Location
Comes to you
Hours
10am-6pm Flexible hours. Call Anytime.
Phone
(925) 915-1522
E-mail
[email protected] (Spaces are underscores)
Website
Website
Owner
Brian Tangney
Established
2006
Payment Methods
Cash, check, or PayPal
 

Real Computers is a computer repair service and design company which offers free diagnostics and free troubleshooting by phone or email or in person. They also offer free repairs in cases that don't require the computer to be opened or the OS to be reinstalled.

Real Computers does not charge by the hour: all fees are flat rate and prices are quoted in advance. The most Real Computers will charge for a single repair is $100 and that is for System Restorations. Customers pay when repairs are complete. Typically they will come to you and pick up your computer, fix it, and drop it off a day or two later.

Real Computers claims that if repairs do not require replacement parts they can usually be completed within 4-6 hours on the same day if you bring your computer in before noon. Repairs that do not require replacement parts can usually be completed within 24 hours.

Real Computers does pick up and drop off only. They do not have a storefront. There are no extra fees for pick up and drop off. If you do repair through them they will come to you! They service Davis and the surrounding area.

Basic Services

Physical cleaning of desktops and laptops - clearing dust, cleaning and repairing fans, replace thermal paste - for computers that overheat.

System tune up - removal of any unwanted start up programs/viruses/adware/spyware.

System restoration - repairs all non-physical problems such as boot failure, corrupt OS, viruses, blue screen, etc. Data such as documents, pictures and music will be saved. Programs not included with windows will need to be reinstalled. Users may need to reconfigure their personal settings as they will not be preserved in some cases and in such cases they will revert to windows defaults. Student can receive a 20% discount on this service.

Services offered and pricing information are available on their website.

Computer Design Service

Real Computers advertises that it will build a computer to order based on a price (and presumably specifications) provided by the customer. Real Computers offers a 1-year software and labor warranty on all computers they assemble as part of the price. Real Computers also offers to reuse any old parts provided by the customer if possible as an additional source of savings to the customer.

History

Real Computers was founded and operated by Sacramento resident, Brian Tangney. This business does not have a storefront yet it services Davis and the surrounding area by pick up and drop off. Real Computers started in Pleasanton in 2006 and moved to Davis in 2009. Real Computers is not currently and never has been affiliated with any other stores or businesses in any form (such as the same-named businesses in Chino and Irvine). Stores with similar names are separate entities. Brian had a somewhat rocky introduction to Davis, having originally run the business as a part time repair service out of his house. On 2009-10-27, he got his business license because, due to popularity, the company had grown far past his original vision of it as a "side job".

Info

Computer Questions

How to build a computer and why it saves money.ppt

Photos

Example of a laptop that had been overheating. A computer built by Real Computers.

 

Comments:

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2009-05-05 06:30:50   Just about everyone has a computer expert in their life - the first person you call when you have a problem or when you want advice on buying a new computer.

To just about everyone in my social network, I am that guy. Through my job, I am hired to make recommendations on computer hardware, and for my friends, I usually build half a dozen systems a year. Though I am very familiar with technology and follow tech news daily, I had a problem with a system that I just couldn't fix. New to the area, I went to this wiki to see who in the area could help.

What I found was depressing, but not surprising, because it's easy to take advantage of people that aren't familiar with the industry. (I am sure I am an easy target for any auto or appliance repair, for example.) The people at the first four places I called showed a severe lack of knowledge. (Take a look at this film about a Canadian news team filming a small army of people offering computer repair services and how little they know - http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/getting_gouged_by_geeks/ - a few criticisms can be made of the reporting team, but overall pretty good.)

However, when I called Brian, I was pleasantly surprised. This guy knows his stuff - he instantly reminded me of a friend of mine who tests and reviews computer hardware for a tech magazine. He listened to the problem, came up with a few theories, and was over at my house with the exact hardware needed to test them out within about twenty minutes.

He isolated the problem quickly, and instead of making up some BS answer or presenting an overconfident guess as fact, he told me he needed to do some research to make the best recommendation. About an hour after he left, he e-mailed me with three options for fixing the problem, along with links to his research and the specific products mentioned. All of this happened before I paid him a dime.

One of the best parts about it is that despite the fact that he's extremely knowledgeable, he doesn't have that annoying know-it-all attitude that so many people in the industry give off (myself included). He's simply friendly and professional, and was a pleasure with whom to do business.

Needless to say, I am very satisfied with his service and will be calling him first the next time I have a problem. —noblesavage

2009-05-05 06:35:36   One more thing I thought I would mention: I just looked over his basic services and prices on this page again. I usually do these sorts of things myself, but I am probably going to have Brian do them anyway, because to have them done by someone who really knows what they are doing at that price is a steal. Call around to compare for yourself, these prices are very low, especially compared against any big box store. —noblesavage

2009-05-05 11:57:32   Recommended place!

