Computer Supplies in the UK

Finding a good computer shop in the UK

A local computer shop sells the machines and the parts and, unlike a warehouse or a website, sets them up, fixes them and answers the question. The good ones build custom desktops and gaming PCs to a budget, sell laptops from the brands they can support, keep refurbished and ex-business machines with a warranty for a fraction of new, stock the memory, drives, cables and peripherals a repair or an upgrade needs today, and run a workshop behind the counter for repairs, upgrades and data transfers. Most also supply and support local businesses with hardware, networks and printers.

Buying from a shop costs a little more than the cheapest website on some lines and less on others, and what it buys is a machine that fits the use rather than the advert, transferred from the old one with the data intact, and a person to go back to. For a gaming or workstation build the shop's choice of parts and the build quality matter more than any single component's price; for a laptop, the shop knows which models come back. Refurbished business laptops, three years old with a warranty, are the best value in the shop.

The listings here show each shop's reviews, what it sells and services, hours and contact details, so you can see who is nearby, who builds gaming PCs or supports businesses, and whose advice people in your town rely on.

What computer shops offer

Laptops and desktops: new machines from the main brands, chosen and set up for the use, with data transferred from the old one.

Custom and gaming builds: desktops built to a budget from chosen parts, with the case, cooling and power supply matched, tested and warranted.

Refurbished: ex-business laptops and desktops, cleaned, tested and warranted, at a third to half the price of new.

Parts and accessories: memory, SSDs, graphics cards, power supplies, monitors, keyboards, cables, printers and ink, in stock for today.

Services: repairs and upgrades, data recovery and transfer, setup and Wi-Fi, and business supply, networks and support contracts.

Before you buy a computer

• Say what it is for — office, school, photos, gaming, video — and the budget; the shop matches the machine to the use, not the advert.
• Ask what setup, data transfer and support are included, and the warranty and who handles claims.
• For a build, ask for the parts list with brands and the build warranty, and whether you can change parts later.
• Consider refurbished for anything but gaming and video; a three-year-old business laptop with a warranty is excellent value.
• Ask whether the shop can fit an SSD and more memory into your current machine before replacing it.
• For a business, ask about supply accounts, on-site support and response times.

What computers cost from a local shop

As a rough guide, a new laptop for everyday use costs £350 to £700, a good one for work or photos £700 to £1,200 and a gaming laptop £900 to £2,000; a refurbished business laptop £200 to £450 with a warranty; a custom desktop £600 to £1,000 for office and light gaming, £1,000 to £2,000 for serious gaming and £2,000 upwards for high-end builds, plus £50 to £120 for the build; an SSD upgrade with cloning £80 to £180 and memory £40 to £100; a monitor £100 to £400; and setup and data transfer £40 to £80 or included. Shops price the branded machines close to online and win on the builds, the refurbished and the service.

The right £500 laptop from a shop that will support it beats the wrong £700 one from a warehouse.