Showing posts with label pc hardware. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pc hardware. Show all posts

Build Your Own PC Do-It-Yourself For Dummies Review

Build Your Own PC Do-It-Yourself For Dummies
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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.

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Upgrading and Repairing PCs (19th Edition) Review

Upgrading and Repairing PCs (19th Edition)
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Great reference covering the most recent technologies. I've been following the series since the 3rd edition and each one has been worth its weight in gold! If only Amazon knew, I would be willing to pay in excess of $200.00 for this! ;D My personal last edition was the 13th, so this will make a fine addition to the library.
I love how Scott covers the history, and even though there have been complaints on earlier editions of this inclusion of past technologies, it is valuable information.
This edition was a Christmas gift to my brother who is now getting into computer repair. After a few days, he is eating the book up alive! Amazon was great in its shipment and technically was not going to release it until a couple of days before Christmas, however they not only made an earlier release date but got it to me before Christmas. I'll be purchasing a copy for my self after this review!
If your in doubt as whether to purchase this, don't be. This is a very inexpensive way to add to your understanding, what could take you "forever" in your Google searches!

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Build It. Fix It. Own It: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Upgrading a PC Review

Build It. Fix It. Own It: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Upgrading a PC
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If a 63 year old retiree can do, so can you... with this book.
Building your own desktop is only slightly more difficult than lego blocks. If you read this book, you will see that the biggest problem you will have is your own greed for speed when you realize you can do it. While this book does not cover Intel's new I7, this book has chapters on numerous "builds" that convey how the building processes are 95% identical, so you can go on to a build using the (extraordinary!) I7 with confidence.
Numerous no-name computer assembler online sites specify their exact components: comparisons using (the essential) Newegg's prices show 50% margins -- all this $$ is yours if you have patience, can do lego blocks, and read this book and "Build your own desktop" blogs carefully. Trying to figure out Microsoft Word's formatting options is 10 times more difficult. Honest.
I have purchased 20+ Dell's and HP's over the years for myself and my children, and can say that the PC companies' product designs and especially their so-called "service" fail miserably to justify their 75% margins, and things are getting worse.
"Build a PC" by Scott Mueller is good as a second book (there are no others that are remotely up to date).
For what it is worth, I do not know either author, nor have I ever corresponded with either.


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BUILD IT. FIX it. OWN IT.A Beginner's Guide to Building and Upgrading a PCBuild It. Fix It. Own It. is the ultimate beginner's guide to building and fixing your own PC. With a friendly, knowledgeable tone, this book shows the beginning PC builder everything he or she needs to know to build a computer or upgrade an existing one. We step you through the parts that lurk inside a PC, from the motherboard and power supply to the CPU, memory, hard drive, video card, sound card, and networking hardware. In each case, you will learn how the hardware works, what it does, what types of hardware are available, and what to look for when buying the hardware.Then we walk you step-by-step though a series of PC building projects. We show you how to build five different types of PC: a basic business PC, a home theater PC, a high-performance PC, a killer gaming PC, and a budget PC. And if building a new PC from scratch isn't in your budget, we show you how to resurrect an old PC by swapping out a few key components.When you have your PC built and running, we show you how to set up a wireless network and the BIOS and maintain your new rig.Build It. Fix It. Own It. is the ultimate PC builder's guide, even if you've never ventured inside a PC case before!Author BioPaul McFedries is one of the industry's most well known and respected technical writers and is a passionate computer tinkerer. He is the author of more than 70 computer books that have sold more than three million copies worldwide. His recent titles include the Sams Publishing books Windows Vista Unleashed and Windows Home Server Unleashed and the Que Publishing books Networking with Microsoft Windows Vista, Formulas and Functions with Microsoft Excel 2007, Tricks of the Microsoft Office 2007 Gurus, and Microsoft Access 2007 Forms, Reports, and Queries. Paul also is the proprietor of Word Spy (www.wordspy.com), a website devoted to tracking new words and phrases as they enter the English language.Category HardwareCovers PC HardwareUser Level Beginner—Intermediate

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Upgrading and Fixing Computers Do-it-Yourself For Dummies Review

Upgrading and Fixing Computers Do-it-Yourself For Dummies
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I first owned a PC when I was 14 and when my mom bought it for me I didn't know the difference between Windows and DOS and didn't even know what RAM or a CPU was. When I bought this I didn't really have any experience with using a PC, so after learning how to use one for awhile I purchased this book and read it.
This taught me a lot about repairing computers and installing new hardware. Anyone who doesnt have a ton of Knowledge about computers and is just starting out with Computers should check this book out if you want to learn more about them. I know for me it helped out a lot. If you've been a computer user for years and already know how to install a Hard Drive, Motherboard, Video Card and Memory etc, then I would skip this one. It's not very technical at all and is obviously for people that don't know much about computers at all. It's really just a good place to start.
I'm now 21 and have worked as a Computer Technician for about 3 years now. I definitely think that this book helped out a ton, it was definitely a good place to start. I believe there are to many people out there are afraid to upgrade/fix their own PC, maybe they are afraid they'll break it. That's all a part of the learning process and you'll never get anywhere if you don't take a risk and attempt to work on them. Most everything I've learned when it comes to upgrading computers is all Trial and Error. If one thing doesn't work out one way, just try it again some other way.
I also have to mention that any of the For Dummies books are worth checking out. Believe it or not, for learning DOS I read DOS For Dummies. For being a Computer Technician DOS is one of the most useful things I've learned. If you don't know it I don't see how anyone could be a very good Technician.

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A+ Guide to Hardware: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting Review

A+ Guide to Hardware: Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting
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As an instructor at a technical college, I'm constantly looking for textbooks that actually teach my students. So many books are just "cookie-cutter" types that merely regurgitate the same exam prep information found in all the others. I needed a textbook that went beyond that.
The A+ Guide to Hardware (and it's companion book, A+ Guide to Software), by Jean Andrews, is that textbook. I'm very happy with it's accuracy and currency and the students actually read it! The text is very understandable and well written. My students are passing the practice exams with flying colors and several have received their A+ Certification as a result of this excellent text.
I highly recommend this text for anyone desiring to understand and pass the A+ Certification exam!

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Written by best-selling PC repair author and educator Jean Andrews, the fifth edition of A+ Guide to Hardware: Managing, Maintaining, and Troubleshooting maps fully to CompTIA's 2009 A+ Exam objectives. This full-color guide is the most complete, step-by-step book available for learning the fundamentals of supporting and troubleshooting computer hardware. At the same time, it prepares readers to successfully pass the A+ 220-701 and 220-702 exams. The new edition is formatted to support any teaching or learning style and course format, featuring an essentials-to-practical organization within each chapter and inclusion of tabs distinguishing exam content. Further content and live demonstrations with Jean Andrews are available on the accompanying CD, making this new edition a total solution for hardware maintenance and repair.

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