Winchester Computers — Local services in Daytona Beach

My experience here wasn’t terrible for simple fixes, but for complex issues, exercise caution. I own a prebuilt Dell gaming PC and needed a CPU upgrade, which required a new motherboard. I explained this; they opened my PC and said they didn’t want to upgrade it because the motherboard might be unique. Instead, they suggested building a new PC using parts from my current system. I asked for a price estimate (they waived the $40 fee), but it came to $2,218.84 for essentially a new PC. After reviewing the parts list, the pricing seemed high—like dealership car repairs: not outrageous, but pricier than alternatives. Then I went to another store, where the technician noted, “Dell computers normally have odd-sized motherboards, so… wait, that’s a standard-sized motherboard.” I got a solution for about $1,600.

My first concern is the price difference (details later). My second is that they failed to recognize my Dell used one of the three standardized motherboard sizes, raising doubts about their willingness or expertise with complex cases. This suggests their target customer might be someone who isn’t cost-conscious or tech-savvy—even though I know a decent amount about computer internals.

My third point is technical. The motherboard supports either DDR4 or DDR5 (but not both), and my PC uses DDR4. I worry that pairing DDR4 with an RTX 5070 may limit performance in bandwidth-intensive tasks and require an earlier upgrade. DDR5, offering increased bandwidth, modest real-world gains, and better future-proofing (albeit at a higher cost), would be preferable. They did not explain these trade-offs or confirm if the configuration was optimized for long-term use. I suspect they chose DDR4 because I requested to reuse my RAM, but I would have appreciated an explanation of the potential impacts.

Another issue is that they didn’t ask if I preferred a Wi-Fi card or an integrated solution—I favor an integrated option, and confirming this would have helped. I understand this wasn’t the final build (they did ask how I would pay, implying further questions if I proceeded). I know they monitor reviews and often respond, sometimes dismissing poor ones. My main complaint remains: they misidentified a standard motherboard as unusual and advised building a new PC instead. I was also unimpressed with the staff’s technical aptitude; they may handle routine issues, but they aren’t the best locally.

In summary, as someone with patience and decent computer knowledge, I found the experience underwhelming. While their service might suffice for simple issues, if you’re spending over $500, get a second opinion—as I saved $600 by driving an extra ten minutes.

My issue with the parts list is the lack of itemized pricing and vague descriptions (e.g., “High-Definition Audio”). I expected a detailed list for a ~$2,300 system. Using PC Parts Picker and Amazon, I estimated the parts should total about $1,640 (excluding Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth, and Windows 11 Home). I was also puzzled by a $140 motherboard without built-in Wi-Fi/Bluetooth and by the Windows 11 is normally marked up to $100. My estimate is around $1,740, yet they quoted $2,218.84—roughly $400 extra. Their labor charge (2.75%, or $55.82) and a $133 Volusia County fee bring the subtotal to $1,930, leaving about $200 unexplained. While $200 may be minor, the overall pricing and vague details raise questions.

In contrast, the other store offered a configuration with 64GB DDR5, a new motherboard, a better CPU (i7-14700K), and a 1200W power supply plus installation for around $800, with the new GPU adding about $850. Their store would have charged ~$2,200 compared to the $1,600 I paid for a system with slightly better specs. I’m happier with the second opinion because the technician A) demonstrated more expertise, B) involved me in the decision-making process, and C) offered a more...

PLEASE READ BEFORE TAKING YOUR DEVICES TO THEM FOR EXTENSIVE SOLDER WORK

Let me start by saying that my experience with this store has been very underwhelming. I went to this location because I was referred to them by another computer store that I usually go to and they told me that I would be able to get my graphics card power connector fixed through them. The computer store that reference them couldn't have been more wrong. The store location had my graphics card for about 6 months I originally specified that I was not in a rush but I didn't think they would take 6 months. Don't get me wrong the individual working on the card was extremely nice but that doesn't fix my graphics card. Keep in mind the graphics card costs about $1,900 new. Very expensive card to be messing with. Initially I called in to find out what was taking so long and I spoke with Robert and he stated that my card was something special because the solder would not melt he told me that he had 15 years of soldering experience and that he has never seen anything like this so he ordered new equipment to combat this issue and that was 4 months from today I picked the card up on March 27th regardless of its condition. down below are the images of the product in its returned condition. The individual working on it applied so much heat that it burned the motherboard with this extensive heat it has knocked capacitors loose which I'm sure would have been fixed if the individual working on it was actually able to repair the device. During my time dealing with the store I have called multiple times to get updates on my device I was told by the person on the phone that Robert would call me back hours have passed from each attempt which was 3 attempts and I haven't heard anything. And there hasn't been many changes in the progress from month to month. I was quoted about $150 for this repair and I was put on a back burner because the individual working on it bit off more than they can chew. I got my device back and got in contact with someone who has less years of soldering experience and gave them my graphics card. They had the graphics card working within 6 hours of it being dropped off. The person who worked on it told me there was solder going across the board that bridgeed a couple connections and there were chips out of place which were put back in the right spot and the continuity of these connections were tested and the card is currently functional right now. Keep in mind Robert has 15 years of soldering experience yet someone with way less years of experience was able to fix it in 6 hours. My graphics card was treated as a side project rather than saying they bid off more than they can chew and give me back my card. This has all been a frustrating experience. I did not feel like a valued customer and I did not feel like my time was prioritized. I cannot say for all of their other repairs as to whether or not they're reputable but I can clearly say they are not reputable for replacing power connectors on an RTX 4080 graphics card. Down below will be images of the graphic card in its returned condition before it was dropped off and the communications between the store and me. As I have called multiple times with very...

Awful. Just awful. Tech misdiagnosed what was wrong. Repeatedly. Suggested I buy a new computer. Once I did, he couldn’t figure out how to install an upgraded hard drive. (This is after the tech said my brand new SSD 2 TB hard drive would fit any new computer…wrong!) Owner apparently just owns the business and doesn’t know computers. He was a bully. He’s left to trust any tech he has that doesn’t know what they’re doing. I took my old and new computers to Sheryl at Computers by the Sea…she not only upgraded the hard drive in my new computer, but got my old laptop running good as new, and discovered that my old motherboard was just fine (despite tech at Winchester’s “guess”). She also discovered missing and stripped screws on the back of my old laptop and missing screws from where my battery attaches. Winchester is the only place that has ever touched my computer and opened it up. This place has cost me hundreds and hundreds of dollars plus the guidance to buy a new computer which was, of course, more money. And you know what the owner actually seemed upset about? That his tech didn’t suggest we get a computer from him.

UPDATE: After over a year of posting my review here, Winchester decided to finally respond, and of course does not remember me or the situation, and their reply is completely inaccurate. I didn’t bring them something incompatible…your tech recommended the wrong thing because he had no idea what he was doing. And not only that, you damaged my computer in the process by way of striping screws and failing to put them all back, as Winchester had been the only person/company to ever touch my computer. But the biggest issue of all, was the lack of care, the bully that was the owner, and the owner’s complete disregard for the situation, and only caring that he didn’t get more money from me via the purchase of a new computer. If anyone is curious about how this company cares, pay attention to the year time span between my review and their reply, and the fact that their response doesn’t even match what I wrote. How could it? It’s been a year! Contrary to the response, I didn’t have a problem to repair. I was upgrading my laptop from a 1TB to a 2TB solid state hard drive. As if my disappointment with them couldn’t get worse, I’m only sorry that I couldn’t give them a second “one” star. Luckily for me, I found someone competent who did exactly what I asked for, with the equipment I’d bought, in less than a day. And they charged less to get it right than you did to...