Craig fixed my MacBook Pro after it sustained water damage. My screen’s backlight was not working and he replaced the logic board and had it back to me within a week, and charged a reasonable price – much less than Apple. Also, Craig is the only person I found that can do hardware in the entire D.C. area. The trip from Foggy Bottom to Alexandria was worth it. He took all my calls and thoroughly explained what was going on at all stages of the repair. I would recommend Craig to anyone. Thanks Craig!

These folks are amazing. I have used him in the past to fix my computer, which he did and he made it better than it was before I took it to him. I recently purchased a computer from him and got such a great deal. They are very knowledgeable and explain things on a level I can understand. I would definitely use them again and I highly recommend these folks.

Truly excellent. It takes a lot for me to write a review. The Eldest Geek got my computer fixed in 24 hours, which was super important since it is my work computer and I have upcoming deadlines. The price was reasonable and I couldn’t be happier. Well worth the drive to Alexandria.

I was in search of hard drive rails that would fit my custom PC and hold my hard drive in place. Though they didn't have them (they don't seem to be available anywhere), the gentleman brainstormed different solutions and suggestions and presented an alternative solution using screws, which although the original intention couldn't work, I was able to use those screws in a different manner to secure my hard drive. So ultimately, problem solved! Great service.

Don’t be fooled by his lack of a storefront. He is the real deal and you will feel lucky and glad you found him. After a liquid spill on my MacBook Pro 2012 model I went to MicroCenter � did not even consider the high priced Apple store. Microcenter wanted $70 just to check it out and the repair would take at least 3 to 5 days. Granted in the unibody Mac the keyboard is actually the bottom layer and is viewed as a “difficult repair.” (I am an electrical engineer and considered doing it myself)

Craig took the case off while I was waiting and diagnosed that it was just the keyboard, no liquid damage to logic boards. I left the laptop and shortly after I got home Craig called to say it was ready for pickup. I could have just had a long lunch and saved on travel time. The MacBook works great, but if there was a problem he guarantees his work. He replaced only what was needed so the material cost is low and his low overhead keeps costs at a relative bargain. In these days of mostly disappointing service Craig was one of the few good experiences I have had with service in a long time.

I used The Eldest Geek guys for several items including an HP laptop and an iPod Touch and I am very impressed with not only their capabilities as computer experts but also their integrity and reliability. The Eldest Geek guys were easy to find: their shop is on the 2nd floor inside the Mount Vernon Antique Store at 8101 Richmond Hwy in Alexandria. That might sound unusual to some, but when you see their simple set-up, it makes a lot of sense since they are keeping their overhead costs super low. Parking is ample on either side of the building. Turning left out of there onto Richmond Hwy is not recommended by me, but there is a convenient street behind the building that moots the need to do so. FYI: they are closed on Tuesdays, but open every other day, including Saturdays and Sundays. The Geek guys have excellent customer service and make sure you and they are on the same page about what service is being done. They are very forthcoming/honest about whether your computer is worth updating/pouring money into, which was much appreciated coming from someone who has poured way too much money into cars and boats that were well past their prime. They quoted me a reasonable price and a quick completion-of-services timeframe which were met accordingly. My HP laptop was swamped with malware/adware/u-name-it-ware and it needed to be wiped clean and restored to its beginning functionality and, this time, have the proper and most-up-to-date anti-wares installed to help keep most–of course, not all since the expert malware producers out in the world are ever-clever and quite productive–of the bad-wares at bay. They explained very clearly what the best antiwares were for that type of laptop and I went with their recommendations. The laptop is being dedicated to playing Minecraft, Clash of Clans, etc and many other seemingly badware-magnet games/apps/etc someone wants to play and all of it is up and running smoothly. As for the iPod Touch, we were locked out for a number of days due to failed password attempts and, on top of that, I wasn’t sure if it was worth keeping. The Geek guys clearly explained the value it still had and it was ideal for the purposes I needed it for and it was fixed on the spot and is performing its functions ideally. The Eldest Geek is a business that we will be using and recommending from now on.

This place is in an antique mall, so my expectation of a hi tech atmosphere were put to the test.

That said, these folks did exactly what they said they were going to do and did not charge me an arm and a leg. They even found an oddball issue with my computer and fixed that for free.

I've been there a few times now and can say that they are honest and knowledgeable. I've never gone away feeling like I'd been ripped off (which I cannot say about a certain big box extablishment that took me for $300+).

