Altex Computers & Electronics — Local services in Austin

I was having such a horrible frustrating time building my computer and didn't know why I couldn't install windows 10. I spent days trying to figure out what was happening so I called up altex told them my problem so they told me to bring it in. They had a special to look at the computer for free to see what's wrong and found the problem the hard drive. So I went and bought another one then tried it again and then another problem so I called back letting them know and told me to come back in. Turns out I bought another bad hard drive. But they fixed everything for me and installed windows 10 no problem. They are very honest people didn't try to sell me on a bunch of junk like some places will. I will come back again for my next build and any problems I come across again

UPDATE

I did what I said I would do when I got the parts for my dream computer I went to altex to have them put it together. Walked in told them I needed a CPU fan and a USB wifi. They showed me some good options that I was very happy about and went ahead and bought them, both were very good prices for what you get. The day came to pick it up it was all sealed up in the computer case box. The guy told me that the motherboard has built in wifi already so I didn't need the USB so he refunded me the money no problem. Once again he was very honest with me and could of just still sold me the part I didn't need but didn't. When I got home it was like Christmas to open it and when I saw the work the guy did for me (I forgot to ask permission if I could use the gentleman name so I won't) I was very shocked on how he did everything with the cable management so you hardly see any wires. It looks very clean something like you would see online for display or at a store. He built the computer as if it was his own. The experience I had there I tell everyone I know how helpful and honest they really are. So if you have a problem and worry about being ripped off like I was at first you have nothing to worry about with altex. They have earned my trust and for now on if I have any problems I know...

This place is a dying niche type of store. Electronic stores are becoming a thing of the past with disposable apple iPhones and the constant hardware requirements to use Microsoft's Windows, forcing consumers to buy new or get left without security updates. Altex is the place you go to find the equipment you need to actually do repairs and infrastructure low voltage installations. The selection of merchandise is fair and the prices are reasonable for something you just need right now and can't wait for Amazon to figure out where your package ended up. Plenty of parking and very easy access to the building. Very clean establishment but it did seem a bit dark in the building itself. Low lighting was a shock at first but quickly felt atmospheric and pleasant. The only complaint really is the lack of human interactions. The employees were there and friendly enough, not rude at all, just a bit stand offish. Waiting for you to ask for help but not actively participating in the store employee, customer dynamic that one might expect from a hardware store. That being said, I walked in for a soldering tip, found what I was looking for by asking an employee as I entered the building and got directed to its location promptly. I looked around the store, paid and exited. Will definitely...

Highly competent staff, friendly, professional.

Here's my experience dealing with them. I have been assembling my own PCs from parts since my very first computer, a 486 DX50. For desktop systems anyway, I don't think I've ever once bought a pre-made system from a manufacturer; the big PC companies always seem to skimp on something I find important (things like putting in super-slow RAM), or load the PCs with so much bloatware that I end up reinstalling the OS from scratch anyway (I've observed this often with the laptops I've purchased).

A couple of years back I had some stability issues for a machine I put together (the problem ended up being an incompatibility with the AIO cooler I was using and the motherboard). After many frustrating hours of futzing with it, I took it to Altex, paid them of course, and they were able to diagnose and fix the problem (in the end I got rid of the MB I was using).

For my next PC (I plan building a Zen 4/RDNA3 setup when the parts are released at the end of 2022), I plan on purchasing the parts from Altex and letting them perform the build for me. It will save me time and frustration, support a local business that employs local Austinites, and I know than I can trust them to build...