Maximum PC Guide to Extreme PC Mods [Paperback]

Paul Capello (Author), Jon Phillips (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2004

Tired of your non-descript, platinum-colored PC case? Want to show your individuality and make your friends green with envy? Interested in wringing out every ounce of performance that your timid PC can produce? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then The Maximum PC Guide to Extreme PC Mods is for you! We show you how to reach PC mod nirvana step-by-step, including choosing (or making) the perfect case, cutting custom windows, painting cases, turning everyday, ordinary objects into fully functional PCs, installing neon/cold cathode lighting, liquid cooling and more. Then, we show you how to drain every last drop of performance from your PC - from simple settings within your BIOS and Windows, to more fringe overclocking techniques. If you want to pimp out your rig, then this book is a must-have. No other book combines PC mods and overclocking into one, indispensable book. Best of all, this book was written by the two top voices in PC hardware technology - Maximum PC and Que!

• First, we show you to cook up your idea, spec it out, gather the tools for the job, prepare your workshop and complete your mod without injuring yourself or setting your workshop ablaze.
• For beginners, we’ll first show you how to choose the best off-the-shelf enclosures for "simple" modding projects, and later we’ll show you how you can let your imagination run wild, creating kick ass mods from the most unusual objects.
• Along the way, we show you - with hundreds of full-color photos - how to cut case windows, paint your rig at home, add trick fans, install dazzling interior lights, install custom cables, and how to mod your PC’s front-panel.
• Once you have all of the hardcore skills down, we dive into three mod projects, which show you, step-by-step, how to build a mod from an everyday, garden-variety PC case, to creating a mod from an object you found around the house or at the hardware store, to building a mod from scratch. Each of these projects is explained in fine detail, with full-color photos that show you exactly how to do it.
• We then attack more performance-oriented hardware hacking, such as installing exotic cooling, overclocking your CPU frequency, and tweaking your BIOS and video card settings.
• Throughout the book, we highlight some of the best mods from Maximum PC readers.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Tired of your non-descript, platinum-colored PC case? Want to show your individuality and make your friends green with envy? Interested in wringing out every ounce of performance that your timid PC can produce? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then The Maximum PC Guide to Extreme PC Mods is for you! We show you how to reach PC mod nirvana step-by-step, including choosing (or making) the perfect case, cutting custom windows, painting cases, turning everyday, ordinary objects into fully functional PCs, installing neon/cold cathode lighting, liquid cooling and more. Then, we show you how to drain every last drop of performance from your PC - from simple settings within your BIOS and Windows, to more fringe overclocking techniques. If you want to pimp out your rig, then this book is a must-have. No other book combines PC mods and overclocking into one, indispensable book. Best of all, this book was written by the two top voices in PC hardware technology - Maximum PC and Que!

• First, we show you to cook up your idea, spec it out, gather the tools for the job, prepare your workshop and complete your mod without injuring yourself or setting your workshop ablaze.
• For beginners, we’ll first show you how to choose the best off-the-shelf enclosures for "simple" modding projects, and later we’ll show you how you can let your imagination run wild, creating kick ass mods from the most unusual objects.
• Along the way, we show you - with hundreds of full-color photos - how to cut case windows, paint your rig at home, add trick fans, install dazzling interior lights, install custom cables, and how to mod your PC’s front-panel.
• Once you have all of the hardcore skills down, we dive into three mod projects, which show you, step-by-step, how to build a mod from an everyday, garden-variety PC case, to creating a mod from an object you found around the house or at the hardware store, to building a mod from scratch. Each of these projects is explained in fine detail, with full-color photos that show you exactly how to do it.
• We then attack more performance-oriented hardware hacking, such as installing exotic cooling, overclocking your CPU frequency, and tweaking your BIOS and video card settings.
• Throughout the book, we highlight some of the best mods from Maximum PC readers.

About the Author

Paul Capello owns and runs The Best Case Scenario, www.thebestcasescenario.com, a website devoted to extreme PC mods. In August 2003, one of Paul's designs was named Maximum PC's Rig of the Month. Paul has appeared on TechTV's Screensavers and his work has been featured in Wired magazine.

Jon Phillips is Editorial Director at Future Network USA, which publishes a variety of technology magazines, including Maximum PC and MacAddict. He is the former Editor in Chief of Maximum PC and was a regular on the NextStep television show.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Que (December 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789731924
• ISBN-13: 978-0789731920
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,289,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great book!, January 27, 2005

By 

J. Ogrinz "Librarian" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Maximum PC Guide to Extreme PC Mods (Paperback)

This is a great book! The entire book is printed on glossy paper with full color printing - really, a quality book. The book has good, clear photographs on almost every page, and the writing clear and easy to understand. I've read most of the boks on PC modding, and in my opinion, this is the best one.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maximum PC Guide to extreme PC Mods, March 19, 2006

By 

Raymond P. Eglinton "agntfox" (White lake, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Maximum PC Guide to Extreme PC Mods (Paperback)

I was in the process of building a new computer for myself and shopped Amazon.com for some books to help with my build, Maximum PC hit the mark with a book that walked me threw the whole process.Not only was I so impressed with this book, I came back and purchased two more of Maximum PC's books. Thier books are bright full colored and easy to read. You can't go wrong with any of thier books.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great fundamental modding book, October 25, 2005

By 

brant (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maximum PC Guide to Extreme PC Mods (Paperback)

This book covers all the basics that a beginning modder would need to know. He also branches out into modding a computer out of found objects, using a swiss hard shell backpack as a working example. There are plenty of high quality, color photos that clearly illustrate all the processes he describes.

But my favorite aspect of this book is Paul's teachings of the proper mindset for a modder. Adventurous, inquisitive, creative, always looking for a new and/or better way to do things. He not only gives very practical advise about this mindset, but demonstrates it in the working projects he goes through in the book. It is refreshing to have the author show how he learns from his own work, instead of seeming to sit on a high throne from his 20+ years of experience.