many motherboard features you can’t supplant with an add-in card later if you need.

For the power supply, you want one from a reputed brand with a minimum of 500W capacity for the sorts of processors and graphics cards we’re targeting. You might want to consider at least an 80+ Bronze level of efficiency to keep your power bills down, but that’s not strictly necessary. Gold and Platinum models offer better efficiency and typically quieter operation, but you probably won’t notice much difference day to day.

Recommended system requirements

•     CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, Intel Core it 10600K or better

•     RAM: 16GB

•     Graphics: AMD RX 6800 XT, NVIDIA RTX 2080 or better

•     DirectX: DX12

•     Storage: 125GB SSD

•     Operating system: Windows 10 21H1 or newer

The recommended system requirements for Starfield take a major leap in their demands in very specific ways. Although the memory, storage, and operating system requirements remain unchanged, the processor and graphics demands are far more strenuous and will far outstrip what many PC gamers have to bring to the table.

The processors are a couple of generations old, and mere mid-range options at that, but most gaming PCs that are five years old or more won’t be able to offer the same kind of performance. The graphics cards are even more high-end, with the AMD GPU in particular being one of the most high-end recommended graphics cards we’ve ever come across in a game’s requirements list.

If you have these kind of high-end graphics cards, though, you’ll have a Starfield experience that’s much more impressive. You can enjoy a steady 60 frames per second in almost all areas of the game, at 1080p resolution, and with most visual settings turned up to their fullest. With FSR enabled, you might even get close to 100 FPS in certain areas if you play with the settings a little.

Buying a modern PC to play Starfield that meets Recommended System Requirements

If you want a 1080p high, 60FPS Starfield experience and your PC just isn’t up to the task, don’t feel bad – most Steam gamers don’t have the kind of hardware to make this game really look good. But if you don’t want to mess around with upgrades, second-hand hardware, or don’t know where to start building your own PC, then there are some amazing pre-built PCs for Starfield ready and raring to go.

Take the PowerSpec G444 Gaming PC. It’s the perfect system for playing Starfield at high settings, with its impressive collection of internal components, great build quality, and quiet cooling. The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a high-end gaming processor with 12 cores – eight performance, four efficient – giving it all the power you need to run Starfield and other games at high frame rates. Better yet, those additional E cores give it impressive multitasking capabilities, so if you want to edit together any clips of your Starfield shenanigans, it will transcode that video in no time.

The graphics card rendering the high FPS in this PC is the latest-generation NVIDIA RTX 4070. It’s built on the most advanced NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture, on a 5nm process node for impressive efficiency and performance. It not only offers great performance in games like Starfield, but it also sports the latest generation of NVIDIA’s RT cores, so can accelerate ray-traced games like few other GPUs. It also has full support for DLSS 3, including frame generation, so in compatible games you can massively boost your frame rates. There’s no support for that in Starfield, but you can still use FSR to give your frame rate a notable kick.

It also comes with 32GB of memory, making this a great PC for heavy web browsing or using more demanding applications – and it future-proofs it against more demanding games down the line. For storage, you get 1TB of NVMe space, which will help this PC boot up fast, and load games even faster.

It has advanced cooling in the form of an all-in-one (AIO) watercooler on the processor, for a CPU that runs cool and quiet, and you get support for some of the latest networking standards, too, including 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, and Wi-Fi 6.

Building a modern PC for Starfield that meets Recommended System Requirements

If your existing PC has a few parts you can upcycle into a new build, or you just want to build yourself a new Starfield gaming PC from scratch, we have some great suggestions for components which will take you above and beyond what the recommended system requirements will get you.

For the processor, we’d recommend the latest generation AMD Ryzen 7700X or the Intel Core i5-13600K. Both processors are on the cutting edge of what both AMD and Intel offer, with eight and 14 cores a piece, they have plenty of processing power to tackle Starfield and then some. They each operate at high clock speeds and lots of cache for modern gaming.

In theory, you could opt for an older CPU like the AMD 5600X, or the 5600X3D if it’s still in stock, but while these processors are excellent for gaming, they are based on an older platform and offer limited upgrade potential in the future.

You won’t need a fancy motherboard for any of these processors, so just make sure the one you pick supports your processor and has the number of USB ports and PCI-Express lanes you’ll need. All AMD motherboards outside of the A620 models support overclocking, but for Intel CPU overclocking you specifically need a Z690 or Z790 motherboard, as the others do not support overclocking.

With memory pricing as low as it is, you might as well add 32GB of DDR5 memory. You’re restricted to DDR5 with the AMD CPUs, and though there isn’t a giant performance increase over DDR4 on Intel platforms, it’ll future-proof you that bit more and make sure that you don’t need to upgrade your motherboard later just to add DDR5 support. You can save a little money and opt for 16GB if you need to, but you’ll get a PC with much more headroom for additional background tasks and better support for multitasking.

For graphics, you’ll want something pretty powerful to keep your frame rates high even as Starfield is further optimized post-launch. Since this is an AMD-optimized game, picking an AMD graphics card makes sense, and with the RX 6800 XT still widely available at a great price, it’s still a solid choice for playing Starfield. It has 16GB of GDDR6 memory, making sure that your gaming PC won’t be bottlenecked by limited VRAM in this game or any other in the near future, and it offers excellent gaming performance at just about any resolution.

You might want to lower the settings if you dabble with 1440p, but you should be able to run the game at 4K at low frame rates with a card like this if you wish.

If your budget stretches a little further, the RX 6950XT is only about $100 and offers a big bump in performance. If you’re keen to opt for an NVIDIA model, the RTX 4070 Ti is widely available and offers excellent performance in its own right, as well as support for DLSS 3 and advanced ray tracing capabilities in supporting games.

Whichever GPU you opt for, be sure to check its power supply requirements, as some of these modern cards can be incredibly power-hungry. Make sure whatever model you pick has enough wattage capacity and is efficient enough to keep your power bills low.

For storage, a 1TB SSD of any type is more than enough for this game and many more. Go for NVMe if you want a cable-free build, but it’s not strictly necessary.

What do you need to play Starfield at 1440p?

Bethesda hasn’t released any official first-party system requirements to play Starfield at any resolution above 1080p, so we can’t say for sure what you’ll need to play Starfield at 1440p. However, AMD has released its own suggested specifications for these sorts of settings, and we can combine that with our own hardware knowledge, and the specs of other Bethesda games, to give us an idea of what you want to target for playing Starfield at a smooth 60 FPS at 1440p with most settings at their maximum.

AMD recommends at least an AMD Ryzen 7700X processor and RX 6800 for the graphics card. That’s an intriguing setup since the CPU is better than our 1080p configurations, but the graphics card is actually weaker. That would suggest that our “Recommended” settings PCs could handle Starfield at 1440p, but we don’t just want our suggested builds to have the game running at these settings. We want it to run well.

Buying a PC to play Starfield at 1440p

With that in mind, for a pre-built machine to play Starfield at 1440p, we’d recommend the impressive iBuyPower Trace gaming PC. It combines the AMD-recommended Ryzen 7700X processor with eight cores and high clock speeds, with the equally impressive NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti graphics card. Together they have the power to play any game at 1440p and will make Starfield look truly stellar, no matter what you set the settings too – and you’ll be able to set them to absolutely anything you want.

Thanks to that 40-series graphics card, too, this PC has full support for hardware accelerated ray tracing and NVIDIA’s cutting-edge DLSS 3 frame generation, in supporting games. That makes this a great all-round gaming PC for high-end play.

It also comes with a terabyte of SSD space and a secondary terabyte hard drive for all your photo and video storage needs. There’s also 32GB of RAM for heavy multitasking and managing all those background tasks while you’re gaming (or gaming and streaming, together), and it’s all fitted inside an attractive and functional gaming case.

Building a PC to play Starfield at 1440p

If you would rather upgrade your current PC so that it’s up to spec for Starfield at 1440p, or just want to start from scratch with a BYO build, you can use many of the same components in our recommended prebuilt system.

There are plenty of alternatives you could opt for though. If you want to hit higher frame rates, you could opt for a more powerful gaming CPU. Bethesda games are notorious for utilizing a lot of processor performance to maintain their expansive worlds, so an AMD Ryzen 7800X3D, with its mountain of additional cache, could go a long way. Intel’s 13700K is a powerful option, and its extra E cores make it excellent for heavy multi-threaded workloads if you want to do some video transcoding or editing in your downtime; Just make sure you get a Z790 motherboard if you want to overclock it.

As for graphics, the 4070 Ti really is a stellar card for high-end 1440p gameplay, but if you’d rather have an AMD graphics card, the 6950XT is readily available at a great price and offers competitive performance in other AMD-optimized games, suggesting it would do very well with Starfield. It also enjoys optimized support for FSR, so can help boost frame rates beyond its native abilities.

Whatever graphics card and CPU you pick, though, make sure that the power supply you opt for can handle them, as these top-tier parts can pull a lot of power.

What do you need to play Starfield at 4K?

Playing Starfield at 4K is unlikely to be as demanding as the most strenuous of games, but it’s still not going to go easy on your CPU or graphics card. That’s why it’s no surprise that AMD recommends its Ryzen 7 7800X3D and Radeon RX 7900 XT on an AMD x670 motherboard when playing at “Legendary Experience,” settings, for “no-compromise 4K.”

Those are great components and should guarantee a solid 60 frames per second in just about every corner of every Starfield planet when running at 4K with the settings at their maximum. You may not get much over that without FSR enabled, though. If you want the ultimate 4K experience, you might need to go beyond what AMD recommends.

Buying a PC to play Starfield at 4K

The MSI Aegis R is a powerful gaming PC for playing Starfield and most any other game at 4K, ultra settings. It combines the ultra-powerful Intel Core i7-13700F with an NVIDIA RTX 4080 for incredible in-game performance. These two components have enough cores and high enough clock speeds to ensure that your frame rates stay consistent, even in demanding areas, and there’s full support for FSR to boost FPS even more in Starfield.

In games that support DLSS, the RTX 4080 is equipped with the latest generation of tensor cores to really accelerate dynamic upscaling. It also has full support for DLSS 3 frame generation, so in compatible games it can insert additional frames in between existing renders to further smooth gameplay.

