Build Your Own PC Do-It-Yourself For Dummies E-Book

Mark L. Chambers

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Seitenzahl: 453

Beschreibung

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.

Leseprobe

Build Your Own PC Do-It-Yourself For Dummies®

Table of Contents

Introduction

Why Build Your Own?

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

Introducing Colossus

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Preparations and Planning

Chapter 1: A Screwdriver Is All You Need

Assembly 101

PCs Are Built with Standard Parts

Introducing the Major Parts

Connecting Your Computer Components

Chapter 2: What Type of PC Should I Build?

Interrogating Yourself on Your Computer Needs

Answering Your Computer-Needs Questions

Getting Your Hands on the Special Stuff

Picking Up the Parts

Choosing an Operating System

Introducing Colossus

Part II: Assembling the Basics

Chapter 3: Building the Foundation: The Case and Motherboard

Choosing the Right Case

Other Case Considerations

Your Motherboard Is Your Best Friend

And for Colossus, I Pick . . .

Chapter 4: A Bag of Chips: Adding RAM and a CPU

FYI about CPUs

Add RAM to the Mix

And for Colossus, I Pick . . .

Chapter 5: Installing Your Ports, Mouse, and Keyboard

Pursuing Your Port Preferences

Of Keyboards and Mice

Check It Once, and Check It Twice!

And For Colossus, I Pick...

Chapter 6: Adding Video Hardware

The Video Card Explained

Hey, I Can Get TV on My PC!

Time to Meet Your Bus Slots

Staking Out Your Visual Territory

And for Colossus, I Pick . . .

Chapter 7: Installing Your Hard Drive and Other Storage Devices

Choosing Betwixt Hard Drive Technologies

The Ancient Floppy Still Lives

Don’t Forget Your Controller Card

Hey, You Just Removed Your Media!

And for Colossus, I Pick . . .

Chapter 8: Choosing and Installing an Operating System

Become Your Own Consultant!

The Straight Talk on Vista

Linux: It’s Not Just for Techno-nerds!

Before You Install Your Operating System

Even People Like You and Me Need Internet Security

Part III: Adding the Fun Stuff

Chapter 9: Installing an Optical Drive

Discovering the Details about DVD and Blu-Ray

What You Need to Know about Optical Recorders

What You Need to Know about DVD and Blu-ray

Choosing an Internal or an External DVD Drive

And for Colossus, I Pick. . .

Chapter 10: Let Your PC Rock!

Sorting Out Sound Card Basics

Uhh . . . Is This Microphone On?

Speaking of Speakers

The Subwoofer: Big Dog of Computer Speakers

And for Colossus, I Pick . . .

Chapter 11: Modems and the Call of Broadband

Figuring Out Whether You Need Broadband

Figuring Out Those Connection Charges

Locating an Internet Service Provider

A Modem Primer for Real People

Will That Be a Card or a Case?

Let Your Modem Speak!

Why Share Your Internet Connection?

Sharing through Hardware

Part IV: Advanced PC Options

Chapter 12: So You Want to Add a LAN?

Adding the Network Advantage

Ethernet Networking 101

Collecting What You Need for an Ethernet Network

There Are Always Exceptions!

Chapter 13: Input and Output: Scanners, Cameras, and Printers

The Wide, Wonderful World of Scanners

Digital Camera Details

One Word: Printers, Printers, Printers!

Chapter 14: Building a Gaming PC

Exotic Video Card Stuff Explained

You Gotta Have Fans and Heatsinks

It’s a RAID!

Adding Lights and Gauges

Customizing Your Case

Will You Move the Joystick, or Will It Move You?

Part V: The Part of Tens

Chapter 15: Ten Tools and Tasks for a Power User’s PC

Forget Your Mouse

Guard That Power Supply!

Back Up, Back Up, Back Up

Diagnostics Software to the Rescue

Stick Your Keyboard in a Drawer!

Stop the Spread of Viruses

Organize Your Software

Use the Power of Your Voice

Everyone Needs a Good Image Editor

Keep It Clean!

