Build Your Own PC Do-It-Yourself For Dummies (For Dummies Series) - Softcover

Chambers, Mark L.

 
9780470196113: Build Your Own PC Do-It-Yourself For Dummies (For Dummies Series)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0470196114 ISBN 13: 9780470196113
Verlag: For Dummies, 2009

Inhaltsangabe

If you’ve dreamed about having a customized multimedia PC or one tricked out for your favorite games, build your own and make your dreams come true! Build Your Own PC Do-It-Yourself For Dummies makes it easy.

Not only is building your own PC a really rewarding project, it can also save you a nice chunk of cash. This step-by-step guide helps you decide what you need, teaches you what all those computer terms mean, and tells you exactly how to put the pieces together. It shows you:

  • What tools you need (not as many as you might think!)
  • All about operating systems
  • How to install CD and DVD drives
  • The scoop on sound and video, and how to put a sound system together from start to finish
  • How to connect a monitor and install a modem
  • All about setting up and configuring the hard drive
  • Secrets for securing your system, and more

Included is a bonus DVD showing you how to install the motherboard, CPU, RAM, ports, hard drive, video and sound cards, a DVD drive, and more. With Build Your Own PC Do-It-Yourself For Dummies, you can have the computer you want plus the satisfaction of doing it yourself!

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Mark L. Chambers has been building, customizing, and repairing PCs for over 20 years for himself and clients. As a consultant, he helps everyday folks update, maintain, and troubleshoot PCs.

Von der hinteren Coverseite

Do-it-Yourself

Build the custom PC you want just the way you want it and have fun doing it!

Are you frustrated because you can't buy the PC you want? Have you ever wanted to create your own custom PC but were unfamiliar with all of the parts and terminology? This book is your new best friend!

This illustrated, hands-on guide will help you choose the best components for the PC that's right for you. Inside the book, we walk you through the assembly process in simple, can-do language. Plus, you get a bonus DVD containing 45 minutes of step-by-step video instructions that show you how to build your own PC. It's like having an expert right beside you all the way!

Aus dem Klappentext

Do-it-Yourself

Build the custom PC you want — just the way you want it — and have fun doing it!

Are you frustrated because you can't buy the PC you want? Have you ever wanted to create your own custom PC but were unfamiliar with all of the parts and terminology? This book is your new best friend!

This illustrated, hands-on guide will help you choose the best components for the PC that's right for you. Inside the book, we walk you through the assembly process in simple, can-do language. Plus, you get a bonus DVD containing 45 minutes of step-by-step video instructions that show you how to build your own PC. It's like having an expert right beside you all the way!

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Build Your Own PC Do-It-Yourself For Dummies

By Mark L. Chambers

John Wiley & Sons

Copyright © 2009 Mark L. Chambers
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-470-19611-3

Chapter One

A Screwdriver Is All You Need

Topics in this chapter

* Discovering how simple PCs really are

* Using commonsense assembly (CA)

* Recognizing standard PC components

* Connecting components

Ask most people what they know about computers, and they'll tell you that a PC is a complex, sealed box full of confusing parts that you need an engineering degree to understand - something like a cross between an unopened Egyptian pyramid and a rocket engine. Ask those same people whether they want to try their hand at actually building a computer, and they'll probably laugh (or cry) out loud. Even if you did buy all the mysterious electronic parts (which techno-types affectionately refer to as computer components), where would you start? Where do you buy everything? How do you fit the components together? Nobody but an honest-to-goodness computer nerd could possibly put a computer together!

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have great news: If you can handle the lone tool shown in Figure 1-1 - yes, the humble Philips screwdriver - you can safely assemble your own computer (and even enjoy doing it!). After you discover how to build your own computer and start to use it, you'll probably agree with me: Building a computer is much easier than figuring out how to use some of the complicated software that the computer can run. The idea that building a computer is as difficult as building or repairing a car is just a myth (probably encouraged by computer salespeople).

In this chapter, I introduce you to the standard electronics and peripherals that you can use to build your computer, and then I show you how they fit together. (And after you successfully build your first computer, drop me an e-mail at mark@ mlcbooks.com with the subject "I Did It Mark!", and I can congratulate you personally!)