It also has 2TB of SSD space which is enough for Windows 11 and more than 10 games that are just as big as Starfield, and then some. It has 32GB of fast DDR4 memory, and full support for the latest networking standards, including 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, and Wi-Fi 6E.

The thing is, though, with 4K gaming, there really is no upper limit on what you can benefit from if you’re willing to spend the money. At 4K resolution with all settings maxed out, the real heavy lifting is done by the graphics card, and while the RTX 4080 in the above build is amazing, it’s not the most powerful GPU available.

The Dell Alienware Aurora R15 is one of the most powerful gaming PCs ever made, combining Intel’s fastest ever processor, the Core i9-13900KF, with NVIDIA’s fastest graphics card: The RTX 4090. Together they represent top-tier gaming and will deliver frame rates and detail settings in any game that few other computers can match.

Building a PC to play Starfield at 4K

Rather do the hard work of building the PC yourself? You can buy all of the components recommended in the PC above separately and put them together yourself. You won’t have the same kind of parts and labor warranty as you will from a pre-built, but you’ll have the satisfaction of being the architect of your own gaming destiny.

Building a PC also opens you up to being able to swap out components, too. Instead of the Intel Core i9-13900KF, why not an AMD Ryzen 7950X3D for massive multitasking performance and incredible gaming power at low power demands? Since this is an AMD-sponsored game, too, it’s worth considering AMD’s most powerful graphics card: The RX 7900XTX. It has stupendous raw gaming power, and with 24GB of VRAM, it will continue to offer amazing gaming performance for years to come.

Want to really push your gaming PC’s performance to the limit? Check out some of the new high-speed DDR5 memory kits that have been dropping in recent months. They’re helping take the latest Ryzen and Core CPUs to new heights of gaming performance.

Conclusion

Starfield is a gorgeous-looking game and whatever settings you play it at, you’re sure to have an awesome time exploring the galaxy in its range of eye-catching ships. But if you feel like your PC isn’t quite ready for Starfield, there are a range of options you can take advantage of. From pre-built gaming PCs fitted with some of the best hardware money can buy, to BYO opportunities to craft the Starfield PC of your dreams, Micro Center has something to offer every potential Starfield player.

Just what kind of PC will you be flying around the galaxy on?

Our Micro Center Service Department offers tons of wonderful services to help you and your loved one’s electronics stay up and running. We perform a wide array of scans to ensure the health and security of your devices. From hardware diagnostics to virus scans, we have the tools to resolve nearly every issue you could run into. Whether you receive one of our free consultations at our Knowledge Bar, or have your system checked in for further inspection, our Service Technicians are ready to help.

I sat down to chat with one of our local Service Technicians, Ryan F. at Micro Center Parkville. We talked about everything from our services to his favorite builds and tips for your own computers!

What’s your day usually look like?

I start the day off checking on my interactions with customers. Just in case they reach out during our off hours, or they are just looking for an update first thing in the morning. Once I have updated everyone, I look over all emails to stay up to date with everything Micro Center is doing to improve everyone's experience. Then appointments and walk-ins start to show up and thats when we do what is needed. Whether we can resolve the issue with the customer, or have it checked in for testing, we go over every possible option so the customer can make the best decision for them. In between helping customers at our Knowledge Bar, we are completing repairs and ordering parts for systems that we checked in previously.

What is Same Day Service?

At Micro Center, our service technicians strive to perform all diagnostics and part installs same day. We ensure our customers are informed and updated throughout the entire repair process to ensure you know when the system has been repaired, or if we run in to any unforseen delays.

What makes Micro Center a great place to service Macs and other Apple products?

Micro Center is one of the few locations that have Authorized Apple Repair Technicians on site. With the heavy foot traffic in the Apple Store, it is a great alternative just in case you need a quick drop off or resolution. We are authorized to service iMacs, MacBooks, iPads, Airpods/Beats, and iPhones of any age.

How do you test Macs?

Depending on the issue, we can run diagnostic software developed by Apple to pinpoint the component or specific issue plaguing the system. If the system doesn’t power on, we use alternative, Apple-approved methods to help us determine the cause of the issue as quick as possible.

How do you handle battery/parts replacement?

Since Micro Center has a large selection of compatible batteries in stock on our sales floor, Battery and Component replacement is as easy as asking our sales associates where it is located and bringing it to the Knowledge Bar for installation. In the event that the battery is not available in store, we can check the system in and have the battery ordered. With the part in our Service Departments possession, the battery replacement is performed within a short period of time allowing the customer to leave with the system, or have the system ready for pickup the same day the battery is delivered.

What are the Micro Center Assurance Plans (MCA)?

Our service department provides an amazing offer that can give your PC or Mac computer extended warranty to protect you from hardware failures. As long as they pass a diagnostic scan, we can protect your system, and cover repair costs for two years. These plans do not cover any accidental or physical damage, but are a smart way to avoid getting burned by repair costs in the future.

Any tricks folks can do at home to improve their Mac or PC?

The best thing to do is make sure your device has all of the latest updates. This ensures that you have the best and most up-to-date support from Apple with any new issues that may occur. It also ensures that your Operating System gets all the upgrades that come along with the updates. Outside of the software side, it is always ideal to have a good protective case, whether it be an iPhone protective case and screen protector, or a good laptop bag.This applies to PCs as well!

What is your favorite build of all time?

There are two builds that stick out for me. The computers I have built for Johns Hopkins would be the first one. They are all very strong and powerful computers that are used for high performance applications and imaging. They normally aren’t the most visually appealing or most colorful, but to see how the machine performs during high-intensity testing is always interesting.

The second would be computers for Flight Simulator or Racing Simulator enthusiasts. They go all out for their PC’s and do not hold back with components. They are always bright and vibrant, whether they have Fan Cooling, AIO Liquid Cooling, or a Custom Loop Water-cooled PC, they always wow everyone that gets a chance to see them.

What are some easy parts to build with?

Certain parts that we carry have complexity, but the easiest parts to build with are the ones selected by our Build Your Own Department. With their knowledge and expertise they are always able to construct a custom PC that performs well, looks good, and is easier for us to build.

What is your favorite case to build with?

Much like the components, each of our technicians have their favorites, but if you asked any of us which case we would want to build in right now, it would be the Lancool 216. I personally would pick one of the wider Corsair cases as it is the one I chose to build my own PC in.

More from the Micro Center Community:

Looking for more information about Building a PC? We’ve got PC Build Guides as well as articles on How to Choose Parts for you Custom PC Build, Product Reviews, and Part Comparisons. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to post a new discussion and the Community will be happy to help!

Our brand-new store in Indianapolis opened a few weeks ago and I was invited to fly out to be part of the celebration! This was my very first time getting to visit a new store, and it was a breathtaking experience.

I could feel everyone’s excitement from the second I walked up. A DJ was stationed outside the door providing a backing track to the celebration, and a food truck was parked nearby for some great eats. Words can’t possibly capture how amazing the mood was. Customers were laughing, smiling, and excitedly checking out displays and looking at products. One of the benefits of a brand-new store is the plethora of stunning product showcases. From Astro to Raspberry Pi, even I had to take a few moments to test out all the cool items. I talked to several guests who were eyeing a Logitech headset and they expressed how happy they were to have a Micro Center local to them; to have somewhere where they could freely geek out about tech and simply enjoy their time shopping. Everyone I spoke to shared a similar sentiment.

DJ Aaron keeping everyone pumped!

For many, this was their first time ever setting foot into a Micro Center. One person said it was like walking into another dimension. I fondly remember the first time I walked into a Micro Center. Being there to witness so many others having the same experience was magical.

Customer poses with a Lenovo laptop he got for a killer deal. Shoulda grabbed one while I was there!

Walking into a new store was like walking into another world, as corny as it may sound. Newer locations such as Tustin and Indianapolis have redesigned layouts with a modern aesthetic and a more—dare I say—"open concept” layout. I’d never been in one of the new stores until now, and holy moly I was in awe. This design is very fitting for Micro Center and brings a lot to the experience from both an associate and a customer standpoint. With all that said, I still love the classic look, but these new stores are stunning.

From the entrance, you’re free to roam the entire store and look at as much cool tech as your heart desires. The most natural direction to go, in my opinion, would be to the right.

Our technicians are already hard at work putting together builds and repairing computers.

Ready to help!

You’re immediately greeted by the Knowledge Bar, which hosts our expert technicians who are always willing to help you with your tech troubles. From keeping older machines running efficiently to building a brand new one, they’re the ones to do it.

Only a small part of the huge selection of PCs to try out.

Associates Cody and Christian were the last photo I took before departing back home. My camera battery gave up mere seconds after.

Walking a little further in you’ll run into the PC & Systems section which houses countless displays of monitors, laptops, and desktops, including a dedicated Apple section. If you’re looking for a new computer for your home, office, or school needs these are the folks to talk to. I was impressed with the sheer number of displays available to test. This is one of the biggest advantages of visiting a Micro Center location: being able to take a device you’re interested in for a test drive. I’m personally super picky about the feel of laptop keyboards, and I would be unable to purchase one without feeling it first (perhaps a conversation about my favorites is in order). Huge thumbs up!

Three sales associates pose in front of a new Raspberry Pi display.

The direct center of the store is where you’ll find a wide range of items including—but certainly not limited to— just about every cable you can imagine, peripherals galore, and so many other odds and ends you could spend hours here alone (and I did). This section is also home to my favorite aisle (I’ll come back to this later). This middle section is where you’ll also find some of the coolest product demos by brands such as Raspberry Pi, Razer, Corsair, and Logitech put their best products on display for us to try. I say “us” because you bet I took some time to try them all out!

Sales associate Will supervises while a sound bar is connected to a TV display.

The very back of the store features a wide selection and an impressive display of televisions and sound bars. Every manufacturer has something different to offer with their screens, and it’s nice to compare them all just by looking at them. Situated not too far away from the TVs is an expansive selection of 3D printers, accessories, and filament.

Guests can plan out their next great build with our knowledgeable associates.

The left-hand side of the store is where you’ll find the Build Your Own PC department. Here, you’ll find every single PC component you can imagine. There is quite literally a wall of cases, allowing you to pick the exact one you want to house your next dream build. You could also do what I did and simply admire the latest components.

