| OverviewWith off-the-shelf computer systems to fit any budget or
requirement, some people might wonder why you'd want to
build your own. They don't understand that for many computer
users, a ready-made system is about as satisfying as popping
a frozen dinner in the microwave when you'd rather have real
food instead. Sure, it works, but it's not exactly what you
need or want.
There's a lot to be said for a computer that has exactly the
quality components you choose, by the manufacturers you
choose, rather than the conveniently bundled assortment made
for your price point. But perhaps you've stopped short of
building your own because you're inexperienced or you're
concerned it won't come out right. After all, you want your
computer to be perfect. Hesitate no longer:
Building the Perfect PC delivers
end-to-end instructions (that even inexperienced PC-builders
can follow) for creating your ideal machine.
Written by hardware experts Robert Bruce Thompson and
Barbara Fritchman Thompson, this book covers it all,
beginning with the various reasons why you'd want to build
your own PC, planning and picking out the components, and
putting it all together. The book outlines a variety of
complete systems and all of their components, including a
small form factor PC; a middle-of-the-road "sweet spot"
system with top-notch components; and a top-end gaming PC
with high-end video, a fast processor, and enough RAM to
make your palms sweat just thinking about it.
Straightforward language, clear directions, and extensive
illustrations make this guide a breeze for computer builders
of any level to follow--even those with little or no
experience. If you've yearned for a quality machine with
high-end components that suit your needs, then
Building the Perfect PC will put you
where you want to be: in control of your computer system. Editorial Reviews| Book Description | | With off-the-shelf computer systems to fit any budget or requirement, some people might wonder why you'd want to build your own. They don't understand that for many computer users, a ready-made system is about as satisfying as popping a frozen dinner in the microwave when you'd rather have real food instead. Sure, it works, but it's not exactly what you need or want. There's a lot to be said for a computer that has exactly the quality components you choose, by the manufacturers you choose, rather than the conveniently bundled assortment made for your price point. But perhaps you've stopped short of building your own because you're inexperienced or you're concerned it won't come out right. After all, you want your computer to be perfect. Hesitate no longer: Building the Perfect PC delivers end-to-end instructions (that even inexperienced PC-builders can follow) for creating your ideal machine. Written by hardware experts Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson, this book covers it all, beginning with the various reasons why you'd want to build your own PC, planning and picking out the components, and putting it all together. The book outlines a variety of complete systems and all of their components, including a small form factor PC; a middle-of-the-road "sweet spot" system with top-notch components; and a top-end gaming PC with high-end video, a fast processor, and enough RAM to make your palms sweat just thinking about it. Straightforward language, clear directions, and extensive illustrations make this guide a breeze for computer builders of any level to follow--even those with little or no experience. If you've yearned for a quality machine with high-end components that suit your needs, then Building the Perfect PC will put you where you want to be: in control of your computer system. |
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Reader Reviews From Amazon (Ranked by 'Helpfulness') | Average Customer Rating: |  | based on 47 reviews. |
| Superb, Excellent, Fantastic, 2006-07-03 | | Reviewer rating: |  |
| | This is the book you want if you know virtually nothing about computer hardware and want to make the big step to building your own. It is absolutely superlative for complete novices. The authors know their stuff to a level rarely seen, are funny and witty and not in the least condescending (a problem with many "how-to" books, I've noticed), and they attempt -- and in my opinion succeed admirably -- in making a terrifying experience so easy that we're doing it again. I've read many criticisms of this book, but I don't think any of them are relevant. Yes, you'll have to do a little of your own research on current products (obviously the computer industry does not stand still), and yes, you'll probably have to make a few minor adjustments between their recommendations and what you'll actually need to do, but this is still a book without peer, in my opinion. We used it to build our first computer last September, 2005, and it has worked beautifully and perfectly since then. I can honestly say that you will not find a better, more honest, and truer evaluation of the process and the products than this book. The language is clear, the instructions are simple to follow, and they cover a range of computers. We intend to build a server soon, and we will certainly use this book as a basis for the process. By all means, buy it!!! |
| | Poorly Organized, 2006-03-23 | | Reviewer rating: |  |
| The book is obviously dated but worse, it is very poorly written. When they wrote the book they decided to describe building 5 different systems. I liked that idea because it gave you a good understanding of the components needed for different PC builds (ie: Gaming Machine, Home Theater, Soho Server, etc.) But then they had the ill-advised idea of not including everything you needed to know in one chapter (or build decscription). Instead, they put something vital to most system builds in the first build description but excluded it in others. Then they would put something essential to most builds in the second build description, that they had left out of the first. So as the reader, you had to read the first build, then go on to the second build and see if you could remember what information in the second build wasn't presented in the first. Then you had to do the same thing with all of the other chapters (build descriptions), constantly taking notes and checking back in earlier chapters to see if information was previously presented. I ended up having to virtually reorganize and rewrite their book, so that it could be useful to me. I'm reminded of the old expression, 'Those that can't do, teach.' Well, having worked in the schools for over 25 years I think to some extent that is true. But it is also true (and probably 10 fold) that, 'Those that can't teach, do.' That's why there are so many tech manuals and tech articles written by brilliant tech people, that go unused or unread because they are to poorly written or presented to be understood or useful to a novice. Let's put it this way, if Robert and Barbara used this method to teach a class in the public schools, they'd be out of work.
