Building a PC For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers))
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 Dummiesremoves 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 Dummieswould be stronger if he had made such recommendations, the wayTom's Hardware Guidedoes. 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 WallTopics covered: Buying and building a PC; selecting motherboards, processors, storage devices, expansion cards, and input devices.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.