She's a beaut for sure!

We have one of these at the Chicago location, this person is a way better SIM racer than I will ever be.

Continue back toward the front of the store, and you’ll run into the racing simulator rig and a wall of racing wheels before you hit the checkout line. I honestly didn’t know there were so many options to customize a racing setup but I’m glad we offer them! This is also where you’ll find the Online Order pickup, in case you want to reserve an item for yourself before you get to the store.

The peripheral displays attracted a lot of attention from both me and customers.

After a great speech, the ribbon to Micro Center Indianapolis is cut!

The following morning, before my flight back to Chicago, I had some spare time to watch the official ribbon cutting ceremony featuring Indy car racer Tony Kanaan, the new Indianapolis store manager Ryan M., our VP of Sales Scott D., and our Chief Merchandising Officer, Warren B. After that, I took the time I had left to explore the parts of the store I missed and get to know a few of the associates a little better. I can wholeheartedly say that they’ve got a stellar team who are passionate about technology and will make any trip to their store an enjoyable experience.  I made sure to take advantage of some of the exclusive sales as well, buying a couple Wyze Cam OGs, a few M.2 SSDs, a USB-C hub, and a USB-C charger. As much as I wanted to bring home a new computer, my better judgement prevailed as I don’t have a need for one yet. I got pretty close though, the deals were just too good to pass up!

Inflatable friend on the roof waving at everyone arriving and leaving.

It was an awesome opportunity to be able to watch a budding Micro Center store begin to thrive. As a seasoned associate, I was privileged to be able to spend time teaching the new employees about my own experiences and providing them with some tips on how they can be successful. Hopefully I get the chance to stop back in and see how everyone is doing, whether on official business or otherwise. Thank you for taking the time to read about my little adventure in Indianapolis, and hopefully I get to have another one soon!

~Ryen

P.S. Almost forgot to mention, one of my favorite aisles in the entire store: The aisle with the LEGOs!!!

This aisle not only features LEGOs, but also other toys and knick-knacks that I find neat.

Check them all out below - and don't forget you can still get a $25 coupon (once approved) for submitting to the Micro Center Build Showcase!

Showcase Showdown Winners!

Bad Wolf chosen by @Vaganza

This system hits a lot of the great notes all at one time: a well executed theme, great descriptions and photos that tell a story, a well executed implementation, and a whole lot of customization. 

Thinking outside of the bigger-on-the-inside box here, by building your own table, you get to work out the details the way you want, perhaps try a few things and not settle for decisions made by others, I have built a system in a table before but it was a pre-designed one that was less than ideal to handle things like cable management and placement of awkward components.

Some of my favorite features here is the fact that the entire top is glass and has all sorts of space for the “artifacts” collected in there much like what you would see at a museum exhibit. The fractured “Police Telephone” sign is a great touch, and this is a great use of the Raspberry Pi display. The hardline tubing is well displayed in there and has great bends without an overuse of fittings. I especially like the placement of the coolant reservoir as another “artifact” 

The monitor placement has a great Tardis feel, especially the 11th doctor where he was always moving them around. This works well for the whole overall theme of the room, pairing well with the pictures, lighting and so forth. It all makes great use of what it likely a pretty small wall in the room.

Brother's First PC!

A Showcase Showdown winner doesn't have to be a top-of-the-line, crazy, custom PC and this first-time PC proves it! There's beauty in simplicity, and Brother's First PC is a shining example.

This PC, built for submitter Joseph S's younger brother, is a clear labor of love. He went above and beyond to build a PC that would last for years and run anything and everything his sibling could want, all without breaking the bank. The end result is a great looking, understated power house.

It's worth highlighting how much good cable management can do for a build. While the black and white cables are definitely aftermarket cables, they do ensure that the only visible cables are ones you want to see. If this were a build with cables of different types and lengths spilling out through the chassis, it would not look nearly as clean sitting on that desk - and there would be a genuine potential to see a performance impact from blocked airflow!

Stormtrooper

The Thermaltake Tower 200 is a case that presents a unique challenge: your build has to come together vertically! Submitter Joseph S. saw that challenge and doubled down on it, creating a vertical build with a theme.

Joseph's use of a white case with primarily white parts allows the black accent pieces - a Radeon 7900 XT and ASUS B650 E-I motherboard - to really really shine. And while Joseph mentions adding more decals to really drive home the Star Wars stormtrooper vibe, its already very evocative!

This is all underscored by the unique design of the Tower 200. While vertical GPUs aren't too uncommon nowadays, its very rare to find one positioned vertically in the way the Tower 200 does. The case takes a traditional PC layout and basically rotates the whole thing by 90 degrees, creating one of the most eye-catching PCs we've seen in a long time!

Permanent Test Bench

Another unconventional build, this test bench is a great showcase of how different people use PCs.

Submitter Tyler R. does a great job at demonstrating how even PCs that are designed to be frequently changed, upgraded, and rearranged can be built in a way that keeps them looking clean and nearly cable free. We love the all-black look, with the Noctua cooler really tying the whole thing together.

Its also incredibly impressive how well the whole PC fits together. Using a microATX motherboard can create a lot of spacing issues, depending on your parts list. Here, we see Tyler use it extremely well, creating a build that has no wasted space, just a block of raw, testing power!

Black & White Behemoth

What's a Showcase Showdown without some unique cooling?

This behemoth from submitter TsarNicholas is a gorgeously simple approach to cooling using Thermaltake's Pacific W7 Plus water block. But the water block alone isn't what makes this build look so good - it's the commitment to an aesthetic. Every part seems to be in harmony with every other part, and not just because they all have matching RGB lighting. They're all beholden to the black and white theme, emphasizing sharp, almost brutalist construction.

And then you turn on the RGB and the build takes on an entirely new life, as the colors pop, casting deep shadows on the blacks throughout the build. What's left is almost a ghost of a machine, one that looks to almost be all colors, floating throughout the build. This is an incredible build with some incredible eye for detail!

Northern Aurora - Chosen by @Kayjayohpcs

Check out his video all about this build over here!

And those are our six winners - congratulations to all of them! If you missed the contest, there is still time to get your $25 Micro Center coupon. Just submit your build to the Micro Center build Showcase and, once you're approved, you'll receive a free $25 coupon!

Indy car racer Tony Kanaan cuts the Grand Opening ribbon with the new Indianapolis store manager Ryan M., our VP of Sales Scott D., and our Chief Merchandising Officer, Warren B.

New Micro Center employees awaiting their first official day in the new store!

An early customer taking advantage of the incredible $29.99 1TB M.2 SSD to build a whole new PC!

Indianapolis's Knowledge Bar, where we'll be happy to help you get your computer back up and running!

Indianapolis's Build Your Own Computer department, full of folks looking for advice and computer parts!

Our Indianapolis store offers a massive selection of PC cases, so you can get the exact aesthetic you're looking for!

Our new Razer display looking green and ready to game.

Racers Madison (top) and Wesley (bottom) push the Tony Kanaan racing simulator to its limits on the Laguna Seca raceway!

Work has already begun building brand-new PCs for our customers!

Our Maker Department staff, ready to help you with Raspberry Pi, 3D printing, and anything else Maker related!

Stephen, Indianapolis's HP rep, is standing by and ready to help anyone looking for a new HP computer!

A rooftop greeter waves hello from atop our new store.

The party is far from over! We still have a slew of big-name tech fans joining us in-store through July and August - and that's on top of a ton of killer deals! Check all that info out right over here and keep an eye on our social media for all the updates.

This month, I want to highlight Micro Center’s service department - specifically on the Apple side of things. As a fully Apple Authorized Service Provider, we offer many Apple-related services such as laptop and desktop repairs and even iPhone repairs. To get a better idea of the Apple branch in Service, I chatted with my good friend and Apple Champion - the main tech in charge of our Apple repairs - Khye J. 

I am very excited to talk about the Apple side of Service, as I personally have taken advantage of it before. Before I worked at Micro Center, I came to the store to look for an iPad Pro in the Fall of 2019. To my pleasant surprise, Micro Center has its own Apple Authorized Service Provider - and I was given the option to bring in the iPad for repairs in-house if I ever broke the screen or if there were any issues with the device. This Spring, I found my 2011 MacBook Air in my parent’s house, but couldn’t find a way to get the data from the drive. Khye helped me find the right adapter for the laptop drive and transferred the data onto a USB thumb drive so that I can read the data at home. 

Julia: So you are like, the “main” Apple person here at the Cambridge store, right? 

Khye: Correct. 

J: As the main Apple person, the majority of your work is Apple, right?

K: About 95%. The other 5% is what other technicians also do: building custom PCs, diagnosing and fixing Windows machines, and even Linux. You name it, I can do it. 

J: Was there anything special that you had to do, in order to become the Apple Champion? 

K: We have to become fully qualified in the Apple Ecosystem. All of our technicians have to be either Apple or A+ certified in order to work at Micro Center. Right now, we still have some technicians that are working towards becoming Apple Certified, but eventually, everyone in service will become Apple Certified. 

J: What would you say is the most challenging thing for Apple? 

K: Hmm. Honestly, the most challenging part is probably just how complex the machines are. Sometimes it’s hard to find the problem in the machines. There will be times when the customers’ expectation of what the problem is doesn’t always match what we consider as an issue when it comes to Apple machines. So it’s all about not only finding what the customer has an issue with but also making sure that we find anything else that we may see as a problem as well. 

J: Can you give me an example?

K: We get a lot of phones that just need to be restarted to fix the issue.

J: On the topic of iPhones, I speak to a lot of people who are surprised to learn we repair iPhones and iPads

K: Yeah, obviously when you think of someone like us, you think of laptops and desktop repairs first. But we are making strides to do more Apple repairs, like iPhones and even headphones. 

J: Even headphones?

K: Yeah. So while we don’t repair them in-house, we ship them to Apple. So customers have the option to bring any of their Apple products here, and you don’t even need an appointment. 

Khye hard at work

J: What do you think is the hardest Apple machine to repair? 