One of the fans in my laptop broke and I went to have it fixed at Help Computer Services. They claimed I needed a new fan from HP and that they could fix it within, at most, two weeks. After two months of them (at Help) not replying to emails or phone calls I decided just to get the laptop back (still with a malfunctioning fan!). Instead I went to Real Computers. The guy there said that the fan was fine, but a bit bent, and that it just needed to get bent back. The computer was up and running in a matter of hours!! Unfortunately Brian at Real Computers broke the power button and had to replace it. This took four days and as compensation he knocked $20 off the price!! This is how a business should be run!

This is simply a decent priced and competent computer repair place. I would recommend it to everyone! —pontus

Owner's Response: Its true that I broke the tiny wires that connect the power button to the computer. I immediately ordered a new one. It arrived in two business days, installed the part and returned the computer to the customer with a $20 discount for the short delay. This is the only time something like this has ever happened, but it was very easy to resolve. The worst part was the delay. - Brian

    2009-07-30 03:35:04   How much does it cost to have a laptop key reattached at this place? My "h" key fell off. —ThUn

    • Worst case, you need a new keyboard which only cost about ten or 20 dollars. Labor costs on top of that would be small, as there not much work invloved. - Real Computers

      • I have an HP Pavilion tx1000. - ThUn

        • a new keyboard would cost 11 dollars. They are pretty easy to repace so I would only charge you 10 dollars for labor, so the total would be 21 dollars. - Real Computers

    2009-08-17 23:15:43   Great service! I had an HP labtop that had a broken monitor and my warranty had just ran out. HP said it would cost $500 to fix my computer with parts and labor. Brian got a monitor for me for a $100 and charged only a half hour of labor. No mark up on the parts, very honest pricing. He also fixed the fan which was making a lot of noise. Saved about $300. Very pleased with the service and would recommend to anybody who has computer problems. —GT

    2009-10-13 13:31:39   Excellent and timely service through and through. When you find yourself in over your head with computer problems this is the place to go. Brian knows just about everything about computers, and if he doesn't, he knows where to go to find it out. I highly recommend Real Computers. —MattCrooks

    2009-12-30 22:58:34   BUYER BEWARE!!! Brian didn't deliver as promised and deleted almost 1 year of data from my computer! I have permanently lost irreplacable documents. He told me all he would do is remove the virus, but EVERY program was permanently deleted. He didn't know how to use Outlook, so he said he didn't reload that for me. He dumped all my files into an area that I didn't know how to access. His work is sloppy and quick. He didn't keep his word on what he said he would do which was to "just remove the virus". My tech said his work was TERRIBLE. I used Brian in an emergency, but never again! I spent a lot more money getting a true technician to retrieve what he could and reload vital programs. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY AND CREATE HARDSHIP FOR YOURSELF!!!.

    —SpiritGal

    Owner reply : The customer above is refering to lost e-mails in that she had in outlook. I reformatted her computer and saved all of her documents including her e-mails. Her computer had a serious virus that made reistalling windows mandatory. Outlook is part of windows so it was also reinstalled. At this point the user needs to go through the set-up process for outlook again in order to get it linked to the right e-mail address. This customers e-mails (and everything else) were saved and after setting up outlook once again all the e-mails would show up. In this case I misunderstood the customers computer knowledge limitations. All her files were saved and backed up onto her computer after repairs were completed, and outlook is part of windows so it was included, and her e-mails are also in her backed up documents but I did not realize that this customer would be unable to set up her Outlook settings so that it worked as it did before. Personally I am not familiar with Outlook but I do know that I saved a 700MB files labled "inbox" under a folder called "e-mail" in her documents folder. The fault is still entierly mine. When a customer needs their computer repaired, part of that process is knowing what each user will be able to do on their own. In this case I should have realized that the cusomter would not be able to complete the set-up process for Outlook and worked around it. I apologize for the trouble I caused you, though reinstalling windows was mandatory in order for the virus you had to be removed. Also, whatever your tech "reloaded" would only have been what I already had saved, which was all the documents you had. If you would like me to take a look at it again and try to help you access the inbox file on your computer I will certainly look into it at no cost of corse. —RealComputers

      2010-01-21 15:21:29   I called Brian with one computer with a hardware problem and one laptop that was cursed by a demon (not literally but it may as well have been). He came up with a quick and accurate diagnosis after we just talked on the phone. I brought it over and was out of there in 15 minutes. Very professional with very friendly service. —Mr.Mateo

      2010-03-09 19:02:32   So, I was having some problems installing my new power supply in my desktop. Brian had me come over to his apartment in the evening and was able to make sure my new power supply was working. It was a pretty quick fix for him, and he didn't even charge me.

