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

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


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About the Book

BUILD IT. FIX it. OWN IT. A Beginner’s Guide to Building and Upgrading a PC   Build 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 Bio Paul 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     Hardware Covers         PC Hardware User Level    Beginner—Intermediate

Table of Contents:
Introduction Part I: Getting to Know Your PC Chapter 1The Barebones: The Motherboard, Case, and Power Supply Mobo Mojo: Understanding the Motherboard     A Tour of a Typical Motherboard     Understanding Expansion Slot Types     Sizing Up Motherboard Form Factors     Buying a Motherboard The Case Is Your Base     Buttons, Bezels, and Bays: A Case Parts List     That’s About the Size of It: Case Form Factors     Case Designs: From Boring to Beautiful     Going with the Flow: Case Fans     Buying a Case Power to the PC: The Power Supply Unit     Getting to Know the Power Supply     Buying a Power Supply From Here Chapter 2 The Brains: The Central Processing Unit Intel or AMD? Clocks, Cores, and More: Understanding CPU Specs     The Processor Family     The Processor Cores     The Processor Name     The Processor Clock Speed     The Processor Socket     The Processor Bus Speed     The Processor L2 Cache Size     The Processor Manufacturing Process     The Processor Core Type     The Processor Market: What’s Available Keeping It Cool: Fans and Heatsinks Buying a CPU From Here Chapter 3The Work Area: Memory What Is RAM? Combining Memory Chips Into Memory Modules DDR, DIMM, and More: Understanding Memory Specs     The Memory Module Standard     The Memory Type and Speed     Dual Channel Mode     The Memory Module Capacity     The Memory Latency and Timings     The Memory Module Configuration and Pins Windows and RAM: The 4GB Conundrum Buying Memory From Here Chapter 4Hard Drives and Other Storage Devices Drive Time: How a Hard Drive Works Capacity, Cache, and More: Understanding Hard Drive Specs     The Hard Drive Interface and Throughput     The Hard Drive Form Factor     The Hard Drive Capacity     The Hard Drive Speed     The Hard Drive Cache     The Hard Drive Seek Time Buying a Hard Drive Disc Driving: Choosing an Optical Drive     The Data’s the Things: Optical Disc Capacities     A Tour of Optical Drive Types     Speed Is All: Understanding Optical Drive Speeds     Buying an Optical Drive More Storage Devices From Here Chapter 5Eyes to See and Ears to Hear: Video and Audio Hardware Assessing Your Video Card Needs GPU, GDDR, SLI, and More: Understanding Video Card Specs     The GPU Chipset     Video Memory     Dual-GPU Support     Video Card Connectors Buying a Video Card Bits, Channels, and More: Understanding Sound Card Specs     The Sampling Frequency     The Sample Depth     The Number of Channels     Sound Card Connectors Buying a Sound Card From Here Chapter 6Getting Connected: Networking Hardware Getting Wired: Understanding Ethernet Networks     10BASE-T     100BASE-T (Fast Ethernet)     1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet)     Beyond Gigabit Ethernet Learning about Network Interface Cards The Wired Connection: Network Cables     Twisted-Pair Cable     Crossover Cable A Connection Point for Your Network: The Switch Adding the Internet into the Mix with a Router     Understanding IP Addresses     The Router and Dynamic IP Addressing     The Router as Firewall     The Router as Switch A Buyer’s Guide to Ethernet Hardware     Purchasing a NIC     Purchasing Cables     Purchasing a Switch     Purchasing a Router Going Wireless: Understanding Wi-Fi Networks     Understanding Wi-Fi     Understanding Wireless Hot Spots Learning About Wireless NICs Putting It All Together with a Wireless Access Point Expanding Your Wi-Fi Empire with a Wireless Range Extender A Buyer’s Guide to Wireless Networking Hardware     Purchasing a Wireless NIC     Purchasing a Wireless AP From Here Chapter 7Buying PC Parts Researching Parts Online     Checking Out Product Reviews     Performing Price Comparisons Researching Retailers Online Buying Parts Online