We fix desktops and laptops at your kitchen table, evenings and Saturdays at regular prices. If a job needs bench time, we take your machine to our workshop and bring it back — you never haul a tower to a store or wait in a line.
$89 is below every non-membership house-call rate published within ten miles: Kensington Office Machines $99.99 at-home (kensingtonofficemachines.com/free-pc-tune-check/), H Street $99 first hour (hstreet.com/prices.html), Geeks on Site $99 per hour (geeksonsite.com/us/maryland/rockville/computer-repair/).
Launch offer: $10 off labor on any repair of $129 or more through Dec 13, 2026 — mention the code from wherever you found us. One per household.
Free 10-minute phone triage first. Tell us what's happening; we'll tell you what it's likely to cost before we drive over.
Up to 30 minutes of testing, a plain-English explanation, and a written estimate by text or email. Most jobs are fixed on the spot — if the diagnostic turns into a fix, you pay $89 total, not $49 + $89.
Cloning, teardowns and overnight testing go to our workshop. You get a pickup receipt with photos and the serial number; we bring it back, reconnect it, and show you it works.
Kensington, MD · Serving Montgomery County and nearby NW DC · (240) 731-0651 · mark@ngpgamebuilds.com
We fix desktops and laptops at your kitchen table. Every price below is a flat price that already includes the trip (within about 5 miles of Kensington). If a job needs bench time, we take your machine to our workshop and bring it back — you never haul a tower to a store or wait in a line. Repair labor is not taxed in Maryland; parts are always a separate line at our cost + 10% plus 6% Maryland sales tax.
| Step | Desktop | Laptop | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic visit | $49 | $49 | We come to you, spend up to 30 minutes finding the problem, explain it in plain English, and text or email you a written estimate before anything else happens. The $49 is credited in full toward any repair booked within 14 days. If the honest answer is "replace it," the $49 is credited toward an NG+ custom build or upgrade within 90 days. Second machine at the same visit: +$25. |
| Quick Fix hour | $89 | $89 | The trip plus the first full hour of hands-on work, and a quick health check while we're there (temperatures, drive health, Windows updates, backup status). This covers most one-visit jobs: Wi-Fi and printer problems, boot loops, driver and startup issues, a RAM stick, a graphics card swap, a second drive, a laptop battery. If a $49 diagnostic turns into an on-the-spot fix, you pay $89 total — not $49 + $89. |
| More time on-site | $20 per 15 min | $20 per 15 min | Only after the first hour, and only after we've told you. You can stop at any point. Flat-rate jobs below never run a meter. |
| Workshop (bench) time | $75 per hour | $75 per hour | For jobs that need cloning, teardown, or overnight testing. Pickup and return are included within 5 miles; you never come to us. Typical return: 2-3 business days. |
| Workshop Package | $299 | $299 | The ceiling for the hard ones: up to 4 total hours including your visit, the bench work, and pickup and return within 5 miles. Anything beyond 4 hours is quoted before we continue. (Same 4-hour package as our mail-in service, minus the shipping.) |
| Service | Desktop | Laptop | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tune-up & cleanup | $89 | $89 | Startup bloat and junk removed, updates, light malware scan, browser cleanup, quick dust-out, health report. About an hour. |
| Virus & malware removal — includes the $89 tune-up at no extra charge | $129 | $129 | Multiple scanners, browser and extension reset, security patching, free protection set up, and a 10-minute "how it got in" chat. |
| Windows fresh install | $149 | $149 | Clean Windows 10/11 install, drivers, updates, printer and Wi-Fi reconnected. For when you already have a backup or nothing to keep. Usually a pickup-and-return job so you aren't paying to watch progress bars. |