      Definitely recommended. —mayeack

      2010-10-11 08:11:53   Well this review is a little late but HAS to be shared! Brian of Real Computers was SO impressive and helpful. My laptop power port broke leaving my work computer useless as it would no longer accept a charge. This happened over labor day weekend and I found myself on Monday with a dire situation. I called around Davis to see who could help but most people were, of course, closed for the holiday. One shop in town that was open quoted me nearly $300 to make the repair. Then I called Brian Tangney of Real Computers! Not only did he answer the phone on Labor Day but after discussing the situation he explained that the repair would likely be easy and quick. Furthermore, since he would need to open up the laptop to get at the problem he would also clean it out while in there, at no extra charge. And all this would only cost $80 and be done that day. Oh, and did I mention that he drove to my house to pick the computer up! On Labor Day! This guy may not have a fancy storefront in town, he works out of a home office, but his service was miles ahead of ANY competitor! I will definitely use his business again in the future and would recommend him to everyone. Thanks, Brian. —bryoncloyd

      2011-03-11 06:23:15   Real Computers to the rescue again. I was so happy with my customer service last time I used this repair company that I had to call them first when I had a new issue. Well, I guess that is not entirely true. When my web-hosted office scheduling program stopped working properly I first called their technical support to describe the problem. Basically I could not schedule anyone in my chiropractic office and that is a real hinderance to business! Anyway, the website's tech support did suggest one possible setting that needed to be checked but that did not fix the problem. Then I called Brian T. I described everything to him over the phone and he quickly suggested that I try running the site from another browser to see if that was the problem. Sure enough it was and after re-installing Mozilla, free of course, I back up and running. It all took less than 15 minutes! Brian was also nice enough to not charge me for this simple (to him!) advice. I have had two great experiences with this company and the next time I have any issue they will definitely be the first I call. Thanks again, Mr. Tangney! —bryoncloyd

      2011-03-14 12:51:46   Brian, there seems to be a dispute about where your business is physically located. What is the address on your business license? —JimStewart

      • Brian, please do not move my comment without my permission. This comment does not belong in the /talk page. I asked a simple and valid question. Business licenses must be displayed at the place of business so it follow that we should be able to find out where your place of business really is. —JimStewart

      • Hey Jim the business does seem to be listed within the Davis Directory but there's only phone numbers: http://cityofdavis.org/ed/business/busclass.cfm?class=COMPUTER%20SERVICES%2FSUPPORT Should clear up the issue for everyone and be relevant business info for all :-)

        • Real Computers & Free Diagnostics is a pick up and drop off only computer repair service. I pick up customers computers, bring them home where I fix them, and then drop them off once they are fixed. The fact that I do all my repairs at home is one of the reasons why repairs with me are generally quicker than other computer repair businesses. Since I do my repairs from home, I can work on them around the clock if needed. —RealComputers

      2011-04-10 17:46:44   When I was packing up to get ready for my move to Davis, my desktop PC was in the process of dying. I did a quick search for PC repair and PC retailers in Davis and came upon this page during my search. I saw that Brian offered a PC building service and decided to contact him about it, due to the fact that I had been planning on replacing my PC anyway.

      He made the process of building the computer and getting the computer to me as painless as possible. It took me a month to finally get settled into an apartment here, and the entire time he was patient and offered to hold onto my new computer for me until I was settled. Even amidst all the ridiculous gas price drama going on lately, he drove over to pick up the payment as well as drove over to drop the PC off. I was very grateful for this as I didn't have any transportation at the time.

      The computer itself has given me no problems at all. It's exactly what I wanted and was very reasonably priced. There was a mixup over parts ordered and Brian was quick to offer compensation, and a short time after he'd brought over my finished PC he dropped off a gamepad I hadn't even asked for. :) A very kind gesture, I thought.

      All questions I've had he has answered promptly. All in all I'm very pleased with Brian's service. He's always patient, helpful, and accomodating. He made dealing with one aspect of a move that much easier to deal with! Highly recommended. — MayaKlein

      2011-08-02 14:00:13   I e-mailed Brian to work on my computer for me. I need something affordable and it had stopped working and had been just tucked away for two years. He e-mailed me back right away with what he thought the problem could be and ALWAYS promptly answered the million questions I had. He quickly figured out what my problem was, my motherboard had overheated, and found a reasonable price for the part and quoted me a great price on labor. It took longer than usual for my part to come in but as soon it did he let me know and also gave me some advice as to what would make my computer run better. Since the end of the semester was coming up he not only picked my computer up for me to do the repairs he dropped it off to me when I told him I needed it and even came back to Davis just to replace my keyboard and add RAM so that I could finish school work in the mean time! He did an amazing job and everything is running great. He not only knows his stuff, but he is fair and reasonable! If I hear someone say that there is anything wrong with their computer I immediately tell them how great Brian was and recommend him! I am moving to San Jose soon and will still bring my computer to RealComputers! It is great to have someone working on what you need that you trust! —MonicaIrby

      • Yeah, 'cause there's no one in Silicon Valley who knows how to fix a computer. —CovertProfessor

      2015-03-09 15:52:36   Bryan helped me out at a time when I needed it most. He work is outstanding. My lap to has never worked better. I highly recommend you seek out his services and his advice. He WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN. His prices are the lowest I could find for quality service. Thanks Bryan. —jimmymorris

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