Building a PC For Dummies?

by Mark L. Chambers

Let the lemmings buy the standardized, assembly-line, factory-produced computers. For a technical trailblazer like yourself, only a unique system will do, and only you know how to create it. Do it yourself with Building A PC For Dummies , 2nd Edition. Author Mark L. Chambers walks you through the process of figuring out which computer is right for you and putting it all together. Pore through Chambers' tons of useful cost-cutting tips, and get the up-to-this-minute information on Pentium III processors, SDRAM and DIMMs, USB, AGP video ports, DVD drives, next-generation Internet connections (ISDN, satellite, and cable modem), LANs, scanners, printers, digital cameras, and more. Take advantage of the CD-ROM included with Building A PC For Dummies , 2nd Edition. The CD-ROM contains a number of shareware programs, demos, tools, and utilities designed to maximize your new PC's performance. Step away from the crowd and build a custom PC that meets your very specific needs ñ not the needs of Everyman!

Genres: Reference, Computers, Technology

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Foxtower · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in the day, before “plug and play”, before thirty gigabyte hard drives and hundreds of thousands of operating files computer users had to do things like set pins on the mother board or drives, change the boot files and just generally spend a lot of time inside the computers. Thus there was market for configuration books. This is one of several I used, providing references to drive parameters and hundreds of other now obscure and forgotten bits of data one needed just to upgrade a bit or get the thing working better. Thank goodness those days are gone, as not only do I refuse to ever learn anymore about computers, but thankfully I can use then and not need to waste limited brain capacity with all that useless data!

[Geoffrey Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for basic knowledge

This isn't a book for experts, obviously , but a good source of basic knowledge of your PC. I knew that before I started, but wanted to start my computer education at a basic level, and this book does that. Worth the time to read if you want to learn right.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted to build a PC with my dad. Never did. Still a good read but the content is very much outdated shortly after reading due to the nature of the industry. Now a days all of this could be found online, thus the problem with Barnes and Noble

[Kevin J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for the beginner. It is, however, somewhat outdated, but some of the major points still apply.

[Pat Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book makes it seem possible to put your own computer together.

[Miguel · Rating 3 out of 5]

very educational