K: I think they all have their own challenges. The Intel-based machines are a bit more frustrating to work on because they take longer to diagnose. On the other hand, Apple Silicon-based machines are much easier to work on. Honestly, the hardest one will probably have to go to the Mac Pros; though they are obsolete now. 

J: Based on my impression, fixing machines like the Mac Mini must be really difficult. Can you fix those as well? 

K: Oh yeah, of course. We just had one recently. turns out that the power supply was bad, so we swapped it out. 

J: I think a lot of people have the impression that Mac products are not repairable.

K: They are definitely not as easy to repair, as let’s say, a Lenovo Laptop. This is mostly due to part restrictions. Apple is fairly strict when it comes to serialization with their machines. Meaning, as we are a Apple Authorized Service Provider, we have to use all genuine Apple parts. While this can make things tricky for techs, it does ensure that all Apple devices are repaired with high-quality parts.

J: Very cool. When it comes to diagnosing an Apple machine, do you use anything special for that? 

K: Yes, Apple Authorized Service Providers use specialized software to perform all diagnostics for computers. This special software allows us to connect to the Apple server and run special diagnostics. The Intel Macs use a slightly different version than the Apple Silicon-based Macs, but it’s all around the same. 

J: Is it the same process as what Apple themselves use? 

K: Essentially, yes. We use the same diagnostic suite and diagnostic tools to ensure all repairs are of Apple-level quality.

Micro Center is a Certified Apple Repair Center and offers diagnosis and repair options for Apple devices chain-wide. If you have questions or concerns about your Apple devices - be it a Macbook. iMac, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, or even Apple headphones - stop by your local Micro Center and we'll be happy to help! We can even help with repairs that are out of warranty!

Entry will be open from July 12th to August 7th. After the entry period ends, our Micro Center champions will be choosing five builds to win a $200 Micro Center gift card on top of their $25 coupon (Winners will be announced on August 11th)! Our Champions will be choosing based on a few criteria:

• Photos: we want to see your build looking its best! Multiple, clear photos with internal and external shots are a must.
• Name: It doesn't have to be complicated, but have fun with it!
• Description: While we don't need a full report on your PC (though it can't hurt!), we are looking for a bit of depth. Tell us why you love your PC, how old it is, why you built it, what you plan on doing with it, and/or anything else you can think of!
• Favorite Feature: Don't forget about this!

And don't worry if your PC isn't a top-of-the-line, bleeding-edge rig. If you've got it looking nice and filled out your Build Showcase submission well, you've got the same chances!

How to enter

 (see terms and conditions for full contest rules):

Simply submit your build to the Build Showcase following the above criteria before August 7th to be entered! If you’ve submitted to the Build Showcase prior to the last 30 days, you’re still eligible: just post a link to your build in the comments below

 Quick steps to enter

 (see terms and conditions for full contest rules):

• Join the Micro Center community
• Submit your custom-built PC to the PC Build Showcase following the steps listed above (and in further detail below) 

How to submit your custom build to the PC Build Showcase

Step 1. Sign in to fill out the build submission form.

Step 2. Fill out the build category, name, favorite feature, and description. Include details about the process, what you use your PC for, things you would change, etc.

Step 3. Add a few glamour shots of your completed build - be sure to feature clear internal and external photos!

Step 4. Fill in your parts used

Note: You can manually add archived or custom parts. In the example below, you can add parts not listed by clicking the "Add 5600X" button.

Once you've added your part, you can adjust the price to correctly list what you paid.

Step 5.  Select "Save", then select "Publish" to submit your build for approval.

Good luck!

See attached contest terms and conditions.

Contest submission window: 7/11/23 – 8/7/23

Five winners selected by Micro Center Champions will receive a Micro Center gift card valued at $200.

Exclusive to Micro Center, gamers can now access a limited-edition processor for an unparalleled gaming journey, combining exceptional performance and remarkable affordability.  

Micro Center, a premier destination for computer hardware and electronics, is thrilled to announce the exclusive launch of the AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X3D processor. This limited-edition processor offers outstanding price-to-performance value, allowing gamers to enhance their gaming experiences without compromising their budget. Available exclusively at Micro Center starting July 7th, 2023, the AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X3D processor delivers exceptional power and responsiveness, setting a new standard for gaming performance at an unbeatable price. 

Designed with an impressive base clock speed of 3.3 GHz and a boosted speed of up to 4.4 GHz(1), the AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X3D processor delivers amazing speed and responsiveness, ensuring seamless gameplay even in the most demanding scenarios. With its 6 cores and 12 threads, this processor effortlessly handles multitasking requirements, empowering gamers with the processing power they need to dominate their virtual worlds. The extensive 96MB L3 Cache enhances data transfer speeds, optimizing overall performance. Thanks to its CPU Socket AM4 compatibility, the AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X3D processor seamlessly integrates into a wide range of systems. 

"At Micro Center, we are thrilled to partner with AMD and introduce the limited-edition AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D processor to our valued customers," said Warren Beneson, Chief Merchandising Officer at Micro Center. "We are committed to delivering exceptional value to gamers, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D processor embodies that commitment. It offers an unparalleled gaming experience at an unbeatable price point. With this exclusive offering, gamers can push the boundaries of performance and elevate their gaming endeavors to new heights. We are thrilled to bring this extraordinary opportunity to our valued customers." 

With a default TDP of 105W, the AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X3D processor strikes an optimal balance between performance and power efficiency. With Precision Boost 22 and memory overclocking support3, the processor's impressive specifications and advanced architecture ensure top-notch gaming experiences right out of the box. 

In addition to its exceptional gaming performance, the AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X3D processor caters to the needs of creators and architects, making it an ideal choice for 3D rendering and design tasks. With its powerful 6 cores and 12 threads, combined with a substantial 96MB L3 Cache, this processor delivers the computational strength required for demanding rendering workloads. Its impressive clock speeds and efficient architecture ensure swift and reliable performance, enabling creators to bring their artistic visions to life with efficiency and precision. Whether you’re a passionate gamer or a creative professional, the AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X3D processor stands as a versatile and high-performance solution. 

Micro Center has earned a stellar reputation for offering top-tier technology products at competitive prices. Priced at an unbeatable $229.99, the limited-edition AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X3D processor provides exceptional value for gamers seeking uncompromising performance. Micro Center will also offer a bundle with the AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X3D processor, ASUS B550-PLUS TUF Gaming Motherboard, and G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4 RAM for $329.99. If you’re looking for a prebuilt system, the PowerSpec G516 will be available at launch, featuring the Ryzen™ 5 5600X3D processor, Radeon™ 6650XT GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 500GB NVME SSD.  

To secure your limited-edition AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X3D processor, visit your nearest Micro Center store.  

Micro Center stores are located in: 

Atlanta (2), Baltimore, Boston, Chicago (2), Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York (5), Philadelphia, St. Louis, Washington, D.C. (2), and 3 stores coming soon (Charlotte and Miami).  

Any mention of AMD, Radeon, Ryzen, or other related trademarks are the property Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. 

1. Boost Clock Frequency is the maximum frequency achievable on the CPU running a bursty workload. Boost clock achievability, frequency, and sustainability will vary based on several factors, including but not limited to: thermal conditions and variation in applications and workloads.  GD-150 
2. Precision Boost Overdrive requires an AMD Ryzen Threadripper or a Ryzen 3000/4000/5000/7000 Series desktop processor, and a compatible motherboard. AMD Ryzen 3400G and 3200G series processors are not compatible. Because Precision Boost Overdrive enables operation of the processor outside of AMD’s published specifications, use of the feature invalidates the AMD product warranty and may also void warranties offered by the system manufacturer or retailer. Availability of Precision Boost Overdrive in pre-built OEM desktop systems will vary based on the PC manufacturer’s settings. Check with the PC manufacturer prior to purchase. GD-179.  
3. Overclocking and/or Undervolting AMD processors and memory, including without limitation, altering clock frequencies / multipliers or memory timing / voltage  to operate outside of AMD’s published specifications will void any applicable AMD product warranty, even when enabled via AMD hardware and/or software.  This may also void warranties offered by the system manufacturer or retailer.  Users assume all risks and liabilities that may arise out of overclocking / undervolting AMD processors, including, without limitation, failure of or damage to hardware, reduced system performance and/or data loss, corruption, or vulnerability.  GD-106. 

This weekend is a big one for Indianapolis Micro Center fans, as we officially open our first store in the city! We've got a lot planned for the celebration - check out our Opening schedule below! - but we also have a ton of incredible deals, exclusive to the Indianapolis store!

The Indianapolis Grand Opening Schedule:

Sunday:

Grand Opening: 10 A.M.

Food Trucks: 11-4 P.M.

DJ: 12-4 P.M.

Monday:

Ribbon Cutting with Indy Car driver Tony Kanaan: 9:30 A.M.

Tuesday:

Twitch streamer EsfandTV Meet and Greet: 12 P.M.

Wednesday:

Tech YouTuber Basically Homeless Filming: 10 A.M.

And that's just the start. Throughout July and August, we'll have tons of big-name influencers visiting. Each Sunday, we'll be announcing who will be visiting and on which days, so keep your eyes on our socials!

The Best Indianapolis Deals!

Intel Core i7-12700K, MSI Z690-A Pro WiFi DDR4, G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4-3200 Kit, Computer Build Bundle - $517.96 $329.99

If you're looking to start an Intel build without worrying about part compatibility, our Computer Build Bundle is your first and only stop. Using the stellar Intel Core i7-12700K processor as a starting point, this bundle comes with a compatible, high-quality MSI Z690-A Pro motherboard and 16GB of G.Skill DDR4 RAM. Bought as a bundle, you're saving over $150 that you can put into the rest of your build - like one of the Founders Edition cards above?

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, ASUS B650E-F ROG Strix Gaming WiFi, G.Skill Flare X5 Series 32GB DDR5-6000 Kit, Computer Build Bundle - $798.96 $529.99

This Computer Build Bundle is for anyone looking to build with the latest and greatest from AMD. The Ryzen 9 7900X is a top-of-the-line CPU, supporting high-powered gaming, video editing, and any other power-demanding task you can throw at it! It's backed by the killer ASUS B650E-F ROG Strix motherboard and 32GB of high-speed DDR5-6000 RAM from G.Skill. With this as your base, you'll be working with a cutting-edge system for years to come!

