Customer Rating: 
Summary: Full of good information
Comment: I learned so much from this book. I not only better understand how my computer works, but I now have confidence that I can build my own. I plan to buy more Dummies books about computers. Very helpful!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Informative Books
Comment: I am new to the computer world and have found the books for dummies to be extremly helpful and very entertaining. I would recomend these books to anyone with computer questions or just for an amusing read. Carol from Ohio.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good enough for a beginner
Comment: I am the typical "dummy" when it comes to computer hardware. But, I managed to build my first PC with the guidance from this book. You will not become a professional but will gain sufficient knowledge for you to learn the mechanics of assembling your own computer. The book also includes a glossary that serves as a useful reference tool.
**Sufficient information explained in an easy-to-understand manner**
Customer Rating:
Summary: Superficial, dated
Comment: I found this on the "new books" shelf at the local library and took it home for a look-see.
I must say, I was disappointed. This book will not help anybody build a computer. The information is superficial and dated. There is a shortage of illustrations (NEED LOTS MORE PHOTOS!)
Now, I have indeed built my own computer, but that project would have been a disaster if this book had been my guide. Instead, I heartily recommend "Building the Perfect PC" by Thompson. (Interestingly, the blurb on the front cover of this Dummies book says "Build the perfect PC..." Coincidence? I think not). Less than a year ago, the Thompsons' book WAS my sole source, my cookbook for how to put together a computer, and it covered all the gotchas encountered in the process. It has abundant photos, and they're in color. With the rapid pace of computer development, even that is showing its age, and the authors aren't updating their web site as promised, but it's still leaps and bounds ahead of this "For Dummies" book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Computer building for the hardware technophobe...
Comment: (This is a review of the 5th edition)
I'll admit it... I buy my PCs when I upgrade. I'm getting more at ease with hardware since I've started doing all these book reviews, and I probably *could* build a PC now without too much angst, but I still buy. But if I were to decide that my next PC would be "home-built", I'd be comfortable with using the book Building a PC for Dummies by Mark L. Chambers.
Contents:
Part 1 - Can I Really Do This?: What's in a Computer, Anyway?; What Type of PC Should I Build?
Part 2 - Building Your PC: Building the Foundation - The Case and Motherboard; A Bag of Chips - Adding RAM and a CPU; The Three PC Senses - Ports, Mouse, and Keyboard; Images "R" Us - Adding Video and a Monitor; Make Room! Your Hard Drive and Other Storage Devices
Part 3 - Adding the Fun Stuff: Putting the Spin on CD-ROM and DVD; Let Your PC Rock!; Modems and the Call of the Internet
Part 4 - Adding the Advanced Stuff: Attack of the SCSI Monster; So You Want to Add a LAN?; Life in the Fast Lane with Broadband; Input and Output - Scanners, Cameras, Video Capture, and Printers; More Power User Toys
Part 5 - The Part of Tens: Ten Reasons Not to Buy a Retail PC; Ten Tools and Tasks for a Power User's PC; Ten Important Assembly Tips; Ten Ways to Speed Up Your PC; Ten Things to Avoid Like the Plague
Part 6 - Appendixes: Choosing Your Operating System; Glossary
Index
This book is most likely going to appeal to the hardware-phobic computer owner (like I was for quite awhile) or the first-time PC builder. Chambers has an amusing writing style which will make you smile as you figure out the next steps to take in your PC adventure. If you've already built a PC or you dwell in the land of needing to know every last technical spec of a device before you install it, there's probably not much here to offer you. Even I know most of the material *about* each device and what type of rationale you should apply (buying new vs. refurbished, why hard drive capacity is important, RAM is king, etc.). My downfall would be actually having all those devices spread out on a table with an empty computer case in front of me. But I'm pretty confident that I'd be able to stand a pretty good chance of getting everything to actually work the first time if I followed the information here. There's even a center section with color pictures to show you what to expect. It's a nice touch...
If you're looking for an approachable book on getting past your first computer build, this one would be a good choice. Easy to follow, fun to read, and the intimidation factor is nonexistent.
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