I recommend them whole heartedly.

VERY helpful…will most certainly use them again and recommend to others

I am writing this review from the laptop, 2 months after it got fixed with Craig the Eldest Geek.
My macbook pro graphics failed and it never booted… it stopped at the grey screen and nothing happens.. When I took to apple store, they refused to work on it as my laptop is customized with an SSD drive in place of the optical drive. Craig took the laptop for fix, and he took his time, but gave it with the perfect fix that I didn't have to look back.
btw he also fixed my iPad2 where the power button was not working..
For mac support, he is the go-to person and you won't regret..

Also it is good to know that he sells pre-used/refurbished computers at affordable prices at the desired configurations.. I would consider buying from him for my next computer needs based on the trust he earned..

They do communicate & follow up with stuff, which is good.

Craig did an excellent job diagnosing the issue – when my computer proved not to be worth fixing, he sold me a better used one for cheap, and spent hours setting it up and transferring over my data for no extra charge! Would highly recommend.

America needs more businesses like this-people who know what they are doing and who care about their customers.

Craig and Alex are masters of computer repair. I've been using computers since the late 1970s, and these guys are the absolute real deal. In addition to their expertise, they are very friendly, and they make customers feel right at home in their shop.

You don't need any other company to fix your computer. I've dealt with them several times, ALWAYS with positive results. Their fees are MORE than reasonable and their work is of the HIGHEST possible standard-it doesn't get any better than that!

Personable, honest, timely, great to do business with

Stuck to his price even though it required a little more work.

Great service, very knowledgable, has kept me and my family from wasting money on waisted repairs and sold us used computers which have and are still serving us well. When I’m in a computer pinch, craig is the first person I go to.

These guys are great. If you still value the importance of supporting family businesses and appreciate years of experience that these guys have, then this is the place to go with your computer problems. They were quick at diagnosing the problem with my laptop, finding a solution, fixing the problem, explaining everything (and more), and charging a very reasonabe fee. You can't go wrong with avoiding big chain store shops and going with these guys instead.

So this is going to be a long story. TL;DR: Had a really hard hardware problem, Craig and the gang fixed it and went out of their way to see to it I got my computer back in perfect condition.

A little while back, I had an HP Probook stop accepting a charge. Simple power supply swap, right? So I tried to fix it myself. That did not help, and actually, chances are excellent that I probably caused greater issues.

Some weeks prior, I had noticed in a local antique mall that there was a computer repair and retail store that had setup shop inside. Not where you'd guess a computer repair place would be, but I had spoken to them about an unrelated issue a couple weeks before my issue and they were helpful.

I brought my Probook in and they gave me a quote range that was very reasonable that slid based on what was damaged. The specific model is not the most common, so parts are hard to get.

Time went by and I was using a backup computer. The guys contacted me and said the computer was ready. I was out of the country at the time, so they held it. When I got back, I paid them for the work and hardware, brought it home, and apparently their hardware supplier gave them an inferior version of the hardware originally in the Probook. It worked, but the performance suffered. I brought it back, and they were able to take it despite my initial delay in picking up. They looked for another component, it was shipped, and it was DOA. So now we have had bad luck with 2 components. Finally, 3rd time, they got a vendor who supplied the correct part, they swapped everything over, and then SENT the computer cross country to me because I was/am not in Alexandria, now.

So to recap, for a great price on what the original job was, they found the problem, fixed the problem, replaced a bad component, replaced another bad component, then sent the computer cross country to California.

The computer is operating as if it were new, and Craig and his team were communicative and helpful every step of the way.

I highly recommend The Eldest Geek to anyone with a potentially difficult computer issue. They warranty their work, they know what they're doing, and I believe they also sell all sorts of computers and accessories if you're in the market, all at very, very reasonable prices.

I’d done business with Craig remotely. I needed to pickup a laptop from him, and my 2011 iMac needed some updates. The laptop was ready when I got there. The memory upgrade was done VERY quickly. The system “slowness” was due to the fact that my internal hard drive had some problems. The drive was replaced very quickly. They installed Yosemite on it, and all I had to was use my Time Machine backup to restore my data. These guys know their stuff, they’ve been at it for a LONG time. They have parts there, so some repairs (as mine) can be done while you wait. They have comfortable chairs to sit in, and many interesting things (including all kinds of vintage computer gear) to look at while you wait.

