Customer Reviews

Building A PC For Beginners

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

 

 

I've always purchased my computers prebuilt and loaded with the operating system. I have the books that would likely guide me through the process of building my own, but it still seems a bit daunting when you're looking at 600 pages of (in my mind) things that can go wrong. Michael F. Quarles has a simplified guide to building your own PC with the book Building A PC For Beginners. This would appeal to the first-timer who isn't up on all the minutia on motherboards and bus speeds (nor wants to be).

Contents: Selecting Parts (CPUs - Intel & AMD, Motherboards, Hard Drives, CD/DVDs, Floppies, 3 Cards, Case), Getting Started, Installing the CPU, Heatsink, & Fan; Installing RAM; Installing the Motherboard; Installing the Floppy; Installing the Hard Drive; Installing the CD/DVD; Power for the Motherboard; Installing the Case Fan; Front USB Wires; The CD/DVD Audio Wire; Installing the Graphics Card; Installing the Modem; Tying Up Cables; First Boot; Troubleshooting; Installing Windows XP; Troubleshooting

This is a self-published book that has lots of photographs of the installation process, along with a straight-forward description of how to choose and install the devices that make up your new computer. There's a careful balance between covering the necessary information without inundating the beginner with everything that can possibly be mentioned. As such, a beginner can focus on the essentials. As I was reading through the book, I could actually see myself using this to successfully manage my first build. Hardcore geeks would likely want more information than what's contained here, but first-timers would find it understandable. This could also be used if you're repairing your PC and want to understand a bit more about the inside of your computer before you start plugging things in. For instance, there was enough information about power supplies in here in order for me to make an informed decision on replacing one in my desktop machine.

The book isn't perfect, and could have done with some additional editing for spelling and grammar. That's not uncommon on self-published efforts. But overall, the author accomplishes what he sets out to do, and this is a good place to start for building your own PC for the first time.

I like this book because it shows very clearly how to build your own computer. He uses parts that are all available, like Sempron chips, Asus motherboards, and Maxtor hard drives. I used this book while building my PC, though I used a motherboard that only had 4 expansion slots (the one in the book had six!). I like it because he tells how to build computers with a low wattage requirement. The one in the book needed only 220 watts, so he could still use a 300 or 350 watt power supply. (Lower electricity use is good for the environment.)I only give it 4 stars, because he needs to include sources for stuff like thermal grease, and those little 3 finger retractor tools he uses. I live in a small town, so I have to order everything.

I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY INTENTION OF BUILDING MY OWN PC. I CAN HARDLY HANDLE A GROCERY CART, BUT A FAIL COMPUTER AND LACK OF MONEY TO PURCHASE A NEW ONE MOTIVATED ME TO BUY THIS BOOK AND GIVE IT A TRY. I WAS TOTALLY AMAZED AT HOW SIMPLE HE MADE EVERYTHING! AND THERE ARE ALWAYS PICTURES TO SHOW YOU JUST WHAT GOES WHERE, IT IS THE MOST COMPLETE SET OF INSTRUCTIONS I HAVE EVER READ! ANYONE CAN DO THIS WITH THE HELP OF THIS BOOK. PICTURES, SIMPLE TERMS AND WORDS WE UNDERSTAND AND TRUE STEP BY STEP GUIDANCE IS WHAT SELLS THIS BOOK. IF YOU EVER HAD A QUESTION AS TO WHEATHER OR NOT YOU CAN DO THIS THE ANSWER IS YES. JUST BUY THIS BOOK!! THANKS, WYNOKA

While this book does cover most of the basics, it could be brought up to date for some of the new products. For example, newer motherboards have serial ATA (SATA) ports. The instructions for connecting harddrives does not cover this area at all. Same with loading XP, the process for recognizing these SATA connections is not covered. Another area is the photos used in this publication. The photos are not very clear and seem very dark.

Building A PC: For Beginners by Michael F. Quarles is the perfect reference for all aspiring computer technicians. With a "user-friendly" easy-to-follow format, Building A PC offers an ideal introduction and exploration into the many difficult and often fragile complexities of building a computer and renders them second nature for the intuitive reader. Building A PC is very strongly recommended for all readers already in the computer business, as well as and especially to those seeking the career of computer technician for its excellent resource and applicable content, sure to educate any reader to some extent.

This is an excellent introductory book on building PC's. It's gotten a little out of date in that standard components in the PC industry change so often, but these are not so significant that the book still won't make sense. For instance, the top of the line Intel chips are now called Core 2 rather than Pentium 4. And the new hard drive interface is called Serial ATA. Maybe a new revision is in the works.

One big use of this book is to make a person familiar with what goes into a PC. A high schooler could probably find a couple of broken PC's and make one that works out of the components. Another use is to enable you to modify an existing computer.

One point worth mentioning is that you will probably not save any money by building your own. I recently looked at the components for a new system I wanted - $950 or so. Last Sunday's paper had an ad for an almost identical system - $649 all assembled and working with a warranty. I mentioned modifying existing systems. I'm adding another case fan to the system I just bought, for exactly the reasons he mentions in the book.

This book along with Scott Muellers Upgrading and Repairing PC's will help me attain my objective of building my own pc. The photos are extremely helpful, although I am only a novice, in my opinon Building A PC For Beginners is a valuable tool for those also interested in building their own PC's.

IF YOU ARE AN EXPERIENCE TECHNICAL PERSON,AND HAVE GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF THE DEVICES,THAT MAKE UP A COMPUTER E.G MOTHERBOARDS,CPU'S,RAMS,HARD DISC DRIVES, FLOPPY DISC DRIVES,AND DVD/CD DRIVES TO NAME A FEW.THIS WILL BE A GOOD BOOK FOR YOU. IT IS BRIEF AND TO THE POINT,AND NOT FOR THE INEXPERIENCE COMPUTER/BUILDER.

Book uses computer jargon but doesn't give you a jargon buster, which is not good for a person who is not a computer person (such as my husband) but would like to build one!!!