| Windows fresh install with backup & restore | $169 | $169 | Everything above, plus we back up your user folders (up to 500 GB) first and put them back afterward. |
| SSD upgrade with data migration | $119 + SSD | $129 + SSD | Clone your old drive to a new SSD, install it, verify boot; the old drive stays as extra storage (desktop) or is handed back wiped (laptop). |
| Tune-up + SSD upgrade combo — save $39 | $169 + SSD | $179 + SSD | The SSD migration plus the full tune-up on the new drive. |
| Component install (RAM, graphics card, second drive, Wi-Fi card, case fans, laptop battery) | $89 | $89 | The Quick Fix hour: compatibility check, install, XMP/EXPO or driver clean-install, quick health check. Each additional component in the same visit: +$29. |
| Power supply replacement (full re-cable) | $109 + PSU | n/a | Swap, re-route, test. |
| CPU cooler install or same-socket CPU swap (air or AIO; fresh paste; BIOS update if needed) | $109 + part | n/a | Temperatures before and after. |
| Dust-out + thermal paste refresh (full interior clean, fans, filters, CPU re-paste) | $99 | $129 | Laptop version is a bench job (teardown). |
| Gaming PC Performance Tuning (graphics card, CPU, memory and storage) | $149 | $149 | Gaming desktops and gaming laptops. Hands-on work on the machine you already own; most of the time no new parts are needed. We tune the graphics card, CPU, memory and storage for the best stable performance your hardware allows, then verify it holds under load. You get 3DMark benchmark results from before and after, so you can see exactly what changed. If a component simply cannot reach what you want to play, we tell you which one and quote the upgrade separately — component install is $89, and any part we supply is its own line at our cost + 10% plus 6% Maryland sales tax. |
| Data recovery — basic (PC won't boot but the drive still reads) | $129 | $129 | Your files copied to your external drive or a new SSD. No data, no recovery fee — you pay only the $49 visit. |
| Data recovery — advanced (clicking or dead drives, failed SSDs, encrypted volumes) | Referral | Referral | We don't open drives. We'll package it and point you to a clean-room lab; expect roughly $300 and up. You pay only the $49 visit. |
| New PC setup | $99 | $99 | Unboxing, accounts, updates, junk removed, Wi-Fi and printer, security basics. Up to 1 hour hands-on; anything more is $20 per 15 minutes, told to you first. Free with any NG+ custom build delivered within 5 miles. |
| New PC setup + data transfer from your old machine | $149 | $149 | Up to 2 hours; large libraries (over 200 GB) go to the bench instead — we'll say so. |
| Backup-first add-on (your user folders copied to your external drive before any other work) | +$29 | +$29 | Already included in the $169 Windows install. |
| Custom PC build — you supply the parts | $229 + 6% MD sales tax | — | Assembly, cable management, BIOS/XMP, Windows install (your license), stress test, 3DMark results shared, delivered and set up at your desk. Have parts shipped to your address; we pick them up (within 10 miles). 90-day labor warranty. |
| Custom PC build — we source the parts | Quoted as a whole build ($750-$3,000+) | — | Our regular custom builds: 1-year warranty on all components, 3DMark benchmarks shared, 6% MD sales tax on the whole build. Free setup at your desk within 5 miles. |
| Build planning | Free by phone or video (up to 30 min) | — | Want us to look at your space, monitor, and old PC in person? That's the $49 diagnostic visit, credited toward your build. |
$30 for the first 30 minutes, then $15 per 15 minutes. Screen-share from your couch for software-only problems; you stay at the keyboard and can end the session any time. Paid by Zelle or Venmo at the end of the session. If we can't make progress in the first 15 minutes, we stop, you're not billed, and we book a visit instead. Free 10-minute phone triage before any booking.