Returning Parts Online Buying Parts Offline Buying Non–Shrink-Wrapped Parts From Here Chapter 8Basic Skills for PC Building and Upgrading What Tools Do You Need? What Software Do You Need? Setting Up Your Work Area Playing It Safe     Keeping Yourself Safe     Keeping Your Components Safe Opening the Computer Case Making Cable Connections Installing Memory Modules Installing an Expansion Card Installing a Processor     Installing an Intel CPU in a Socket 775 Board     Installing an AMD CPU in a Socket AM2 Board From Here Chapter 9Scavenging an Old PC for Parts Removing an Internal Expansion Card Taking Out a Hard Drive Prying Out a CPU Pulling Out Memory Modules Releasing the Power Supply Removing the Motherboard From Here Part II: PC Building and Upgrading Projects Chapter 10Building a Basic Business PC Design Goals for a Basic Business PC Choosing Parts for the Basic Business PC     Selecting a Case for the Basic Business PC     Choosing a Motherboard for the Basic Business PC     Selecting a Power Supply for the Basic Business PC     Picking Out a CPU for the Basic Business PC     How Much Memory Does the Basic Business PC Need?     Storage Options for the Basic Business PC     Determining the Video Needs of the Basic Business PC     Selecting Audio Equipment for the Basic Business PC     Choosing Networking Hardware for the Basic Business PC     Pricing the Basic Business PC Putting Together the Basic Business PC     Removing the Generic I/O Shield     Installing the Motherboard Standoffs     Getting the Motherboard Ready for Action     Installing the Motherboard     Installing the Hard Drive     Installing the Optical Drive     Inserting the Video Card     Final Steps Powering Up Final Thoughts From Here Chapter 11Building a Home Theater PC Design Goals for a Home Theater PC Choosing Parts for the Home Theater PC     Selecting a Case for the Home Theater PC     Choosing a Motherboard for the Home Theater PC     Selecting a Power Supply for the Home Theater PC     Picking a CPU for the Home Theater PC     How Much Memory Does the Home Theater PC Need?     Storage Options for the Home Theater PC     Determining the Video Needs of the Home Theater PC     Selecting Audio Equipment for the Home Theater PC     Choosing Networking Hardware for the Home Theater PC     Pricing the Home Theater PC Putting Together the Home Theater PC     Getting the Case Ready     Installing the Motherboard Standoffs     Getting the Motherboard Ready for Action     Installing the Motherboard     Installing the 5.25-inch Drives     Installing the Expansion Cards     Installing the Sound Card     Installing the Hard Drive     Final Steps Powering Up Final Thoughts From Here Chapter 12Building a High-Performance PC Design Goals for a High-Performance PC Choosing Parts for the High-Performance PC     Selecting a Case for the High-Performance PC     Choosing a Motherboard for the High-Performance PC     Selecting a Power Supply for the High-Performance PC     Picking Out a CPU for the High-Performance PC     How Much Memory Does the High-Performance PC Need?     Storage Options for the High-Performance PC     Determining the Video Needs of the High-Performance PC     Selecting Audio Equipment for the High-Performance PC     Choosing Networking Hardware for the High-Performance PC     Pricing the High-Performance PC Putting Together the High-Performance PC     Getting the Case Ready     Installing the Motherboard Standoffs     Getting the Motherboard Ready for Action     Installing the Motherboard     Installing the Hard Drive     Installing the Optical Drive     Installing the Card Reader     Inserting the Video Cards     Final Steps Powering Up Final Thoughts From Here Chapter 13Building a Killer Gaming PC Design Goals for a Killer Gaming PC Choosing Parts for the Killer Gaming PC     Selecting a Case for the Killer Gaming PC     Choosing a Motherboard for the Killer Gaming PC     Determining the Video Needs of the Killer Gaming PC     Storage Options for the Killer Gaming PC     Selecting a Power Supply for the Killer Gaming PC     Picking Out a CPU for the Killer Gaming PC     How Much Memory Does the Killer Gaming PC Need?     