Towers and all-in-ones fail differently to laptops. There's no battery to wear out, no hinge to crack, and the case is designed from day one to be opened, which is why most desktop repairs are quicker and cheaper than the laptop equivalent. It's also why desktops are usually worth upgrading rather than replacing, in a way that laptops often aren't.
Start with what it's doing
Same approach as our laptop repairs page: pick the line that matches your machine.
Fixed remotely, often the same day
- Running slowly Takes minutes to boot, sluggish everywhere
- Blue screen or random freezing Crashes with an error code, or locks up completely
- Locked out of Windows Forgotten password, can't sign in
- Virus, pop-ups or a scam Someone rang claiming to be Microsoft
- Email not working Can't send, can't receive, or won't sync
- Printer or Wi-Fi playing up Offline errors, or drops out constantly
- Software or updates stuck Windows Update frozen, or won't install
- No sound, Bluetooth or flickering Usually a driver, not a broken part
- Just bought a new one Files and accounts moved across, ready to use
- Wants a check-over Nothing's broken, but it's not like it used to be
Needs a technician on-site
- Won't turn on at all No lights, no fans, nothing
- Lost files or a dead drive Drive not detected, or files vanished
- Wants more speed or power RAM, storage, graphics card, or a full build
What it costs
Labour is $150 per hour, on-site or remote. Free over the phone, so you'll know roughly what's involved before you book anything. Unlike a laptop screen or battery, desktop parts, power supplies, graphics cards, memory, span too wide a price range to quote a single number honestly. A power supply might be $60 or $250 depending on what the machine needs, and we'll always get your sign-off on the exact part before buying anything.
How a repair goes
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Tell us what's happening
Lights, fans, beeps, or complete silence, and what changed right before it stopped working.
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We give you a price
Once we know roughly what's involved, before anything's booked.
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We come to you
On-site across our service areas, no call-out fee.
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You approve any parts first
We never buy a component without telling you the cost first.
When it's worth fixing
Almost always, more often than a laptop with the same complaint. Because desktop components are modular and standard, a machine that's slow or ageing can usually be upgraded piece by piece, a new drive, more memory, a better graphics card, rather than needing to be replaced whole. See our upgrades and builds page for what that involves. The exception is a genuinely old machine where the motherboard itself can't support modern parts, and we'll tell you plainly if that's the situation.
Brands we work on
Dell, HP, Lenovo and Acer all make desktops as well as laptops, and most of what's on our brand pages about repairability and parts applies the same way. Custom-built towers, built by us or anyone else, are the easiest of all to work on, since nothing about them is proprietary.
Common questions
Is a desktop cheaper to fix than a laptop?
Usually, yes, for the same underlying fault. Desktop parts are standard and interchangeable across brands, and the case is designed to be opened, so labour time is often shorter than the equivalent laptop repair.
Do you build custom PCs from scratch?
Yes, component selection, compatibility checking, assembly and testing. See our PC upgrades and builds page.
My desktop has no monitor. Can you still diagnose it remotely?
Not for a power or display fault, that needs a technician on-site. Software problems, once it's up and running, are still fixable remotely the same as any computer.
What if it's actually the monitor, not the computer?
A quick check with a different monitor or cable usually tells us. We'll confirm this before charging for anything more involved.