Inland Prime 1TB SSD NVMe PCIe Gen 3.0x4 M.2 2280 3D NAND Internal Solid State Drive - $139.99 $24.99

Everyone could always use more storage. If you're a gamer, there's always more games to install. If you're a professional, there's always more files to save. And now is your opportunity to expand your storage with lightning-fast 1TB of M.2 NVMe storage. At only $24.99, this is an amazing deal for anyone who's thought "I could use just a bit more space" recently!

PowerSpec G516 Gaming PC - $999.99 $699.99

The PowerSpec G516 is built on the latest CPU from AMD: the Micro Center exclusive Ryzen 5 5600X3D! The 5600X3D is designed with gamers in mind, and the G516 is there to back it up. With 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, a 500GB SSD, and an AMD Radeon RX 6650XT, the G516 is a killer 1080p system and available only while supplies last - once they're gone, they're gone!

Creality Ender 3 V2 3D Printer - $279.00 $99.99

Even without this deal, it's a great time to get into 3D printing. Add in a $99.99 Creality Ender 3 V2 and there's never been a better time! The base Creality Ender 3 is a fantastic entry-level printer, and the V2 adds a number of quality-of-life improvements, like belt tensioners and an improved color screen. This is the perfect printer for new-comers and a fantastic upgrade for fans of the original Ender 3!

Raspberry Pi Bundle

Emulation station. PiHole. Smart display. These are just a few of the projects that you can do with the Raspberry Pi Zero W! And when it comes with a free case and microSD card, you're well on your way to creating anything you can think of!

LG OLED55C2PUA 55" Class (54.6" Diag.) 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV - $1999.99 $899.99

OLED TVs are the best way to experience movies without leaving your couch. See all the rich colors of Spider-Verse and revel in the deep hues of Dune with LG's high-quality OLED displays, featuring Brightness Boosters to highlight specific areas of the screen for even more vibrant visuals. At our Indy store, this gorgeous TV is over 50% off, bringing it in line with other, non-OLED models. So why settle for older TVs when you could have the newest gen for a last-gen price?

Our Indianapolis celebration kicks off this weekend and runs through August (though our sales only last till August 6th!), so don't miss this chance to join in the festivities and huge savings!

Available only at the Indianapolis Micro Center, while supplies last. Prices subject to change. Sale running from July 23 - August 6, 2023

What does AI mean?

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is used to help computers and machines attempt to accurately mimic the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of the human brain. AI is used within many different facets of computer software, from system operating systems and website code to video games.

What does AMP mean?

AMP, or AMD Memory Profile, is AMD's own proprietary memory tool, allowing for easier plug-and-play RAM installation as well as adjustments of clock speeds.

What does BIOS mean?

BIOS, or Basic Input/Output System, is a computer program that is used by the CPU to perform start-up procedures when a computer is first turned on. It handles the system’s setup process, which includes loading the driver and operating system booting.

What does CAT5e mean?

Cat5e, or Category 5 Enhanced, is a network cable standard that was ratified in 1999. It offers a much-improved performance over the older CAT5 standard, boasting up to ten times faster speeds with a greater ability to traverse long distances without any problems or hiccups. CAT5e cables are typically 24-gauge twisted pair wires.

What does CAT6 mean?

CAT6, or Category 6, is another form of network cable released only a few years after CAT5e. It is a standardized twisted pair cable for Ethernet that is also backwards compatible with CAT5, CAT5e, and CAT3 cable standards.

What does CMOS mean?

CMOS, or Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor, is a small amount of memory on a computer’s motherboard that stores the basic BIOS settings. CMOS is a physical memory chip and is powered by the onboard battery. It resets and loses all of its custom settings in the event of the battery running out of energy.

What does CPU mean?

The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is essentially the brain of the computer. It is the portion of the PC that gives and receives instructions. The strength and power of the CPU directly impact the speed and power of the computer as a whole. This is arguably the most important part of a PC.

What does DIMM mean?

DIMM slots, or Dual In-Line Memory Module, is a physical part of a computer that the RAM is in. DIMM are long, narrow, thin circuit boards with tabs along one of the edges. The tabs feature flat metal pins on the ends that are used to transfer data between the RAM and the computer.

What does DLSS mean?

DLSS, or Deep Learning Super Sampling, is a recent AI rendering technology that increases graphical performance by using dedicated Tensor Core AI processors on GeForce GPUs. It better utilizes a PC’s hardware, and can improve the framerate and graphics of games.

What does DNS mean?

DNS, or Domain Name System, is essentially known as the phonebook of the internet. Websites are accessed through domain names, which are translated to IP addresses in order for web browsers to load internet resources.

What does DPI mean?

DPI, or Dots Per Inch, is the measurement of the resolution of a printer. As the DPI rate doubles, the number of dots printed within a square inch gets quadrupled. So as an example, 100 DPI produces 10,000 dots per square inch, while 200 DPI makes 40,000.

OR:

DPI, still meaning Dots Per Inch, is used to measure mouse sensitivity. The higher the DPI, the faster the mouse cursor will move.

What does DVI mean?

DVI, or Digital Visual Interface, is a video display interface developed by the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG). It is used to connect a video source to a display device. DVI connectors are rarely used today, as they were superseded by VGA connectors.

What does ECC mean?

ECC, or Error Correcting Code, refers to a PC component’s ability to find errors that sometimes occur in data memory, without requiring the need to consume separate computing resources. Most often found in high-end RAM.

What does FSR mean?

FSR, or FidelityFX Super Resolution, is AMD's own proprietary, graphics card agnostic, upscaling software designed to maximize the visual while PC gaming.

What does GHz mean?

GHz, or gigahertz, refers to the clock speed of a computer. One gigahertz is equivalent to one billion ticks per second, making it one thousand times faster than a megahertz.

What does GPU mean?

GPU, or Graphics Processing Unit, refers to the specialized processor designed to accelerate graphics rendering. GPUs are great at processing many different pieces of data simultaneously, making them useful for video editing, machine learning, and gaming. GPU can also be used to refer to Graphics Cards

What does HDD mean?

The HDD, or Hard Disk Drive, is the main storage device that lives inside of a computer. These PC parts have spinning disks inside them, where data is stored magnetically. While they are now considered somewhat outdated, many PC owners still use HDDs as they are much cheaper than SSDs.

What does HDMI mean?

HDMI, or High Definition Multimedia Interface, is the most commonly used HD signal for transferring both high-definition audio and video over a single cable. Most modern televisions and monitors use HDMI ports and cables, as it is now considered the industry standard.

What does IEEE mean?

The IEEE, or Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, is a global association and organization of professionals that work to develop, integrate, and maintain various technological products and services. A non-profit organization, IEEE was founded in 1963. They set the standards for networking connections, which is why you may see IEEE when working in your router settings.

What does IPS mean? Intrusive Protection System

IPS, or In-Plane Switching, monitors tend to be high-end monitors, mostly used for professional work. They tend to have lower refresh rates than gaming-focused monitors, but far better viewing angles and colors, making them perfect for visual editing, such as photo or video.

OR:

IPS, or Intrusive Protection System, is network security and virus protection technology. IPS software regularly monitors user’s networks and looks for possible malicious incidents and captures information about them.

What does LAN mean?

LAN, or Local Area Network, refers to the collection of devices that are all connected in one single location, such as a home, office building, etc. that are all using the same wireless access point.

What does MHz/mHz mean?

MHz (sometimes written as mHz), or Megahertz, refers to the clock speed of a computer. One megahertz is equivalent to one million ticks per second. Clock speed is often used as a rough measurement of how fast a computer is.

What does NAS mean?

NAS, or Network Area Storage, is a type of data storage device that connects to and is accessed through a network remotely, rather than being connected directly to a computer through a wired connection. NAS is a computer storage server that allows for shared data across multiple computers, and more easily allows for file sharing.

What does POE mean?

POE, or Power Over Ethernet, is a technology that allows network cables to carry electrical power. It is the distribution of power over an ethernet network that enables remote network devices to be installed far away from AC power sources.

What does PSU mean?

PSUs, or Power Supply Units, are electrical devices that provide power to another electrical device. All power supplies feature power input connectors, which receive the energy, and one or more power output connections, which deliver said energy to another device.

What does RAM mean?

RAM, or Random Access Memory, is super-fast, temporary data storage for a computer. RAM is used to store information that a computer requires access to right in the moment, and it strongly influences a computer’s speed in which it performs tasks.

What does RGB mean?

In the PC world, RGB, or Red/Green/Blue, refers to computer motherboards, GPUs, and other peripherals that display colors for a visual effect. Over the years, RGB has become increasingly more popular and common.

What does SATA mean?

SATA, or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment, is an interface that’s used to transfer data to and from a computer’s central circuit board and storage devices. First created in 2000, SATA was made as a replacement for PATA interfaces.

What does SSD mean?

Like HDDs, SSDs, or Solid State Drives, are storage devices that are installed inside of computers. But unlike HDDs, they use flash storage instead of having spinning disks inside of them that store information. As a result, they are much faster than HDDs and break less easily. But like all newer technology, SSD units are quite a bit more expensive than HDDs.

What does TN mean?

TN, or Twisted Nematic, is a type of LCD panel display technology. They’re often cited as being both the fastest and cheapest display panels and usually sport very high refresh rates. As a result, many monitors marketed towards gamers use TN technology.

What does TPM mean?

TPM, or Trusted Platform Module, is a computer chip that serves the function of securely storing artifacts used to authenticate the platform (one’s PC or laptop). The artifacts can be anything from passwords to encryption keys. This is done to ensure the system’s safety, as it can sense whether the computer has been compromised by viruses or malware. In addition, TPMs have safety protocols in place to help protect the computer from said threats.

What does VGA mean?

VGA, or Video Graphics Array, is an analog interface between a PC and monitor that was created for use with many different types of devices that use graphics cards. While it was first introduced in the 1980s, most modern devices now use HDMI, DVI, or DisplayPort instead.

What does VPN mean?

VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is an encrypted connection over the internet from a device to a network. The encrypted connection helps to ensure that sensitive information is safely transmitted, and remains private for the user. It also hides the user’s IP address and obscures the user’s identity so that they may browse the internet safely, securely and anonymously.