Chapter 16: Ten Important Assembly Tips

Read the Instructions First! (Rule Number One)

Build the Perfect Workspace

Keep Track of UTOs (Unidentified Tiny Objects)

Make Sure That You Have Everything You Need

Yell for Help If Necessary

Use a Magnetic Screwdriver

Start Your Own Parts Box

Take Your Time: The Zen of Assembly

Don’t Cover Up Too Quickly

The Cable Rule: Check and Double-Check

Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Maintain Your PC

Defragment Your Hard Drive

Get Connected with the Speediest Data Transfers

Keep Your Backgrounds Plain

Remove Resident Programs

Keep Your Drivers Updated

Use a Native File System

Check Your Drives for Errors

Uninstalling 101

Maintain Your System Registry

Clean Up after Windows

Chapter 18: Ten PC Pitfalls to Avoid Like the Plague

It’s “Refurbished” for a Reason

Looking for an Antique? Buy a Pentium 4 CPU

Never Depend on Floppies

Help Stamp Out Unnecessary Passwords!

Honor Thy Neighbor’s Copyright

Your PC Is Not a Kindergarten

Don’t Jump on the Pirate Ship

Keep Your Mitts Away from Monitors and Power Supplies

Don’t Lease a PC for the Long Haul

Avoid Older Versions of PC Software

Part VI: Appendixes

Appendix A: About the DVD

Appendix B: The PC Builder’s Glossary

DO-IT-YOURSELF

Build Your Own PC For Dummies®

by Mark L. Chambers

Build Your Own PC Do-It-Yourself For Dummies®

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River StreetHoboken, NJ 07030-5774

www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2008940688

ISBN: 978-0-470-19611-3

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Author

Mark L. Chambers has been an author, a computer consultant, a BBS sysop, a programmer, and a hardware technician for more than 20 years — pushing computers and their uses far beyond normal performance limits for decades now. His first love affair with a computer peripheral blossomed in 1984 when he bought his lightning-fast 300bps modem for his Atari 400. Now he spends entirely too much time on the Internet and drinks far too much caffeine-laden soda.

With a degree in journalism and creative writing from Louisiana State University, Mark took the logical career choice: programming computers. However, after five years as a COBOL programmer for a hospital system, he decided there must be a better way to earn a living, and he became the Documentation Manager for Datastorm Technologies, a well-known communications software developer. Somewhere in between writing software manuals, Mark began writing computer how-to books. His first book, Running a Perfect BBS, was published in 1994 — and after a short decade or so of fun (disguised as hard work), Mark is one of the most productive and best-selling technology authors on the planet.

Along with writing several books a year and editing whatever his publishers throw at him, Mark has also branched out into Web-based education, designing and teaching a number of online classes — called WebClinics — for Hewlett-Packard.

His favorite pastimes include collecting gargoyles, watching St. Louis Cardinals baseball, playing his three pinball machines and the latest computer games, supercharging computers, and rendering 3-D flights of fancy with TrueSpace — and during all that, he listens to just about every type of music imaginable. Mark’s worldwide Internet radio station, MLC Radio (at www.mlcbooks.com), plays only CD-quality classics from 1970 to 1979, including everything from Rush to Billy Joel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Mark’s rapidly expanding list of books includes MacBook For Dummies; iMac For Dummies; Mac OS X Leopard All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies; Scanners For Dummies; CD & DVD Recording For Dummies; PCs All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies; Mac OS X Tiger: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks; Microsoft Office v. X Power User’s Guide; BURN IT! Creating Your Own Great DVDs and CDs; The Hewlett-Packard Official Printer Handbook; The Hewlett-Packard Official Recordable CD Handbook; The Hewlett-Packard Official Digital Photography Handbook; Computer Gamer’s Bible; Recordable CD Bible; Teach Yourself the iMac Visually; Running a Perfect BBS; Official Netscape Guide to Web Animation; and the Windows 98 Troubleshooting and Optimizing Little Black Book.

