In many parts of the U.S., PC enthusiasts take the presence of Micro Center retail stores for granted. Until a few days ago, Micro Center retail stores operated in 18 states, with New York leading the way (Ohio had three stores, New York had four). On June 7, North Carolina officially joined the fray.
Micro Center's first store in North Carolina is located in Charlotte, one of the financial centers of the southern U.S., and about a two-and-a-half hour drive from where I live in Garner, North Carolina (a suburb of the state capital of Raleigh). I've always wanted to visit a Micro Center store, but the closest one is in Fairfax, Virginia, more than four hours away, so I never felt like making the trip.
Not that I didn't have a reason to go to Microcenter. For years, I'd seen sale after sale online that touted huge discounts on PC hardware. Then I'd click on the link only to find that it was a Microcenter sale, in-store only, no shipping. The incredibly good promotions were often far cheaper than you'd find at Newegg or Best Buy, and their deals on opened and refurbished items were even better. After missing out for years, I finally gave Microcenter a try for the first time in my home state.
Admittedly, the 2.5-hour drive (5 hours round trip) is no easy feat, but I was heading to the Charlotte metropolitan area for a family reunion last weekend, so it made sense to stop in and see what all the fuss was about.The 41,000-square-foot Micro Center store is located in a strip mall-like spot at the intersection of Woodlawn Road and South Boulevard, sandwiched between a Family Dollar and a Home Depot.
I went on a Sunday, two days after the store opened to the public, and parking was as bad as ever, with many Charlotte-area residents flocking to get a closer look at the store. I couldn't find a parking space close to the store, so I ended up parking in front of Home Depot and going inside.
Being a MicroCenter newbie, I wasn't really sure what to expect and was a bit overwhelmed at first. The first thing I saw after getting past the security guard at the front entrance was the Knowledge Bar, located to the right of the front of the store. Similar in concept to Best Buy's Geek Squad, the Knowledge Bar is a place to help resolve any questions (or issues) you may have about your PC. The retailer also offers consulting, data recovery services, and even certified warranty repairs for some of the major PC manufacturers (including Lenovo and Apple).
Towards the back of the store, we found large tables and aisles dedicated to major computer brands. A large wooden table contained only Apple computers and tablets. An adjacent aisle contained Apple accessories like cables and AirPods. An aisle was dedicated to laptops, desktops, and various accessories from Asus, Lenovo, and HP. We were equally impressed by one tall shelf filled only with Asus wireless routers (some of which we recently reviewed on Tom's Hardware).
But perhaps the most surprising thing was the massive Dell Technologies “wing” that stood in the back right corner of the store – the largest section ever dedicated to a single brand, showcasing Dell's consumer and business PC products (including Alienware) as well as bigger-ticket items like gaming and productivity monitors.
I wandered around in a daze, overwhelmed by the sight of all the latest generation hardware I cover every day in one place (outside of a trade show). Sure, Garner's local Best Buy store stocks some PC gear, but nothing on the scale of Micro Center.
I walked past displays dedicated to a variety of products, including Bambu Labs 3D printers and Raspberry Pi products and accessories. I walked through aisles lined with gaming headsets, keyboards, mice, cases, power supplies, and every component you need to start building a new PC or upgrade an existing one. And of course, I strolled past the “Build Your Own PC” booth, where dozens of GeForce RTX 4090 cards were locked up in display cases staring back at me.
Looking around the store, I saw enthusiasts with carts full of hardware and beaming smiles. Some even ignored the carts altogether, cramming items under their arms. One shopper from near Monroe, North Carolina, was carrying an Asus Z790 motherboard and a Corsair RMx SHIFT Series RM1000x power supply. He was happy to have a store nearby where he could get PC hardware without having to rely on the usual online go-tos like Newegg and Amazon.
In my case, I didn't walk out of the store with any new hardware. My PC hardware needs are set for at least the next year or so. However, if for some reason I need to upgrade my system in the near future, I'll be keeping an eye on the countless specials Micro Center has on offer in-store and rescheduling my family's visits accordingly.
Or, even better, Micro Centers would open a store in the tech hub of North Carolina, the Research Triangle Park (i.e. Raleigh-Durham) area. If Micro Centers wants to expand their presence in North Carolina, this is the most logical expansion point. I believe the number of tech enthusiasts in this area far exceeds that of Charlotte. Are you listening, Micro Centers executives?