7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Did he really UPDATE the fourth edition?!, October 25, 2005
This review is from: Build And Upgrade Your Own Pc, Fourth Edition (Paperback)
I started writing a review, and it ended up 3 pages long, I'll try to condense. 1) It's terribly outdated 2) He makes lots of inaccurate statements 3) Not clearly written 4) Definitely written for a British audience 5) It is written towards an audience that wants to build a PC, but the book is stuck somewhere between agreeing the reader has basic-to-advanced understandings and treating the reader as being completely inept.
1) outdated:
--"I find Word 2000 indispensable..."
-"Several suppliers are offering 19- to 21- inch CRT monitors."
--"The CRT monitor is still predominant in the lower price range desktop systems."
--"You should not put more than 512 Mbyte total into the motherboard..."
--"A more recent development is the dvd." Yeah, more recent than telephones or electricity...
--"The most recent standard [graphics cards] s AGP, which operates at a standard speed of 66MHz."
2) Arguable statements:
--"...Unless you live in a 'hotspot,' close to auser of what are called WiFi connections, you can forget about this possiblity." Why not BECOME a user and not hack your neighbors nwork?
--"...If you want a better keyboard, larger monitor,... main processing unit, then forget the idea of doing any construction yourself... Buy a package at the best combination of specification and price you can find." WHAT? Isn't that WHY people DIY?
--"If you intend to assemble the whole computer system [lists components]... you will pay much more for the priveledge of doing it yourself than you would if you bought a package from Dabs, Evesham, ..." Simply UNTRUE. My build cost pro'lly 30% LESS than if I got it pre-configured to match, compare to Alienware for example.
--"your planning should concentrate initially on constructing a no-frills machine with minimum of components that need drivers, and no software other than Windows..." NO WAY, you should plan your build to the finished product so all components are compatible throughout.
3) Unclear writing style:
--"Try using a card index to produce a list of all UNF-threaded bolts in size 6 with cadmium plating and hex heads..." Explaining why computers running databases are better than using typewritters. Great, thanks.
--"The assembly of a PC from scratch is, if anything, easier than making a working model from old-style Meccano..."
4) Across-the-Pond writing:
--He uses "British Pounds" for currency throughout the book. Hasn't the Euro been around since before this year? Yeah, that's my point.
--"A more recent development is pay-as-you-go broadband such as is offered by Metronet."
5)What audience is he writing for?
--"Many modern packages that are sold are intended for a user who has nothing or is replacing a very old system, and who needs a fast complete machine... If this applies to you, then such a package is your easiest route..."
--"...You will be better off keeping to older standards for some time to come." Referring to choosing newest released parts or not.
--"You might want a machine not so elaborately specified as the models that are on sale." WHY are you building again?
--Don't be tempted to build using second-hand drives." Well, if I HAD HDD or dvd drives in my last 'puter that were greatly reliable and I'm building a new, why not use them and recycle/save $/keep data intact?
He did not even mention the AMD Socket 939 which is what many/most builders are using now, since AMD is the builder's choice over Intel most times. DDR2 ram is not mentioned. He says dvd dual layer drives MIGHT be a thing in the future.
He says he's running a machine with 512 MB memory and a 200W power supply. Well, that's not what most builders (IMHO) are looking for.
Lucky I borrowed this from my local library, and it's returnable & free.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