His books have been translated into 14 languages so far — his favorites are German, Polish, Dutch, and French. Although he can’t read them, he enjoys the pictures a great deal.

Mark welcomes all comments about his books. You can reach him at [email protected], or visit MLC Books Online, his Web site, at www.mlcbooks.com.

Dedication

This book is posthumously dedicated to my friend and teacher, LSU journalism professor Jim Featherston. Jim taught me everything I need to know — now I can put ideas to paper.

Author’s Acknowledgments

I find that writing the acknowledgments is always the easiest part of any book because there’s never a shortage of material. I always have a big group to praise.

First, a well-earned round of thanks to my knowledgeable technical editor, Jim Kelly, who checked every word for accuracy (while enduring every bad joke and pun).

As with every book I’ve written, I’d like to thank my wife, Anne, and my children, Erin, Chelsea, and Rose, for their support and love — and for letting me follow my dream!

Finally, I send my heartfelt appreciation to the hard-working editors at Wiley Publishing, Inc., who were responsible for the launch and completion of this new Do-It-Yourself edition — it takes a ton of work to produce a completely new edition, and they did an incredible job. Thanks are due to my project editor, Mark Enochs, my copy editor, Teresa Artman, and my acquisitions editor, Bob Woerner. They’re talented, dedicated people, and I count myself very lucky that I had their assistance for this project — and many to come, I hope!

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development

Senior Project Editor: Mark Enochs

Executive Editor: Bob Woerner

Senior Copy Editor: Teresa Artman

Technical Editor: James F. Kelly

Editorial Manager: Leah Cameron

Media Development Project Manager: Laura Moss-Hollister

Media Development Assistant Project Manager: Jenny Swisher

Media Development Assistant Producers: Angela Denny, Josh Frank, Kit Malone, and Shawn Patrick

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Katie Key

Layout and Graphics: Carrie A. Cesavice, Reuben W. Davis, Shane Johnson, Jennifer Mayberry, Christine Williams

Proofreaders: Laura Albert, Amanda Graham,Linda Quigley

Indexer: Sharon Shock

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher

Composition Services

Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Introduction

You’ve decided to build your own computer. Congratulations! That statement might seem a little like “You’ve decided to fly a 747” or “You’ve decided to teach yourself accounting” — but I’m here to tell you that this book was especially written to make it both easy and (believe it or not) fun to build your own multimedia computer with an Intel or AMD processor. (Oh, and don’t forget that you’re likely to save a significant chunk of cash as well, especially if you’re building a powerful PC for applications such as gaming and video editing.)

To sum up, I explain the mysterious parts in the box in honest-to-goodness English, with a little humor and without the jargon — and then help you build the PC that’s perfect for you!

Why Build Your Own?

Buying a PC from a retail computer store or a big mail-order company is easy: Out comes the credit card, the boxes arrive at your house, and installation is as simple as plugging in the keyboard, mouse, speakers, and monitor. Even the most experienced PC hardware junkie will have to admit that a novice can save time and potential headaches by buying a retail PC.

Therefore, you might be asking yourself, “Why don’t I just travel the retail PC route like most people? Why go to the trouble of building my own computer?” There are several doggone good reasons why you should assemble your own machine:

It just plain costs less to build your own PC!

The first reason — and, for some people, the most important reason — for building acomputer is to save as much money as possible over the cost of a retail PC (especially if you’re buying a PC from a local retail store, or if you’re building a super-fast gaming system). When you build your own computer, you’re not paying for all the overhead tacked on to the original price of a computer, including a storefront, advertising, and a salesperson’s paycheck.

Many retail PC packages don’t include a monitor, so often the price that you see isn’t for a complete system. And yes, you can save a hundred dollars or more over the price of a complete PC offered by a big mail-order company. It’s simply a matter of searching for the right companies that sell computer components at rock-bottom prices. Remember, using a Web site such as www.pricewatch.com can bring you — in just a few seconds — the best prices available