Santa Cruz Electronics

The staff were very friendly and helpful. They took the time to listen to my questions and I left with the the equipment I needed to get me up and running. This is by far the best experience I have had in a computer store and I love that it is local.

As someone who has built PCs for himself for several decades, I've purchased here before. On Monday 8-9-2010 at around 6:45p, I attempted to return a heatsink and fan that I purchased for around $20.



When I purchased this heatsink, the salesman had assured me that it would give me the same performance as the stock Intel heatsink/fan, and they didn't have anything better to offer me anyways. Unfortunately this one didn't even reach that minimal level. It ran hotter than the stock Intel. The PC shut down from heat several times in just a couple days.



Even though I had most of the packaging and even offered to take a store credit, the reason given was that I didn't have the cardboard insert. I wasn't dissatisfied with the product. It simply didn't work as advertized.



I bought a heatsink from Fry's for around $30, where the selection was several dozen times greater. I didn't see one that looked as poorly designed/cheap as the one Santa Cruz Electronics sold me either. The one I purchased from Fry's gave me more than 5 degrees C lower temperature during load (even more during idle). Also, I'm guessing that Fry's would have refunded my money even with the missing packaging.



I don't want to piddle over $20 but shouldn't the local place you run to in an emergency have quality products? I'm unlikely to purchase here again.