Building a PC in easy steps, 3rd edition

Written for those who want more than the standard pre-built PCs offer. Pre-built systems are often a compromise between what the manufacturers want to sell you and what you want to buy. One solution is to build it yourself.

Buying a copy of Building a PC in easy steps is the first step in the right direction to build a PC. Written in concise and easy-to-understand style, this book will take you by the hand and walk you through all the stages of building and setting up a computer: Buying the parts and avoiding sales scams; mastering and installing each component (CPU, memory, video, etc); altering default settings in the BIOS for optimum performance, installing and configuring device drivers. The troubleshooting chapter is invaluable in the event of problems.

By the time you've finished, you will have a computer that's tailored to your exact requirements with no superfluous features or functions.

This third edition covers Windows 7.

Stuart Yarnold is an electronics engineer who has been working in the industry since leaving college. Originally a marine radio & radar troubleshooter, he now devotes much of his time to playing poker professionally and can usually be found lurking in one of the online poker rooms.

Stuart lives near Cambridge with his wife Pauline and his two staffordshire bull terriers - Jim and George. His hobbies include woodworking and marathon running.

1. Before You Start
2. Central Processing Units
3. Memory
4. Motherboards
5. System Cases
6. Power Supply Units (PSU)
7. Video Systems
8. Monitors
9. Testing the Basic System
10. Hard Drives
11. Input Devices
12. Sound Systems
13. Removable Media Drives
14. Setting Up the System
15. Peripherals
16. Troubleshooting

Customer Reviews

By Andy, reader review from Amazon.co.uk

"I read this book one evening, bought all the parts the next morning and had the PC up and running by 6.00pm the same evening. My knowledge of computers (prior to reading this) was minimal. Need I say more!"

By Graham, reader review from Amazon.co.uk

"I teach how to build and upgrade PCs to complete beginners and was so impressed it is now the recommended book for the course!  The book's presentation is exceptionally well laid out, its content informative and comprehensive without being over-technical for those just wanting to get stuck-in right away to the practical aspects of PC DIY."

By Richard, reader review from Amazon.co.uk

"The 'Building a PC' book is written very concisely and packs an amazing amount of information into its 192 pages. As I discovered, the most difficult part of building a computer is knowing which components to buy. This book explains all the important specifications for each component, and thanks to it I was able to buy the correct parts for my purpose (a high performance gaming machine).  There is also a very useful troubleshooting chapter that explains exactly what to do if the finished PC doesn't work.  Anyone looking to build their own computer needs to get this book."

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