Customer Reviews

Build It. Fix It. Own It: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Upgrading a PC

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If a 63 year old retiree can do, so can you... with this book.

Building your own desktop is only slightly more difficult than lego blocks. If you read this book, you will see that the biggest problem you will have is your own greed for speed when you realize you can do it. While this book does not cover Intel's new I7, this book has chapters on numerous "builds" that convey how the building processes are 95% identical, so you can go on to a build using the (extraordinary!) I7 with confidence.

Numerous no-name computer assembler online sites specify their exact components: comparisons using (the essential) Newegg's prices show 50% margins -- all this $$ is yours if you have patience, can do lego blocks, and read this book and "Build your own desktop" blogs carefully. Trying to figure out Microsoft Word's formatting options is 10 times more difficult. Honest.

I have purchased 20+ Dell's and HP's over the years for myself and my children, and can say that the PC companies' product designs and especially their so-called "service" fail miserably to justify their 75% margins, and things are getting worse.

"Build a PC" by Scott Mueller is good as a second book (there are no others that are remotely up to date).

For what it is worth, I do not know either author, nor have I ever corresponded with either.

This book was very good, though not the best PC Building book I've read. I chose this one because it was published recently (2008) and I wanted something that was up-to-date on current technology. The book did not disappoint in that area. Overall, the book did a nice job walking you through each component of a PC and giving you advice on how to select the right components. This book will definitely be of use to both beginner and experienced PC builders. With no prior knowledge, you will be able to build a great computer by following the advice in this book. My only complaint is that I occasionally still had questions about certain components after reading the section on those component. However, I do not feel like this significantly detracted from the usefulness of the book.

I bought this book because I had an old computer that was pushing the limits of what it could do in order to keep up with the latest software. When I went to the store, I didn't really have any idea what all of the numbers and letters meant on all of the parts. I was totally lost! After reading this book, I could walk into the computer store with confidence and ask specifically for the parts that I needed to make my upgrade. Since I was able to do that, I didn't feel so behind the technology curve after all. The money I paid for this book was definitely well spent.

The first 40% of the book covers the parts and tools necessary for building or repairing your own computer. This was the part that I found most useful as it covers the specs of the parts. This saved me from buying parts that would not be compatible with my older computer. The next 40% covers building computers. This is broken down into chapters for different types of computers, so you'll get plans and instructions for building anything from a budget computer to a high-performance gaming computer. The last 20% covers how to repair and maintain a computer.

If you're thinking of building your own computer or ugrading an older one, this book has everything in one package. The only downside is that if you just want to upgrade a computer, you won't be able to use the 40% that covers building computers. However, it might just inspire you to build your own someday.

I made the mistake about 5 years ago of buying Anand Lal Shimpi's book about building your own computer. It was garbage for me because it was a bunch of nonsense computer history and technobabble. I built a computer after reading it, but it was pretty ho-hum and I didn't have much of a clue what I was doing. In fact, I didn't even understand that the PSU (power supply) was a separate component after reading the book!

Build It, Fix It, Own It was the perfect book for me. I'm a technology guy, but I don't give a rat's behind about a lengthy discussion on Front Side Bus and HyperThreading. I want the gist of what makes up a computer, and succinct explanations for how to buy and put one together. This book does that, and even mocks the ridiculous names given to computer parts (while still explaining them in simple terms).

If you want to build a computer, but don't want an encyclopedia of technobabble and computer history, this is your book.

This book is thorough but as a novice trying to order parts and build a computer several major parts are now not available and the author does not provide much advice for how to figure out options that are available. This has turned out to be a lot more complicated than advertised. All of the components must work together and it quickly becomes a nightmare to try and figure out what goes with what. Would be nice to have some type of website you can visit to get updated recommendations as the components go out of stock, which is quickly!

This book told me all that I needed to build a PC that met my needs. It made me understand me the information hidden in those geek product descriptions. I now won't be wasting money on over-specifying equipment and I won't be disappointed by equipment that doesn't perform to my requirements. Find out how walking on carpet in socks can ruin your CPU! The book is big but easy to read because the author's style is conversational and sometimes funny.

Nothing about the core i7. most recent/modern cpus are the core 2 duo and quad cores. Well written nevertheless, but if you want to build a gaming pc, this book isn't your best source. Look for books that were recently released. No color picture. Any beginner(like me) can understand this and build themselves their own pc.

Book is very helpful written so any noob can understand. A lot of useful references, useful even if you already know some of it. I would recommend this book to others. Shipping was very fast, I ordered during the holidays still got it in less than a week.

As a first time builder of my own computer this book was exactly what I needed. Easy to understand and very comprehensive it covers several different types of computers to build in simple stages and made my first gaming computer easy to build.

Bought this because it was one of the most recently printed guides to building a computer. Gave a good idea of where to start looking and what decisions need to be made. Unfortunatly, the technology currently available far out-paces the technology in the book. Pictures and steps are helpful but not in color.