Assembly 101

You might have heard a horror story or two about someone who tried to build a PC and ended up being sucked through a black hole into another dimension. When you announce to the world that you're going to build your own computer, you're likely to face a number of common myths:

  •   "Why, you have to be practically psychic about how machinery works to stick your hands inside a computer!" Wrong. In fact, you don't have to know how any of the components work, so you don't have to be an expert in laser optics, magnetism, or electronic theory. You just need to connect the parts together correctly and attach them to the motherboard and computer case.

  •   "You can't build a computer on a card table, you know. You're going to need an airstrip, a complete toolkit, and a warehouse full of parts." Nope. You can not only assemble a computer on your dining room table but also do so with no special tools. Find your favorite screwdriver, and you're a lean, mean, computer-assembling machine.

  •   "It's going to take you years to put together a computer. Heck, by the time you're finished, your computer will already be out of date." Depends on how long it takes. No, no - just kidding! This myth is definitely false. If you have all your components ready to go, assembling a PC is a first-time project that you can easily finish during a long weekend.

  •   "Something's not going to work with something else. You'll see." Wrong again. (Geez, who are these people? They probably still think that airplanes will never get off the ground.) Today's computer components are designed to work with each other. Regardless of what brand name you buy or how much you spend, if you buy a standard computer device, it should join in that big cooperative team effort that makes a working computer.

    MARK'S MAXIM

    What's the secret to building a PC? Time for the first Mark's Maxim for this book:

    There really isn't a secret to building a PC.[TM]

    That's why many people have started their own home businesses building custom computers in their spare time - and why many thousands of my readers have built their own computers using this book. Building a computer is fun - that is, after you conquer your initial fear. Plus, you get a big ego boost after people find out that you built your own computer. Suddenly, you're a genuine PC guru to your family and friends, so be prepared to handle those technical support questions at your next party.

    Building a better computer

    Over the past few years, I've developed a simple rule for myself, which applies perfectly to building anything from a mousetrap to a computer. I call this rule CA - or, for those who can't stand abbreviations, commonsense assembly. The idea is a simple one: You can prevent most mistakes while assembling a PC by using a little common sense.

    Keep the following CA rules in mind when handling and connecting computer components:

  •   Give yourself plenty of empty space and adequate lighting. If you're building a computer on the dining table, make sure that your work area is covered with newspaper to avoid scratches. I also recommend keeping an adjustable desk lamp handy to shine light where you need it.

  •   Don't start without all the necessary components. If you don't have everything that you need to follow a project from beginning to end, don't start yet (only to find you have to stop halfway through). It's too easy to miss a step or forget something if you leave your computer's bedside and come back the next day.

  •   Treat your components carefully. This commonsense rule doesn't mean that you need to wear gloves when handling cables or that you need to refrigerate your adapter cards. Just don't drop a part on the floor or toss it to a friend. Keep components in their antistatic packaging until you're ready to install them.

  •   Follow the Three Absolutes of Component Care and Feeding.

    1. Never bend a circuit board or an adapter card.

    2. Always make sure the cables that connect your parts aren't pinched.

    3. Never try to make something fit. Take the component out, check the instructions again, and try it a different way if possible.

    REMEMBER

    Installing adapter cards on your motherboard can sometimes take a little longer or require a little more force than plugging a game cartridge into a video game. But determining whether a card is aligned correctly with the slot is usually easy because the slot is keyed to the shape of the corresponding card.

  •   Read any documentation that comes with each computer component. Although I provide step-by-step assembly instructions throughout this book, one of your components might require special switch settings or some other unique treatment.

    TIP

  •   Keep all your parts manuals together for easy reference. Store all your component manuals for a particular PC that you've built in a separate binder. After your computer is running, you can refer to your manuals quickly if you need to...

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    Verlag
    For Dummies
    Erscheinungsdatum
    2009
    Sprache
    Englisch
    ISBN 10 
    0470196114
    ISBN 13 
    9780470196113
    Einband
    Taschenbuch
    Auflage
    1
    Anzahl der Seiten
    336
    Kontakt zum Hersteller
    Wiley-VCH GmbH
    product_safety@wiley.com

    Boschstrasse 12
    Weinheim
    69469
    Deutschland