Build Your Own PC Do-It-Yourself For Dummies 1st Edition

Imagine all of those beautiful, expensive parts on your work table, and a trusted friend shows up to walk you through the process of building your first computer. He's there to look over your should and help when you need. You are confident and empowered.This is an excellent book, with very clear logic about laying out and building three different levels of computer systems. While I have been a PC user since 1981, I never tried to build one until now, and I was worried about how the big bucks I was plunking down would translate.Now that you have all these parts, where do you start? What should your concerns be? in 28 years of PC fiddling and replacing parts, for example, I never had anybody tell me that it was okay (and useful) to use a magnetic screwdriver.While it is, technologically speaking, a step behind the latest state of the art, it covers the fundamental order and process of assembly and test in clear, concise and memorable prose. Couple this with the "bad english" instructions that will come with your components, and you should get through this fine.The author is good enough to inspire confidence. I guess the only things I saw that were lacking is I would like to have seen him write about building a laptop and about liquid cooling. Other than that, I could not think of an idea that was missed.There is also a CD with it. Oddly enough, this book lacks a "troubleshooting" chapter or section, but that's the only flaw I've found.

Wow, I was very skeptical at first when i bought this. I soon found out that the book was a great reference when i was building my own computer and included a dvd how-to as well which was nice.Mark L. Chambers is a great mentor throughout the journey of the book, he covers everything from Preparations to the build to how you can your PC overall.I am very grateful i stumbled upon this book, it has opened my eyes to see how actually very easy it is to make your own Custom Pc.You wont regret.10 out 0f 10

Time to do something I think is long overdue: Writing a review on this book.First off, I like the great amount of information that is contained within this book. This book explains how to install the components one would have in a typical computer, (such as a motherboard, cpu, graphics card, etc.) how to get your O.S. up and running, and install peripherals like a printer. In addition, there is info on how to install a modem and access the internet, which I think is a plus. And thanks to the diagrams used for installation, I felt like the author was right beside me and showing me about whatever I needed.However, I do have a couple of problems. To start off, I feel like the information has aged quite noticeably. When he said Windows Vista was "top dog", my first thought was, "What about Windows 8.1, dude?" (Then again, this book was published in 2009. I should have expected this.) Next, I can't fully use the info to build a computer because I'm having a little trouble picking out the components for my PC. Lastly, I also haven't used the DVD that came with my copy. I do think it is nice that the publisher put that in there though.In conclusion, if you want to build a computer and need some knowledge on almost everything you need to know, this is the book for you. And if they make a more current revision, you'll want to look into that. I would appreciate that.P.S. I forgot to mention that the author skimped on the power supply and liquid cooling. It's not that major. Just remember to get a psu with the appropriate wattage and you'll be fine.

I got this book expecting to get a little insight on building a computer, but I never expected the book to be as thorough and understandable as it was. After reading this book, I was able to select parts to build my computer myself. I was able to make sure the parts were compatible and I only needed to use this book as a reference once or twice. The book explains each part necessary to install, including optional parts such as the sound card. Safety was emphasized frequently throughout the book to remind the reader to "ground" themselves before tinkering with the computer parts.After reading this book I was able to build my first computer with additional help from the case and motherboard manuals that came with my computer parts. This book was well worth the money spent to be able to safely make my own computer, with the parts that I wanted, that I'm on right now to write this review.Pros:- Understandable, even for novices- Detailed information about EVERY part- Helpful videos on accompanying disc- Keeps safety in mind constantly- Brief information on computer part choicesCons:- Video assumed that power supply was already installed into computer case, but book explains how to put the power supply in anyway

This is a good solid book for newbies for hardware learning, don't get me wrong. It's just dated. What I mean is that when it talks about hard disk drives, it talks about IDE interfaces and such, not even discussing the SATA interface that is common today. It also doesn't mention solid state drives. Descriptions are very good and the author is gifted, but he needs to seriously update it. That is the trouble with technical books. They sure do get outdated quickly!