Anyway, I also bought (at Amazon, of course) and read two books by ExtremeTech, 'Building the Ultimate Custom PC,' and 'Building the Ultimate Gaming PC.' Both of these books were more useful to me than the Thompsons' book. They were well organized and much easier to follow. I also found a great article at HardwareZone.com. If you go to their home page and click on 'Articles' at the top, then scroll down to 'Categories' and click on 'DIY,' there are 2 great Build It articles that are free. Both of them were far more useful to me than the Thompsons' book. They are a little dated (summer '04) but they are still very useful, especially the article on building an AMD socket 939 system. |
| | great book so far, 2006-03-09 | | Reviewer rating: | |
| | I have started to read this book and I have been excited every since I have opened the book. I am on the verge of building my own system and can not be happier. I am so glad that I purchased this book. The authors also have an buying guide that can be used to accompianed this book. I reccomend this book to anyone thinking of building their own system. |
| | Couldn't have built my machine without it, 2006-02-20 | | Reviewer rating: | |
| This book was my only guide to building my current PC, and I must say I'm pleased with the results. I made a few changes and additions to the authors' component recommendations for a "mainstream PC," but the book's step-by-step, profusely illustrated (in color) approach covered all the potential pitfalls encountered along the way. And their recommendation of Newegg as a merchant proved to save the price of the book, many times over. (After Newegg, I would recommend Tiger Direct as well).
My only small complaint is that the book is rapidly becoming dated, and begs for a 2nd edition. The authors maintain a web site at hardwareguys.com In another review of a competing book, I had written that they're not updating this as promised, but I just went and had a look and was pleasantly surprised to see that it's now fairly up-to-date. The individual hardware comments at https://hardwareguys.com/picks/picks.html serve as valid updates to the book.
If you're thinking of building your own PC, get this book, and also look at the updates at hardwareguys.com. You won't be disappointed. |
| | Not a good value, 2006-01-01 | | Reviewer rating: | |
| | This book is $30, which seems a bit much for what you get. The book is getting dated. The authors haven't provided much in the way of updates on their website. This book may be good if you build one of the PCs they build, but if you use a different motherboard or case as I did, a lot of the material isn't all that relevant. I valued many of the opinons of the authors about their experience with particular pieces of hardware, but found their rant about Windows XP and refusal to install a floppy drive annoying. If I was getting free advice from my neighbor, I would tolterate it, but after paying $30 I didn't like hearing about why they needed to install Windows 2000. A floppy drive is $10, and they refer to using one (at least twice) to solve problems, but their refusal to install this "obsolete" piece of hardware is puzzling, especially since they install an obsolete operating system. In fairness, this book was helpful for designing a system and selecting components. But it was one of 5 or 6 resources I used. There is a vast amount of information on the Web. I found the manual for the ASUS mother board I eventually purchased to be more helpful and more to the point than this book. I also found the reviews of particular pieces of hardware at newegg to be helpful. Bottom line, buy a used copy or skim the book in the bookstore. To me it was worth about $10, not $30. |
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