Selecting Audio Equipment for the Killer Gaming PC     Choosing Networking Hardware for the Killer Gaming PC     Pricing the Killer Gaming PC Putting Together the Killer Gaming PC     Getting the Case Ready     Installing the Motherboard Standoffs     Getting the Motherboard Ready for Action     Installing the Motherboard     Installing the Hard Drive     Installing the Optical Drive     Inserting the Sound Card     Inserting the Video Cards     Installing the Power Supply and Power Cables     Final Steps Powering Up     Configuring the RAID Array     Installing the Operating System Final Thoughts From Here Chapter 14Building a Budget PC Design Goals for a Budget PC Choosing Parts for the Budget PC     Selecting a Case for the Budget PC     Choosing a Motherboard for the Budget PC     Selecting a Power Supply for the Budget PC     Picking Out a CPU for the Budget PC     How Much Memory Does the Budget PC Need?     Storage Options for the Budget PC     Determining the Video Needs of the Budget PC     Selecting Audio Equipment for the Budget PC     Choosing Networking Hardware for the Budget PC     Pricing the Budget PC Putting Together the Budget PC     Getting the Case Ready     Installing the Motherboard Standoffs     Getting the Motherboard Ready for Action     Installing the Motherboard     Installing the Hard Drive     Installing the Optical Drive     Inserting the HDMI Card     Installing the Case Intake Fan     Connecting the Power Cables     Final Steps Powering Up Final Thoughts From Here Chapter 15This Old PC: Renovating a Computer Getting Started: Researching the Upgrade     Looking Inside the Computer     Accessing the System BIOS Configuration Program     Running the Device Manager and System Information Utilities     Searching for the System Manual Online     Using Third-Party Tools to Research Components Before: Benchmarking the Old PC Making the Old PC Run Faster     The Chipset Is All     Adding More Memory     Upgrading the Video Card     Beefing Up the Hard Drive     Dropping in a Faster CPU After: Benchmarking the Upgraded PC From Here Chapter 16Putting Your Network Together Configuring Your Router     Connecting the Router for Configuration     Displaying the Router’s Setup Pages     Changing the Router’s IP Address     Updating the Firmware     Setting Up Your Broadband Connection     Enabling UPnP     Enabling the DHCP Server     Modifying Wireless Settings     Checking the Router Status Connecting the Broadband Modem     Attaching the Internet Connection Cable     Registering the Modem Connecting the Router Connecting the Switch Laying the Network Cable Changing the Computer and Workgroup Name Making Wireless Network Connections     Connecting to a Wireless Network     Disconnecting from a Wireless Network From Here Chapter 17Maintaining Your Computer Hardware Cleaning the Computer     Dust: Your PC’s Worst Nightmare     Cleaning the Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse     Cleaning the Front and Back of the PC     Cleaning the Power Supply     Cleaning the Interior Updating the Motherboard BIOS     Updating the BIOS for the Intel D975XBX2     Updating the BIOS for the Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H     Updating the BIOS for the ASUS P5K3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP     Updating the BIOS for the ASUS Striker Extreme     Updating the BIOS for the ASUS M2A-VM HDMI Updating Device Drivers Creating a System Image Backup Checking Your Hard Drive for Errors Defragmenting Your Hard Drive From Here   0789738279   TOC   4/30/2008

About the Author :
Paul McFedriesis a full-time technical writer and 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 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.


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Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9780132713573
  • Publisher: Pearson Education (US)
  • Publisher Imprint: Addison Wesley
  • Language: English
  • Sub Title: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Upgrading a PC
  • ISBN-10: 0132713578
  • Publisher Date: 19 May 2008
  • Binding: Digital download
  • No of Pages: 576


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