Building the Perfect PC: The Perfect PC is the One You Build Yourself Paperback – Illustrated, December 28, 2010

This is certainly a worthwhile investment for a newbie or would-be builder, or for someone seeking to become better acquainted with the interior of a computer. Obviously, components change with time so you may or may not be able to duplicate exactly the projects outlined in these chapters. But the directions are clear, the general advice on component selection is sound, and the color photographs add significantly to the value of this book. That said, there are some important limitations.-- It is odd that the authors chose to highlight mixes of components that did not match up perfectly. Some other reviewers have already commented on the authors' inability to fit their "mainstream" computer's motherboard into the case when using the supplied I/O shield. The authors' solution was simply to omit the shield, which turned out to be OK for that particular build, but it could cause cooling problems in other configurations. This isn't the sort of decision that a novice could comfortably make.-- Likewise, in the chapter on building a "budget" PC, there turned out to be a mismatch between the (two-pin) power LED connector on the motherboard, and the (three-pin) connector on the cable that came with the case, so the authors simply decided to leave the cable disconnected. Not exactly an elegant solution. They mention an alternative option that involves cutting the cable connector in half, but a novice buying a "how-to" book would surely want to be spared from such a kludge, and probably would never have even thought of it. The lesson here, I suppose, is that you may run into unforeseen problems with no obvious solution, and at that point you will need to find some help.-- This book is essentially about putting the hardware together, which is fine as far as it goes. That will leave you with functioning components, but not a working PC; for that, of course, you'll need to install an operating system. Although there is a discussion of Linux in the chapter on a "media center" system, you'll be pretty much on your own with anything else.-- BIOS configurations are also neglected; the default BIOS settings may or may not be satisfactory or optimal for the system that you build. Finding what you need for fiddling with the BIOS may take some doing; on Intel's website, for example, I found good information in their motherboard documentation, and more in a document specific to BIOS adjustments. But this sort of documentation can be scattered. There were two different PDF files pertaining to the very same motherboard; one was billed as a "product guide" and another as "technical product specification". Despite some significant overlap, both were worth consulting.Before you begin to build a computer, I suggest that you spend some time on the various manufacturers' websites. With some persistence, you can find detailed documentation related to motherboards, processors, memory, etc. You will also find tools for determining what components are mutually compatible. Download the key documentation to use in tandem with the Thompsons' book.For a compendium of more technical data, the bible on the topic is probably Scott Mueller's  Upgrading and Repairing PCs (20th Edition) . That book contains a lot more information than most folks will ever want or need, but it is amazingly comprehensive and clear. There's even a chapter on building your own computer. In my opinion, Mueller's book makes a very useful complement to the Thompsons' guide.

I bought this book as a recommendation from my IT guy at work. I've never built a computer before and had NO clue how to do it. I read some other reviews of this book and some people are having problems understanding the instructions, because they are not detailed enough. I didn't find this to be the case. Using this book, I built a gaming PC with no prior knowledge/experience and minimum problems.The book is a very easy read and will assist you in selecting components to meet your individual needs. I read the book cover-to-cover first, and then read the applicable section again as I was choosing components for my PC. I ended up reading it 3-4 times (like I said, it's an easy read) to ensure I was comfortable with the components I was choosing. I also read the assembly instructions again before I started assembling my computer.In the end, it all went together and worked well.Some things to consider:-No book can give you 100% of the knowledge to build your individual computer.-You should read the owner's manual of every component BEFORE you buy it. (You may get RAM that's incompatible with your motherboard for example)-You should visit all components' websites to download the proper drivers/utilites (such as overclocking and monitoring programs)-If you decide to do advanced tuning, such as overclocking, you can find all of that information on web forums.Other thoughts:Some of the instructions in the book I didn't understand right away and this caused me some stress. Paying serious money for computer components without fully understanding everything about them can be scary. For example the book mentions little about setting up BIOS and gives almost no instructions on doing it (I didn't even know what BIOS means). However, I took the leap of faith and it all made sense when I had the components in hand. When I did run into a problem (specific to the components I bought, not a general issue) I found the answer to my question online in a forum. In the end the book did a great job at addressing all of my general questions and the computer went together in a single evening and has worked for 2 months with no problems.I highly recommend this book if you want to build a PC. If someone like me, with no prior knowledge or experience, can build an awesome computer then anyone can. I am very pleased with my computer and I paid a fraction of the price an assembled, comparable PC would cost. Don't be intimidated. Just read the book a few times and go for it. You'll never learn to swim if you don't get your feet wet. You'll never go back to buying HP, Gateway, or Dell again.

Very good, although somewhat dated. There is an offer to update for about $5, but I didn't find exactly what the updates would include. With this technology a component that is a year or so old is outdated, so it's unreasonable to expect such a book to be up to date.In any case, one could build a computer using the information in this book. But, as the authors mentioned, be sure to read the owners' manuals on the components you purchase, as the specific features of newer components will not be covered in an older book.I built two computers 5 years ago and recently finished rebuilding one of them, and I used this book as a "refresher course." The photos are good, although my book was loaded on a black and white Kindle. What I liked very much is the fact that I was able to read the book on my computer with larger print and color photos. This is possible because there are no "locks" on this book. That in itself is worth at least one more star.The motherboard they used for the medium computer was made in around 2009. Older motherboards, if they can be found, are often more expensive than when they were new, and more expensive than current boards. Same with the other components. So, expect to purchase new components, which will probably produce a better computer for you. But again, you should read the literature, as well as the book, since some details and layouts of the newer components will have changed.The methods of building a new computer now are not that much different from 5 years ago, but some of the details have changed a bit. Nevertheless, this book will walk you through the process.

Good use of photos and easy to understand descriptions and steps. A useful tool int the hands of a newbie builder and also an experienced system builder. Things change over time and this is still current info, with ways to build a low budget system all the way to a top end gaming system, or even a server if needed. Couple this book with a couple other mainstream Hardware PC Bibles and you will have everything you need to produce your own system. Remember, you usually will get out of your build what you put in. The better grade parts the better. Use the internet to source information on what you want to use and see if it is compatible with the rest of your components. This is the 3rd edition of the book and the updates are noticeable. Set up your budget and watch for deals.

Méme si assembler sont propre ordinateur n'a rien de très compliqué, Il est très utile de pouvoir profiter de l'expérience de ceux qui on dû faire face à de nombreux problèmes, afin de savoir les éviter.