What does WAN mean?

WAN, or Wide Area Network, is a collection of devices all under the same local network, WAN is a collection of local-area networks that communicate with one another. It’s essentially a network of networks, with the internet itself being the world’s largest WAN.

What does WAP mean?

WAP, or Wireless Access Point, refers to the hardware device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network. Put in simple terms, it’s the thing that lets users gain access to the internet.

What does WEP mean?

WEP, or Wired Equivalent Privacy, is a security protocol that was designed to provide a wireless local area network with a level of security and privacy for users. First introduced in 1997, it has since been found to be inadequate and was later replaced by WPA, WPA2, and 802.11i.

What does WPA mean?

WPA, or Wi-Fi Protected Access, is a security standard for wireless networks created by the Wi-fi Alliance to provide better data encryption and better user encryption than WEP, which was the original Wi-Fi security standard.



What does XMP mean?

XMP, or Extreme Memory Profiles, is a technology created by Intel, and exclusive to Intel-made products, that allows for users to change multiple memory settings by simply selecting a different profile, which takes advantage of the higher than standard memory speeds. This plug and play-like technology makes installing memory into systems easier than ever and serves as a great quality-of-life addition.

And that’s all we have…. For now! Technology is a big field, and new acronyms and terms are constantly getting added. So if you see something we definitely overlooked, leave a comment and we’ll do our best to get it added!

 Today, I sat down with my good friend and colleague Cesar G. for an impromptu interview.

Cesar is one of our skilled technicians here at the Chicago Micro Center. He specializes in custom PC builds, bringing his own passion and personal experience to the table in order to give our customers the best possible experience. Cesar has been with Micro Center since 2020 and had experience in multiple departments before finding his place as a service technician. He takes pride in all the work he does, treating each and every build he does as if it were his own.

Cesar has always had an interest in electronics. From an early age, he would collect old electronic devices and take them apart, challenging himself to rebuild them. His family couldn’t afford to have the latest technology so he made do with what he could find. At one point, he was gifted an OG Xbox by his family, which eventually malfunctioned due to thermal issues. Cesar joked about how, after taking it apart, he learned that it was his fault that the Xbox broke because he didn’t realize how much ventilation it needed.

During high school, he worked after class to save up for his first custom build. Cesar fondly remembers the components he used: An AMD FX 6300, Nvidia GTX 1050ti, 16GB G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3, an MSI 970 Gaming motherboard, paired with a 500 Watt EVGA power supply, all tucked into a Rosewill Redbone case. It was then that he found his love for building PCs, and started building for friends and family.

R: Tell me about your favorite build for a customer, one you enjoyed the most.

C: The current one I’m doing would have to be my favorite. But, I really like all of my custom water builds. It gives you an opportunity to add a little bit of “you” to it. So many other people have the same motherboards, cases, and GPUs, but a custom water loop lets you make it personal. Everyone does something a little different.

R: What was the hardest build you’ve ever done, and what troubles did it give you?

C: I really haven’t had any really hard ones… Oh, my build, in the DK-05. The case was so massive that it was just tedious to build in. Putting the case together took a few hours, and I just spent a lot of time leaning over it. I had a lot of fun, it just took forever.

R: Tell me about the build you’re working on now. I can’t say I’ve seen anything like this in person before. What case is that?

C: The Singularity Specter 3.

R: Looks pretty cool, how is it to build in?

C: I’m enjoying building in it, but it’s been quite a long process. There were some complications due to the rarity of the case and availability of the parts. It required a few parts specific to this type of case that needed to be specially ordered.

R: As a technician, what are your favorite cases to work in?

C: The Lian Li cases are some of my favorite cases to work in, they’re very, very easy. My top three to work in would be the Lancool III, Lian Li 216, and 011 lineup.

R: What are your favorite cases aesthetically?

C: The ROG Hyperion is by far one of the coolest cases I’ve ever seen, and I really want to do a build in it. I haven’t seen one yet. The GT502 looks pretty cool as well. There’s one more I really like…the Meshlicious.

R: What case do you use for your PC?

C: [laughter] I have the Lian Li DK-05F.

R: Which one is that? I can’t seem to recall that one.

C: [pulls it up in our inventory]

R: Oh! It’s the table case!

R: If you had to come up tips for an ideal build, what would that be?

C: What kind of build?

R: Let’s go with bang-for-the-buck

C: Well, I would start out with picking a basic motherboard, doesn’t have to be fancy. Just make sure you have the features you need, like WiFi, number of USB ports, M.2 slots, etcetera. Then go with a 5 series processor, whether it’s an i5 or a Ryzen 5. No less than 16GB of RAM, ideally do the jump to DDR5 but you can get killer deals on DDR4 so don’t overlook it. Start with a 1TB SSD. Then, put the remainder of your budget into the best GPU you can get.

R: Do you have any tips for folks looking to build their own PCs at home?

C: For people building at home: Take your time, look up as much information as you need, and everything should go pretty smoothly. For my builds, I connect everything together outside the case before transferring it in, just to make sure all of the parts work properly. You don’t have to, but it’s better than installing everything in the case and realizing something is wrong and you have to take it all apart again. Make sure you have a long screwdriver and a skinny screwdriver. [Cesar holds up an iFixit driver and a 6-inch Phillips screwdriver] It’s also really handy to have one of these [holds up pliers]. Make sure you also spend time on cable management.

R: If there was one piece of equipment you couldn’t live without, what would it be?

C: My mini electric screwdriver. Ever since I started using it…if I don’t have it with me, it feels like I’m wasting time.

R: How many do you own?

C: [looks down and whispers under his breath] Three…

C: I love that thing man.

R: To close off, how would you describe your experience as a technician here at Micro Center?

C: I really do enjoy helping people here. Especially when you get some folks who don’t know much about computers, and I can make sure they get the help they need and leave happy, it’s one of the best feelings in the world. Plus, I’m building computers most of the day. It’s one of my favorite hobbies, there’s not much more I could ask for.

If you're ready to upgrade your PC, stop by your Local Micro Center or view our services online!

More from the Micro Center Community:

Looking for more information about Building a PC? We’ve got PC Build Guides as well as articles on How to Choose Parts for you Custom PC Build, Product Reviews, and Part Comparisons. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to post a new discussion and the Community will be happy to help!

The next generation of NVIDIA graphics cards has arrived at Micro Center, and leading the charge is the GeForce RTX 4090! Not only does the RTX 4090 pack a massive amount of power, it also heralds the arrival of a suite of new NVIDIA features, including improved ray tracing performance and the newly-launched DLSS 3.

Image: NVIDIA

What's new with GeForce RTX 4090?

Hardware:

The GeForce RTX is the first of NVIDIA's new lineup using Ada Lovelace Architecture. This new architecture promises 2x better performance and power efficiency with new streaming multiprocessors as well as better ray tracing and improved AI-neural graphics (check out DLSS 3 below for more details on that). To accomplish this, NVIDIA has brought out the (also new!) fourth generation of tensor cores. These new Tensor Cores will most notably impact DLSS, with a 5x increase in speed over previous generations. Also new is the third generation of Ray Tracing Cores, with a 2x boost over the last generation of Ray Tracing Cores. Of course, NVIDIA favorites also return, enhanced by the raw power of the RTX 4090, like NVIDA Reflex to reduce system-side latency for snappier gaming, and a full suite of creativity tools, including NVIDIA Studio, Encoder, Broadcast, Omniverse, and Canvas.

DLSS 3:

DLSS, or Deep Learning Super Sampling, has been a staple of NVIDIA's GPU lineup for a while now. It, in essence, takes lower-resolution frames and, using AI, upscales them to higher-resolution frames while putting minimal power consumption on your GPU. This gives users a higher frame rate, beyond the capabilities of their GPU alone. DLSS 3 takes this a step further, using a more advanced AI to generate additional frames of equal quality to your settings. This has the potential to take a GPU running Cyberpunk 2077 from 22 FPS to a whopping 85 FPS, a significant increase that will take your game from choppy to buttery smooth.

Ray Tracing:

Ray tracing is one of those subtle things in gaming. When it works, by accurately mapping reflections and dispersions of light, you'll barely notice it, as it becomes a seamless part of the world. But without it, the hustle and bustle of Cyberpunk's Night City just isn't as vibrant. NVIDIA is constantly working to improve the impact and efficiency of ray tracing, and their new third-gen Ray Tracing Cores are a massive step forward. The new generation comes with a new Opacity Micromap Engine and a new Displaced Micro-Mesh Engine. These two new engines will allow for more complex locations, including fences, foliage, and other light-intensive locations, to be ray traced faster than ever before, bringing a new level of immersion to every ray-tracing-enabled game.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Specs at a Glance:

• RAM: 24GB GDDR6X
• CUDA Cores: 16384
• PCIe support: 4.0
• Architecture: Ada Lovelace
• Base Clock Speed: 2.23GHz
• Boost clock speed: 2.52GHz
• Ray Tracing Cores: 3rd Generation
• Tensor Cores: 4th Generation
• Max Display Resolution: 7680x4320 (That's 8k gaming!)

NVIDIA's brand new GeForce RTX 4090 is available now at Micro Center! Be sure to check out our GeForce RTX 4090 Benchmarks (Coming soon!) to see how it stacks up and our GeForce RTX 4090 Build Guide for ideas for your next rig!

Micro Center’s Service department offers everything your computer could need, from simple OS reinstalls, to data backups, to software and hardware installations, even as far a fully custom water-cooled systems using hard tube installations. For many of us in the service department, we all have our favorite things to do. Personally, I love working with Custom Build systems, especially a nice challenging hard lined watercooler. There’s something magical about putting together some custom components that the customer researched heavily and brought together, often with guidance from our BYO team, and many times on their own. It leaves the new PC builder a feeling like they have a little more buy-in and, when it is all said and done, that they have a system that is entirely their own. 

Of course, it might not be possible to do a completely new build. Maybe you have budget constraints, or maybe you have a part you just love too much to get rid of. Thankfully, Micro Center has a solution. If you’re looking to reuse old parts in a new build, we offer a service called “The Custom Rebuild.” 