Very simple operation on the second floor of a great antique shop. Save the over whelming swarm of employees in blue shirts, table tops full of the lastest gagets, and a bar full of young cocky techs that diagnose your computer using a 30 second test. Craig has been working on Apple computers since the company's infancy. He has competitive prices and fixed my display issue on my MacBook in one business day, without the need to send my computer off for an indefinite amount of time as the Apple Store would have done. Although Macs are his specialty, he is also able to help with all makes and models as well. I'll definitely keep Craig, and The Eldest Geek, in mind for my future computer needs. Highly recommend!

He transferred all data from a damaged computer to a new computer. He did it while I waited. I was thoroughly pleased with the results.

Have an older iMac I wanted to repair and he was the only person who would work with me. He gave me honest feedback and a variety of options on how I wanted to proceed with estimates and pros/cons for each. This gent is now my go-to repair man for all computer issues.

Having experience both in a computer repair shop and as a software developer, I can confidently say that The Eldest Geek is the most honest and fair computer repair shop you're likely to find in northern Virginia. If you're not a computer person and are looking for a shop that's going to use their knowledge to help you, and not cheat you, this is the place.

I recently had work done here on a Macbook Pro 15" Retina, through the repair several unexpected problems came up. Craig was easy to communicate with and provided consistent updates on the repair. With the issues that the computer had I would not have been surprised to have gotten a call informing me that the price would be doubling due to the amount of time that had been invested. Through my interactions with Craig and seeing his response to the problems I believe I got a better than normal view of how much integrity this shop is run with.

I'll be returning here for any future work I need done and wouldn't hesitate to advise others of the same.

Work was quick and just as promised. Very satisfied and will return next time I need work done on my computer!

My wife spilled tea on her new top-of-the-line Retina Macbook, and it fried. Talking with geeks at Apple and Microcenter, the best they could offer was a "deal" on a new machine, and my $3,000 down the drain. Saturday at 6:30 PM I called Craig (the Chief Eldest Geek), not expecting much. He said, "bring it by and let's have a look". Hidden on the second floor of an antique shop (think of movies Wizard of Oz and Gremlins), elbowed between floor-to-ceiling stacks of computers, was the man himself. Craig dropped the bottom cover and showed me how the liquid had gotten deep into the chassis, under the logic board and power supply. Craig said he could fix it, "no doubt" and gave me an estimate, which although steep, was worth it to resurrect my wife's computer (and my wife). It took quite a bit of doing, and he had to replace a handful of logic board components, but sonovagun, Craig did get that machine back up. At home I found that the charging circuit still wasnt working right, and gave it back to Craig for more work at no extra charge (he considered it part of the first repair). This time he got it right; Craig promised that my Mac would be "100% as good as new", and this time it was. MEANWHILE… I had my old spare Macbook die on me ("kernel panic"), conveniently the day my Retina machine was ready for pickup. so I brought it with me. Craig's stepson Alex was holding the fort. Alex popped the cover off and within 30 seconds confirmed that the RAM card was bad. He found a good card in another machine of similar vintage in the pile, slid the good card into my machine and it was back up, with twice the RAM it had originally. I almost had to argue with Alex to take the money for the second repair, which was a very reasonable price. In case you have doubts, these guys are the real deal. Dont let the antique store put you off, these guys have the know-how, tools, and test equipment to do very complex component-level repairs that even Apple doesnt do. And BTW, young Alex has proven to be quite the geek himself! I FINALLY have somewhere to bring my Apple products for expert, old-fashioned REPAIR! Thanks, guys.

The Top Tech team was very knowledgeable and professional. They were able to quickly identify the problem and provide an accurate quote. They replaced my son’s Mac-book Pro monitor in just a few days and provided us a 6 month warranty. We went to several repair companies prior to using thumbtack to locate a viable tech. I am very pleased with the outcome and I highly recommend this business.

My macbook pro 2011’s logic board died, and of course apple failed to notify people they were fixing it for free up until literally this year. Craig worked on the repair, and while at it also upgraded my RAM and hardrive to an SSD for a very reasonable price. It roars like a lion now, couldnt be happier. Basically got a brand new mac for a quarter of the price

For mac issues, definitely reach out to this shop.

Very happy and pleased with his service. a person with great knowledge on Mac computers and very affordable. by telling him the noise That my computer Was making he knew what was wrong with it . Now he is he my computer doctor :0)