Best of Tucson 1996: Best Place To Buy A Computer

Best Place To Buy A Computer

Circuit City
4439 N. Oracle Road 5530 E. Broadway

READERS' PICK: Aiming squarely for the middle ground between the deep discount chains with their "take-it-or leave-it" stock and the pricey-but-informed custom system builders, Circuit City has carved out a successful niche for itself on a national scale. Its most serious competitors are in fact the mail-order houses, and the chain emphasizes those features which are best served by a local store. On display and maintained in driveable condition are systems ranging from inexpensive clones of so-so repute to deluxe, tricked-out machines with expensively incomprehensible ad campaigns and the latest in designer casings. A 30-day, over-the-counter return policy shields you from buyer's remorse, and for an additional 8 to 15 percent of the price tag you can have a three-year service contract with all the trimmings, including on-site service.

As for the sales floor act, we sent in our staff propellerhead on some pretext or other, and he found the salesfolk to be fairly well-schooled in the technical details of the various systems on offer, but with no tendency to talk over the heads of laymen. For guys on commission they're remarkably non-pushy, and plenty willing to let browsers just browse. On the whole, if you swing a soldering iron with less than Zorro-like flair, your best bet is to read the magazines, mark the buzzwords with your highlighter, then come in here and banter your way into the information age.

READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: Despite all the talk about personal computer prices reaching all-time lows, no '90s hipster would be caught dead paying retail for hard-drive, motherboard, RAM, monitor, and keyboard. True, you must be a student, staff, or faculty member of the University to enjoy the hefty educational discounts at the Computing and Technology Store (CATS), above ASUA Bookstore at the University of Arizona Student Union. But with an enrollment of some 35,000, your chances of being or knowing one seem pretty good. For most major hardware, including complete set-ups, prices run an average of $200 to $600 less than other retail outlets. It's a wonder this little shop doesn't force your neighborhood corporate chain out on its ear and shoot enrollments for flag football and Drawing 101 into the stratosphere. Of course, you can find the latest slick IBMs with 166 MHz processors and Apple Macintoshes flaunting their sensible operating systems, but dig around a little and you might come across a cherry laptop clone at almost pennies per megabyte. CATS also offers technical support, repairs, installations, peripherals and accessories. And once you've laid down your savings on your brand-new, soon-to-be-obsolete family member, check out all the software--most of the serious applications at CATS nose in at just under half what you might normally pay.