Bring your old PC to us and we will work with you to create a PC using a combination of new parts and old favorites. Our technicians will even take a look at the components you are wishing to reuse and test them out, ensuring you have all that you need to make the new build work. We’ll also reach out with recommendations if we run into a hiccup along the way.

We understand that not all rebuild PCs are the same. Which is why we offer couple of ways to approach a Custom Rebuild:

The New Case:

If you are looking to replace a few (or many) elements and just keep one or two, this is the choice for you. We’ll be putting together what is basically a new build in a new case, but we’ll move over any parts you want to keep. If you love everything about your PC but the case, we’ll even move ALL of your components from your old case into a new case. We’ve even moved all the components from a pre-built PC computer into a different case for someone because they liked the parts but wanted a better-looking case.

No matter the reason, the same care we show to all our builds is put forth to make sure you have a completed system that will work for you. With the updates we’ve gotten in Windows 10 and beyond, we have had a lot of success in migrating fully intact, unwiped storage drives without any boot issues, even with a new motherboard, processor, and RAM. In many cases, it’s as simple as updating drivers and your PC is running like nothing changed!

The Old Case:

On the other hand, you may want to keep an old case but really want to do an upgrade to the system. In many instances, people will often keep things like disk drives, power supplies, and old hard disks in the case but want to replace the motherboard, processor, RAM, upgrade to an NVMe drive, and/or upgrade the graphics card. Like with New Case builds, we’ll do a check on the components you are keeping and make sure your power supply is still enough for the upgraded graphics card.

In Old Case rebuilds, we usually see some wear in the case and often a lot of dust. For those builds, I do accept the challenge and clean up the case, sometimes removing all components, not just the kept parts, to bring the case back to its old glory. My favorite of this style build is the sleeper PCs, where a classic old case is filled with high-end components. The tricky part of these builds is frequently cable management, as old cases rarely tucked the power supply neatly away. The larger challenge, however, is trying to install an all-in-one water cooler in a case that just won’t accept the radiator. But, in these instances, we can always reach out and offer a solution, whether it’s a different AIO or a quality air cooler. 

It’s not just the building I love with these - I do get a kick out of before and after photos of these systems and often will hear a “wow” at the counter when the customer picks up the system. That always makes me smile. 

With all services here at Micro Center, it is a great idea to open up about your tech issues with the technician working on your system. Even if you think your questions may be “simple,” we are happy to help answer them (and often find them more complex than you might expect!). We also offer a lot of services that many don’t know about and these questions can help us better serve your needs. We can generally work with anyone’s request, and we’ll be upfront with you if there are other options that may better meet your needs.

If you're ready to upgrade your PC, stop by your Local Micro Center or view our services online!

More from the Micro Center Community:

Looking for more information about Building a PC? We’ve got PC Build Guides as well as articles on How to Choose Parts for you Custom PC Build, Product Reviews, and Part Comparisons. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to post a new discussion and the Community will be happy to help!

Note:

We cannot guarantee complete rebuild functionality without a disk wipe, as there are still rare issues that arise from changing out motherboards and processors without a fresh OS install. 

Tony Kanaan at the Chicago Micro Center by @Rye_Bread

This past June, Indy 500 winner and career racecar driver Tony Kanaan made a surprise visit to our Chicago location. We carry a line of racing sim products that he personally endorses, and he was super stoked to see some of his favorite items line our shelves. Tony spoke about his passion for racing and why he became so interested in simulation. He even showed us his skills on our demo simulator we have set up. Mr. Kanaan also had asked us to help him build his dream PC, that way he could both stream and play his favorite games without compromise. We helped Tony pick his parts and started on his build right away. Once it was done, he couldn’t wait to get back home and use it. Tony Kanaan was a blast to meet and talk to, and I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to do so.

2022 was my second full year working for Micro Center, and it was certainly an eventful one. From getting to meet Tony Kanaan to helping fulfill the dreams of Make-a-Wish children, to the simpler things like transforming our store into a 3D render (check out the Chicago one right here!) and being present for product launches, 2022 had a lot to offer. Hopefully, 2023 has even more to throw at us. Here’s to what’s to come!

Make-a-Wish at Micro Center Houston by @Lambdaben

Looking back on my favorite moment of 2022, I think it would have to be when Houston Micro Center had the privilege of welcoming Nolan, a special individual in partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Nolan's wish was to build his dream computer, and the team at Micro Center was more than happy to help make it a reality. Collin Mendoza, his personal shopper, carefully walked him through the process of building a computer and helped him choose the right components. The staff at Micro Center even gave Nolan a tour of the store to show him the different options available for his customized build. While they didn't get to see Nolan's reaction when he received his fully personalized gaming PC, they have no doubt that he was delighted. Building a customized PC may be an everyday occurrence at Micro Center, but this build proved to be extra special as it gave the staff the chance to make a difference in someone's life. I hope that Nolan and his family will never forget this special day, as the team at Micro Center surely won’t forget the impact they made on his life. 

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Launch by @ChaosDTV

2022 was a massive year for me and a lot of other people. If I had to look back into this year and say what would be my favorite part of the year was, it would have to be my first-ever product release: The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090. As a Champion, I got to spend a lot of time taking photos and getting hyped up talking with people in the crowd. Getting to see the 4090 in person like made me feel like a kid and I was just nerding out like everyone else. I'm happy I got the chance to geek out with everyone and meet new faces every day. Seeing how hyped the lines were for the launch and talking to some awesome people would be my favorite part of 2022!

Intel Truck at the Columbus Micro Center by @tbarggs

As 2022 comes to an end and I reflect on all the awesome things that happened here at Micro Center, one event in particular really stands out. The Intel truck showing up at a few of our stores was an amazing experience to be a part of. It was something out of the norm and the ability to see how a gaming truck operates was an unmatched experience.

The Intel truck was awesome as it gave my colleagues and I a spot to hang out, game, and, of course, show off the power of Intel's systems while still being close to the store. They ran a wide variety of AAA games off of Intel NUC Extremes and used it as a perfect way to introduce the new Intel arc graphics cards. A lot of awesome moments happened in 2022 and I’m hoping 2023 will be even better! Keep an eye on your local store, as we're sure to have lots of cool events at Micro Centers nation-wide in 2023!

“Micro Center is proud to bring Indy the best selection of computers and electronics with over 30,000 items in stock,” says Warren Beneson, Chief Merchant of Micro Center. “We’re excited to bring our unmatched in-store experiences with our Build Your Own PC department and best-in-class customer service. Our top-tier knowledgeable and trained sales associates can assist customers with any technology passion, invention, or project. We can’t wait to serve the Indianapolis area!”

The store will offer an unparalleled selection of laptops, desktops, monitors, Apple products, PC parts, 3D printing supplies, maker electronics, TVs, and accessories. Whether you're a gamer looking for the latest PC parts or gaming laptop, a maker seeking 3D printing filament (over 400 types) or Raspberry Pi projects, a professional in need of a business workstation, networking, or servers, a power user looking for high-performance PC parts, a lifestyle enthusiast in search of electronics and smart home devices, or a creator seeking studio equipment such as microphones, cameras, or powerful PCs for video editing, Micro Center has something for everyone. With knowledgeable associates and exceptional customer service, the new Micro Center store is poised to become a go-to destination for tech-savvy consumers in the Indianapolis area.

 Similar to our other stores, which are described as “tech heaven,” the Indianapolis store will be a 35,000-square-foot location that carries more than 30,000 products. It will have more PC hardware inventory, including graphics cards, than any computer part store in the U.S. Additionally, the store will feature a Knowledge Bar where customers can watch our technicians build PCs live, as well as receive authorized computer service for Apple, Dell, HP, and more. For the racing enthusiast, Micro Center and Indy 500 Winner, Tony Kanaan, have teamed up to create a racing simulator department. Racing rigs for everyone, from beginner to professional, will be in stock and ready to take home.

Indiana residents will receive exclusive access to sign up for a coupon to receive a free 128 GB flash drive by visiting the Indianapolis page. Additionally, they will be the first to receive grand opening announcement dates and product deals.

We're Hiring!

Indiana residents interested in career opportunities are invited to apply on the Micro Center Careers page. Micro Center is seeking leadership roles, sales associates, technicians, customer service representatives, and warehouse associates.

About Indianapolis (IN) Micro Center Store

Launching Summer 2023, Micro Center will open a new 35,000-square-foot location in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Indy location will usher the best selection of computers and electronics with over 30,000 items in stock. Indiana customers will have access to the best deals on laptops, desktops, PC parts, and Apple products. Our knowledgeable associates and high level of service give customers confidence in finding the best products.

About Micro Center

Micro Center operates twenty-five large computer and electronics stores in major markets nationwide. Founded in 1979 in Columbus, Micro Center is designed to satisfy the dedicated computer and electronics user. Uniquely focused on computers and related products, Micro Center offers more computers and related items (more than 30,000 items in stock) than any other retailer. Micro Center is passionate about offering a high level of customer service and pioneered 18-minute in-store pickup for online orders starting in 2009. Customers can visit Micro Center’s 25 stores (with a 26th location coming soon) from coast-to-coast or microcenter.com for thousands of computer-related items, electronics, and other technology products.

We have stores located in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., and Indianapolis - coming soon!

Find your local Micro Center store here!

In a behind-the-scenes interview, I spoke with Erin H, a repair technician in Micro Center's Mayfield Heights service department. Erin shared insights into her daily routine, tips for building and maintaining gaming computers, her most memorable PC build experience, and how she overcomes challenges in her role. Throughout, we dug into the different aspects of Erin's work and her dedication to providing excellent customer service.

A Day in the Life of Erin H.

Erin's typical day involves queue review, updating customers, and working at the counter while handling incoming parts for various projects. She uses Astea, Micro Center's back-end software, to manage work orders, input notes, receive materials, and order parts. Erin's dynamic work environment keeps her and her team on their toes as they strive to deliver excellent customer service and efficient repairs.

Working in a service department can be challenging, but Erin enjoys the diverse range of tasks that come with her role. From diagnosing issues to helping customers choose the right components for their builds, Erin's job requires adaptability, problem-solving skills, and a strong understanding of PC hardware and software.

