Amazon.com Review
By buying components and assembling them yourself, you can save a little money and gain a lifetime of free technical support.
Building a PC for Dummies removes the intimidation factor from building your own Intel-based personal computer, explains what you need, and shows you how to put everything together. It's a fine place to start if you've never assembled your own machine before and want to give the process a try.
Author Mark L. Chambers describes what to look for when shopping for components, but he refrains from recommending any specific models or manufacturers. Building a PC for Dummies would be stronger if he had made such recommendations, the way Tom's Hardware Guide does. Even without a specific shopping list, this book makes it possible for a novice computer builder to make informed decisions about motherboards, processors, storage devices, expansion cards, and input devices.
Chambers presents the assembly process logically, explaining how to install a component or two at a time while performing incremental testing. He includes troubleshooting information in each component's section, but it's odd that he puts his discussion of operating systems in an appendix--most system builders will want to see their creations run as soon as possible. --David Wall
Topics covered: Buying and building a PC; selecting motherboards, processors, storage devices, expansion cards, and input devices.
From the Back Cover
Complete Coverage of Cool Peripherals!
Build a PC as Good as — or Better Than — Anything You Can Buy! This complete hands-on reference shows you step-by-step how to build and configure the computer system of your dreams — from case, motherboard, and drives to video cards, modems, and peripherals. Author Mark Chambers has updated this friendly do-it-yourself guide to include all the latest information on Pentium III processors, SDRAM and DIMMs, USB, AGP video ports, DVD drives, next-generation Internet connections (ISDN, satellite, cable modem), LANs, scanners, printers, digital cameras, and more. If you want a customized, state-of-the-art computer system — and you don't want to pay retail — then this is the book for you! Let These Icons Guide You!
- Identifies both the profits and the pitfalls of installing used parts
- Highlights nerdy technical explanations you can skip if you want to
- Pinpoints shortcuts and alternatives that will save you time, money, and trouble
Valuable Bonus CD Includes:
- DisplayMate for DOS and Windows — Demo versions of this video utility
- Paint Shop Pro — An evaluation version of the powerful image-viewing program
Shareware programs are fully functional, free trial versions of copyrighted programs. If you like particular programs, register with their authors for a nominal fee and receive licenses, enhanced versions, and technical support. Freeware programs are free, copyrighted games, applications, and utilities. You can copy them to as many PCs you like — free — but they have no technical support System Requirements: 486 or faster PC running Windows 3.1 or later, 8MB RAM (16MB RAM recommended for Windows 95 or later); CD-ROM drive double-speed (2X) or faster; Internet connection (14,400 bps or faster modem, or network-regular access charges apply).
Inside, find helpful advice on how to:
- Familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of the latest hardware and technology
- Evaluate your needs and build a computer that's just right for you
- Save hundreds of dollars by scavenging used parts or buying new parts online
- Build in cutting-edge multimedia capabilities with video ports, video cards, digital cameras, video capture, sound cards, speakers, microphones, and more
- Pair your PC with the perfect peripherals — from printers to scanners and beyond
- Surf the Web at lighting speed with an ISDN or other broadband connection
- Connect your PC to a home or office network
