Green PC computers — Attraction in Tacoma

UPDATED REVIEW: My original review was two years prior to this. I've been going to Green PC for almost seven years now. When I first visited, I'd say they were a three-star kinda shop, but then again back then they were truly just a recycle center, so I waited some time to review them from a retail aspect, at which point I gave them four stars. Their growth and improvement continues, and my most recent interaction warranted an extra star.

Whomever helped me was extremely knowledgeable. I purchased a surplus Surface Pro 3 from the state which came with a dock, but no power supply. I brought the dock in and immediately the associate recognized it for what it was. They pointed out a newer compatible dock, informed me that Dell power supplies "should" work, and offered to look in the back for a Microsoft Surface brand power supply. While they looked in back, I checked for Dell power supplies and found a handful (I'd agree they "should" work). After a few minutes, the associate came out with the supply originally intended for the dock and a transaction was made.

I have over a decade of high-end retail and customer service experience, and the customer service I received yesterday was superb, from being greeted to friendly and attentive chit chat at checkout.

As always, the price generally beat anything I could find online and it appeared they had a healthy stock of useful odds and ends as well as 'turn key' desktops and devices. Additionally, their trend of constant improvements is apparent as always; the store always smells fresh and there's always an upgrade whether it's a new digital display to greet you at the entrance or another curiosity in their museum of electronics.

Of all the countless businesses I've interacted with, Green PC is undoubtedly in the top and earns my recommendation without reservation.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Customer service has greatly improved here over the years. They've always had just about anything I need, in stock, and at a reasonable price used, new or...

To preface this, I wouldn't be surprised if tariffs are affecting prices here. While I understand that it's a business that needs to make money, the PC parts market is a mess with pricing, and this is a cool PC parts store with very knowledgeable staff, I wish stores like these wouldn't bundle older CPUs with motherboards and charge far too much. Bundling a ryzen 2000 series CPU with an AM4 B450 motherboard or an old i7 9th gen CPU with a top end motherboard of the time and charging $300+ and then tax is too much. An i3 12th-14th Gen CPU with a cheap motherboard or the same AM4 B450 motherboard paired with a ryzen 5000 series CPU, such as a ryzen 5600 would be far cheaper and offer far better performance than what's being offered. $1000 after tax for an rtx 3090 is also absurd. There were a few desktops on display with very old and weak hardware for modern standards. Spending $400 after tax for a GTX 980 and i7 6700 in a nice PC case with RGB fans to make it look more modern is not okay. A used PS5 is the same price and far more powerful than that. The only decent aspect was the 16gb of ddr4 and an SSD so that it can at least boot fast.

I wouldn't be surprised if less knowledgeable families go home with something that might be too slow for gaming or whatever needs they may have for adequate performance.

EDIT: I noticed that the PC with the GTX 980 and i7 6700 has a hacked windows 11 on it, which is not supported officially. That's a big no-no in the PC...

I’ve been sourcing parts from this place for a while now, and normally they’ve been spot on with what I need. As of recent, they’ve been having inventory issues due to tariffs and imports, something I absolutely don’t blame them for at all.

However, on my most recent visit I went looking for a particular item that is out of stock indefinitely. The guy at the front desk tried to do me a solid by seeing if they could sell me the fans out of a case they damaged when trying to send it to a customer. Guy went into the back, and was quietly told no by whoever was making the decision, leaving him to have to come back out front, obviously embarrassed, to tell me that the decision maker said no because they want to try and sell the damaged case, rather than take the sale of the fans.

Normally, I’d respect such a decision, as it is a business, but it doesn’t sit right with me when someone throws an employee under the bus. The guy was clearly embarrassed that he’d been told no, and rather than explain the situation themselves, whoever had made the decision left him to deal with it himself. In my opinion, that shows a distinct lack of respect for the guy that was helping me, and for me as the customer.

I normally shop at GreenPc because the prices are good, and because I prefer to support a local business, rather than a big box store, but I’m probably going to have to reevaluate...