| Zone | Driving distance from Kensington 20895 | What changes | Towns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 0-5 miles | Nothing. Every price above is the Zone 1 price. Pickup & return included. Diagnostic $49; any hands-on visit from $89. | Kensington · Garrett Park · Wheaton · Chevy Chase · North Bethesda · Silver Spring (Forest Glen, Woodside, Four Corners, east) · Bethesda · Aspen Hill · Glenmont · Layhill · Leisure World · Rockville (Twinbrook) · Takoma Park |
| Zone 2 | 5-10 miles | +$20 per trip to your address. Most jobs are one trip. A pickup-and-return job is two trips, so never more than $40. Diagnostic $69; any hands-on visit from $109. | Rockville · Norbeck · Colesville · White Oak · Cabin John · Derwood · Olney · Potomac · Adelphi / Langley Park |
| Zone 3 | 10-15 miles, by arrangement | +$40 per trip. Minimum ticket $129 (visit + 1 hour). Bench (pickup-and-return) jobs preferred. | College Park · Hyattsville · Mount Rainier · Riverdale Park · Burtonsville · Greenbelt · North Potomac · Gaithersburg |
| Zone 4 | 15-20 miles, by arrangement | +$60 per trip. Minimum ticket $149 ($89 visit + $60 trip). Bench (pickup-and-return) jobs preferred. | Montgomery Village · Germantown |
| Beyond 20 miles | — | Mail-in. Desktop diagnostic $125 credited toward $300 standard labor (up to 4 hours), $75 return shipping, 90-day labor warranty — see our Etsy shop. | Frederick · everywhere else |
Upper-NW DC (Chevy Chase DC, Takoma, Tenleytown, Cleveland Park): call us for availability.
All competitor prices are the businesses' own published prices as of September 2026. "In-store" means you unplug the machine, drive it there, and come back for it.
| Service | NG+ GameBuilds (at your home, within 5 mi) | Kensington Office Machines (Silver Spring) | H Street Business Solutions (Silver Spring) | Best Buy Geek Squad (Wheaton / Rockville) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic | $49, credited toward the repair | Free in-store; $99.99 to come to you | $49 bench minimum, in-store | Not published |
| Coming to your home, first hour | $89 | $99.99 | $99, then $25 per 15 min | Not offered for repairs (in-home new-PC setup $174.99) |
| Tune-up | $89 at home | $99.99 at home | $99 in-store | $49.99 in-store |
| Virus & malware removal | $129 at home, tune-up included | Not published | $149 in-store (with tune-up) | $149.99 in-store or remote (no tune-up) |
| Windows reinstall with backup | $169, pickup & return included | Not published | $149 in-store + $25-$75 pickup | $149.99 + $99.99 backup = $249.98 in-store |
| Basic data recovery | $129, no data no fee | Not published | $149 in-store | $49.99 evaluation + $200 = $249.99 |
| New PC setup | $99 at home | Not published | Not published | $174.99 at home |
| Pickup & return | Included within 5 miles; $20 per trip 5-10 miles | Free "in the D.C. area" (no radius stated) | $25-$75 | Not offered |
| Labor warranty | 90 days | 90 days (one page says 1 year) | 90 days on new parts | Not published |
Sources: kensingtonofficemachines.com/free-pc-tune-check/ and /repair-service-center/ · hstreet.com/prices.html (price page dated Feb 2021) · bestbuy.com Geek Squad computer & tablet services and data recovery pages. Not shown: mobile techs that serve Kensington from farther away charge $150 per hour in-home (Click&Fix Tech, clickandfix.tech/computer-repair-silver-spring-md; Mobile PC Solutions, mobilepcsolutions.com/services.html).
Every price on this page is the Zone 1 price. Pickup & return included. Diagnostic $49; any hands-on visit from $89.
Kensington · Garrett Park · Wheaton · Chevy Chase · North Bethesda · Silver Spring (Forest Glen, Woodside, Four Corners, east) · Bethesda · Aspen Hill · Glenmont · Layhill · Leisure World · Rockville (Twinbrook) · Takoma Park
Most jobs are one trip. A pickup-and-return job is two trips, so never more than $40. Diagnostic $69; any hands-on visit from $109.