Tips and Tricks for Building and Optimizing Gaming PCs

Erin emphasized the importance of keeping drivers updated for maintaining and improving gaming PC performance. Drivers are essential for proper communication between computer components, preventing crashes and other issues. This advice holds true for both novice and experienced PC builders. When troubleshooting problems, Erin and her team begin with hardware diagnostics, followed by software scans to identify any corruption within the operating system.

For those looking to build a gaming PC from the ground up, Erin recommends choosing a larger case for easier assembly and cable management, such as the Lian Li Lancool III case. She also suggests using components like the Lian Li daisy-chain fans, which make cable management significantly easier thanks to their ability to slide together and require only one cable for power.

Erin acknowledges that even experienced PC builders can encounter issues that look similar but have different root causes. For example, blue screen errors can be caused by both hardware and software problems. These errors might resemble RAM issues but could actually be due to a corrupted operating system or a failing hard drive. Erin's expertise highlights the importance of thorough diagnostics and understanding the nuances of PC building.

Erin’s Most Memorable PC Build Experience

Erin's most memorable build involved a large, glass-encased Thermaltake P8 case, a Ryzen 9 processor, an ASUS motherboard, 14 fans, and a high-performance GPU (either a 3090 or 4090). The most challenging aspect of this build was managing the numerous RGB cables. However, Erin found that the Lian Li Daisy Chain Fans made cable management significantly easier, allowing for a more efficient and visually appealing build.

Addressing Challenges and Delivering Solutions

One of the key aspects of Erin's role is troubleshooting issues and finding solutions for customers, whether it be choosing the right components or diagnosing software and hardware problems. Erin's approach to addressing challenges involves a combination of experience, knowledge, and resourcefulness. She and her team work together to ensure that customers receive the best possible solutions for their specific needs.

Erin's dedication to providing excellent customer service extends beyond simply finding solutions. She also focuses on understanding each customer's unique requirements and preferences, whether they are beginners or seasoned PC builders. Erin's ability to empathize with customers and adapt her recommendations accordingly is essential in helping them get their technology back to where they need it.

Staying Updated and Adapting to New Technologies

The world of gaming PCs is constantly evolving, and Erin recognizes the importance of staying updated with the latest technologies and trends. By keeping herself informed, she can continue to provide relevant advice and solutions for her customers. This adaptability ensures that Erin and her team remain at the forefront of the industry and can continue to meet the ever-changing needs of their clients.

Collaboration and Teamwork

Erin's work in the service department involves a great deal of collaboration and teamwork. When faced with challenging builds or issues that require creative solutions, Erin and her colleagues pool their knowledge and experience to devise the best course of action. This collaborative approach not only leads to better outcomes for customers but also fosters a positive work environment and a strong sense of camaraderie among team members.

Going Above and Beyond for Customers

In situations where customers have chosen parts that don't fit well or are incompatible with their build, Erin works diligently to find alternative solutions. If possible, she will try to make the chosen component work within the customer's build, even if it requires some improvisation. If not, she will suggest alternative options that align with the customer's preferred brand or specifications. Erin's dedication to finding the best possible solutions for her customers is a testament to her commitment to excellent customer service.

Erin’s experiences and insights offer a comprehensive look into the world of custom PC building and the critical role that service department employees play in providing excellent customer service. By overcoming challenges, understanding customer needs, adapting to new technologies, and working collaboratively with her team, Erin sets a high standard for quality service and support in the industry. Her dedication to her customers, combined with her technical expertise, showcases the importance of staying current in a rapidly changing field and the value of prioritizing customer satisfaction.

Want to have your next PC built professionally by someone like Erin? Read on to learn more about our Build Services!

Micro Center's Custom PC Build Services

Micro Center's Custom PC Build Services offer a unique opportunity for individuals to build a custom PC that meets their specific needs and preferences. With proven expertise in repairing, building, and upgrading computers since 1979, our Expert Technicians are Comp TIA A+ and OEM certified and can handle any repair or build job with ease. We repair any brand of desktop or laptop and are an Authorized Service Provider for Apple, Dell, HP, ASUS, Acer, Lenovo, and PowerSpec.

A custom-built PC offers the freedom to choose the components and specifications that meet your exact needs and preferences. This can lead to a computer that performs better, lasts longer, and is more tailored to your specific use case. By choosing Micro Center's Custom PC Build Services, you can rest assured that you are getting the best possible value for your money, along with expert advice and support every step of the way.

At Micro Center, we understand that selecting the right components is crucial when building a custom PC. Our expert technicians can help guide you through the process of selecting the best components for your needs and budget, including the right CPU, motherboard, RAM, storage, graphics card, and cooling system. We can also help you navigate the various brands and models available, ensuring that you get the best possible value for your money.

For those looking to push the limits of their PC's performance, overclocking and performance tuning can help unlock even more power from your system. At Micro Center, we offer advanced overclocking and tuning services, including liquid nitrogen cooling for extreme overclocks. Our expert technicians can help you push your system to its limits while ensuring that it remains stable and reliable.

Water cooling is a popular option for custom PC builds, offering improved cooling performance over traditional air-cooling solutions. We offer a range of water-cooling options, from closed-loop systems to custom hard- and soft-tubing setups. Our expert technicians can help you select the right water-cooling solution for your needs and budget, ensuring that your PC stays cool and runs smoothly even under heavy loads.

Over time, even the best-built PCs will require maintenance and upgrades to keep them running smoothly. With a wide suite of upgrade and maintenance services, including hardware upgrades, software optimization, and cleaning and maintenance, our expert technicians can help you keep your PC running at peak performance for years to come.

Micro Center's Custom PC Build Services offer the perfect solution for anyone looking to build a custom PC that meets their specific needs and preferences. With over 40 years of experience in repairing, building, and upgrading computers, our Expert Technicians are here to help guide you through every step of the process. So why settle for a pre-built computer that doesn't meet your needs? Come in and see us at Micro Center today and let us help you create the perfect custom PC for your needs!

Lenovo's New Laptops by @ronwoodson

Lenovo has a track record for fantastic attention to detail, innovative architecture,  insane power, and mind-blowing performance and their appearance at CES this year was no exception. Lenovo is featuring the world's first dedicated AI chip on a gaming laptop, called the Lenovo LA AI chip. It will take center stage in the new Legion Pro 7 and 7i as well as the Legion Pro 5 and 5i laptops. This new AI chip will use machine learning algorithms to tune each system for optimal performance all while delivering up to 15% higher TDP.  And speaking of TDP, let's talk cooling.

These new laptops include an extra-width vapor chamber that spans the entirety of both the CPU and the GPU on the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 models. In the models with an RTX 4070, the CPU will have its own vapor chamber with hybrid heat piping. This cooling is done by liquid metal fusion, which helps eliminate throttling while expelling heat through super-sized exhaust vents on the rear and sides of the chassis. Altogether, this will produce a whopping 200 to 235 watts of TDP.

The CPUs included will be high-end Core i9 13th generation and AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors. Obviously, with CPUs like that the RAM will be DDR5 and the GPUs will range from NVIDA GeForce RTX 4070s to 4090s. All models revealed have 16" displays though the resolution varies with a WQXGA 2560x1600 240hz version and a scaled-down 1080P 165hz version. They will also feature the largest battery allowed on a plane at 99.99 Whrs - or 99.99 watt-hours - with “super rapid charging” to boot.

Needless to say, these spectacular specs will be groundbreaking!

A few other takeaways from CES 2023, as it relates to retail-ready gaming laptops are:

• I think we're going to see USB A ports greatly reduced if not eliminated altogether in favor of multiple Thunderbolt ports.
• Similarly, I expect laptop headset jacks to start to disappear as well

But, what did you think of CES? Obviously, we love these new Lenovo laptops, but with so much announced, we almost certainly missed something - let us know in the comments below!

Introducing: Reputation Rewards.

We've been hard at work revamping our point system to make it even more rewarding, with new tiers, new reactions, and of course, new rewards. Here's what's changed:

Ranks:

We've made ranking up easier than ever and are introducing rewards for each level:

Rank 1 - Member:

Members are brand-new to the Community. They can still post and engage with the Community, but can't post external links.

Rank 2 - Enthusiast:

Ranking up to Enthusiast is as easy as adding a profile picture and making a post and boom! You're a full-fledged Community member with external links!

Rank 3 - Power User:

Once you hit 100 points, you rank up to Power User and gain access to the members-only section of the Community. What goes on in there? Only Power Users and above can say for sure.

Rank 4 - Professional:

At 250 points, you know your way around the Community, and you know good stuff when you see it. Which is why you'll be able to "Promote" posts, instantly boosting them (and the poster!) by 5x more!

And stay tuned! More ranks (and more rewards!) will be coming at a later date.

Reactions:

You've been able to "Like" posts on the Community for a while now, but we've upped our reaction game. Now, reactions give users 1 point per reaction - and can lead to even more points with badges!

New reactions:

• Vote Up - Perfect to show your appreciation for a good post!
• Awesome - See something cool? Let the poster know!
• LOL - Did a post make you laugh? Give em a point!
• Insightful - Was that post exactly the help you needed to fix your BSOD problem? Boost it with some Insightful reactions!

Badges:

Our badges haven't changed much, but there are more of them! Now every reaction has tiers, rewarding more points with each new badge you earn!

and that's just the start!

Rewards!

Throughout the month of March, earning points won't just level you up on the Community, it has the chance to score you some sweet Micro Center swag including a $250 Micro Center gift card!

Each week, we'll be giving away a free Community-exclusive Micro Center t-shirt to the user at the top of our leaderboard. Then, at the end of the month, whoever has the most points overall will get that sweet, sweet $250 Micro Center gift card.

How to enter

 (see terms and conditions for full contest rules):

Just hang out with the Community and earn points!

Points can be earned by:

• Getting badges
• Getting reactions to comments and posts
• Answering questions

That's all there is to it - so go out there and make some new friends!

Good luck!

See attached contest terms and conditions.

Contest entry window: 3/1/22 – 11:59 PM EST 3/31/22

Four winners will receive a Micro Center t-shirt

One winner will receive a $250 Micro Center gift card