Rockville · Norbeck · Colesville · White Oak · Cabin John · Derwood · Olney · Potomac · Adelphi / Langley Park
Minimum ticket $129 (visit + 1 hour). Bench (pickup-and-return) jobs preferred.
College Park · Hyattsville · Mount Rainier · Riverdale Park · Burtonsville · Greenbelt · North Potomac · Gaithersburg
Minimum ticket $149 ($89 visit + $60 trip). Bench (pickup-and-return) jobs preferred.
Montgomery Village · Germantown
Desktop diagnostic $125 credited toward $300 standard labor (up to 4 hours), $75 return shipping, 90-day labor warranty — see our Etsy shop.
Frederick · everywhere else
Upper-NW DC (Chevy Chase DC, Takoma, Tenleytown, Cleveland Park): call us for availability. We verify the zone from your address when you book and round in your favor.
Pick a window and we'll confirm by text. Nothing to prepay for a visit. Need a Sunday or a same-day visit? Call (240) 731-0651. Same-day adds $30.
Our Etsy shop handles shipped-in desktop and gaming PCs: $125 diagnostic, credited toward the $300 standard labor package (up to 4 hours including the diagnostic), $75 standard return shipping by UPS Ground with up to $1,000 insurance, written estimate through Etsy Messages before any work, 90-day labor warranty, repaired PCs shipped back within 3-5 days. Desktops only; laptops are local-visit only.
"Mark was very diligent and very polite / patient while coming up the components and helping me making decisions..."
"Mark was very helpful and patient, clear communication and a willingness to work me and go the extra mile..."
"...made sure to update me very frequently. It came in also really fast, and works wonderfully..."
The drive to your home, up to 30 minutes of hands-on testing, a plain-English explanation, and a written estimate by text or email. If you go ahead with the repair within 14 days, the $49 comes off the bill. If the machine isn't worth fixing, the $49 counts toward an NG+ build or upgrade within 90 days.
No. If the diagnostic turns into an on-the-spot fix, you pay $89 total for the visit and the first hour. Flat-rate jobs already include the visit.
The $49 covers the trip and the testing, and you get a summary of what we checked and what to try next — the same rule as our mail-in service. On a flat-rate job we start and can't finish (malware that won't clear, files that can't be recovered), you don't pay the package price, only the $49.
Maryland doesn't tax repair labor, but it does tax parts at 6%, so the law requires them to be listed separately. You see each part at our cost + 10% (never more than $50 added per part), plus 6% Maryland sales tax on the parts line only. You're welcome to buy the part yourself and we'll install it.
Maryland treats assembling a computer as fabrication, which is taxable — even when you supply the parts. Repairs and upgrades to a PC you already own are not.
For an in-home visit, yes — someone over 18. For a bench job, only for the handoff at the door: we give you a pickup receipt (model, serial, photos, the problem in your words) and bring the machine back in 2-3 business days.
No. Evenings, Saturdays and Sundays are all charged at regular prices. Only same-day requests add $30.
Mail-in is for people outside our driving area. A shipped-in gaming PC has to be unpacked, inspected, benched, and repacked — that's a different job from 30 minutes at your desk. If you're within 20 miles of Kensington, book the visit; it's cheaper and faster.
90 days on our labor for the specific work performed. Parts we supply carry the manufacturer's warranty; if one fails within 90 days, we come back and swap it at no labor charge.
Zelle, Venmo, a check, or cash. We don't take credit or debit cards, so there is never a card surcharge. When we book, we'll text you the Zelle and Venmo details — please don't send money to any account you haven't confirmed with us by phone. A visit needs no prepayment; you pay at the end, before we leave. Special-order parts (batteries, drives, boards) are paid before we order them; bench labor is due when we bring the machine back, before it's reconnected.
Text works too: (240) 731-0651. Photos help — include the model number. Parts are billed separately plus 6% MD sales tax, and no part is ordered without your written approval.
