Upgrading and Repairing PCs

I purchased the 21st Edition of Upgrading and Repairing PCs, based upon reviews of previous editions of the book. I have built a few desktop PCs (reading other books and materials online to do so) and have replaced internal parts including memory, hard drives, video and sound cards, over the past 12 years. I consider myself an advanced intermediate in terms of upgrading and repairing PCs, with a desire to learn more. Getting a book with the latest information on this subject was important to me. This 21st edition, is the first I've seen from this author, is impressive and fit my needs perfectly! Who should buy this book? I think this book would be useful to anyone from a beginner to a strong intermediate PC user who is interested in building and repairing PCs. Those preparing to take specific IT related tests like the A+ Certification Exam, would also find it helpful and undoubtedly it is or will be used as a textbook for either high school or college students. What is included? You get this comprehensive hardbound book along with 45 days of FREE online access to the online edition of this book (code at back of the book) and a 2 hour DVD in which the author shows the components of a PC build and how they go together. His hands on approach is easy to understand and pleasant to watch. What will I learn with this book? Twenty chapters cover everything from the Development of the PC to PC Diagnostics, Testing and Maintenance. Networking, hardware types and functions, and building and upgrading systems are also covered. Basically anything hardware related - not software - for PCs is comprehensively covered by this 1000+ page book. Is it overly technical? Some parts of the book, by the nature of the subject, are technical. The author, Scott Mueller, does his best (and succeeds) at writing clear, concise technical information without making it overly boring - which is tough! Unlike some other books I've seen on this subject, I could pick it up and read a bit - absorbing the info - and not have to go back over it to try and understand what I'd just read. Something those who are new to PC upgrading and repair will appreciate. The book also has clear diagrams regarding each subject, cautions and tips which are all very helpful. Why this book over all the others? There are very few books on the subject of upgrading and repairing PCs that are not either too simplified like Upgrading and Fixing Computers Do-it-Yourself For Dummies or too technical and frankly only good for those who are intermediate to advanced PC users who are unafraid of a challenge. This book is useful to a spectrum of users from beginner to advanced, and sets the bar for what other writers should aspire to create with their technical writing. The book can be read from start to finish, or used as a handy reference. The DVD is a nice supplement to the book, but not a regurgitation of all that is in the book. You won't be wasting your money on this one - I highly recommend it!

At first I was put off by the density of technical detail in Mueller's book, but as I began to read individual chapters, I grew to appreciate that this is an extremely useful, well written and interesting text on PC hardware. I bought this book as a companion to "Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC" by Andrews which was a textbook required for my A+ certification class. Both are 1000+ page books: Andrews' is an expensive carefully constructed textbook with glossy pages, lots of illustrations, exercises, projects. It covers both hardware and software. Mueller's book, is devoted strictly to hardware, and here's my comments: 1. Historical Information: Mueller gives complete history of each of the components of a PC, such as the evolution of the processor or disk drives. 2. Technical Reference: This book has dozens and dozens of comprehensive tables that deliniates the details of each successive release/update/upgrade/replacement for each component and sub-components of the PC, such as BIOS or diskdrive technology or whatever. Detailed and useful information is provided. 3. Hardware: As mentioned above, this book is only for hardware, look elsewhere if you want to learn about operating systems, programs, etc... 4. Troubleshooting: Not a whole lot about troubleshooting...though there are some useful items. Andrew's book has a couple of chapters of troubleshooting. It's hard to teach trouble-shooting. Mueller's approach, I would state, is that if you have a really good understanding of how the PC works, you're in a much better shape to understand how to fix it. 5. Quality writing: this is one of the best written reference works I've ever encountered. So once I got over my reluctance to dig in, and actually started reading, I was very pleased at how well the information is presented. At first I just jumped into a few topics that were of interest. But once I got going, I realized that I would enjoy reading the whole story from the beginning, which I'm now doing. This is not an afternoon's project, but as technical reading goes, this is one of the best.

I shopped around and found this particular title and actually messaged and received a reply from the author about his book. He seemed really knowledgeable and really passionate about getting more in depth knowledge about computers to a range of people. I was a little bit intimidated by the terminology but he explained that the book starts out by explaining in full detail in the ins and outs of computers and quickly getting from a complete beginner to more advanced users. My brother has always been into computers and even still he said there was much to learn. I've seen online that he has published an updated version every year so it made me a little more confident about the purchase. Shipping was really fast and worry-free.

This is an amazing book, and I learned a huge deal about computers through this book. This is coming from an engineer who has been around a lot of computers and is familiar with them. However, I didn't have some of the more in-depth knowledge of some of the hardware components that would allow me to make informed decisions on why one type of component would be better than another type. For example, I've always had a general idea of what the processor cache did, but I didn't really understand exactly how it interacts with the CPU core or RAM. Thus, it didn't really understand how much faster a processor would be with more L3 cache, or if it is even worth the price. All in all, a great handbook.

Excelente

I bought this book in hopes that it would help me choose the best PC parts for me and also make sure that everything is compatible. I got much more than that. Not only did it help me choose what to buy but also understand how a PC works part-by-part! Now, I'm typing this review from my brand new high performance PC rig that would not have come to be had I not bought "Upgrading and Repairing PCs 21st Edition"! I would recommend this book to anyone looking to build a computer that doesn't quite know where to start, needs help building it and/or needs guidance with choosing parts!

This is a great book to have if building or troubleshooting a PC. It's very up to date with the latest technologies. I've bought the previous two versions when they came out and this latest version doesn't disappoint. The book also comes with a DVD with interesting how-to information as have previous versions. The contents on the DVD's for each book are different. Great reference book and usable information. The DVD alone is almost worth the cost of the book.

I purchased this book a little over nine months ago. I am a computer enthusiast and technician. Computers have been my lifelong hobby. Mueller packs this book with all the information about every computer part you would need. He organizes this information in an easy to understand format and layout. Get this book whether you know nothing or know a lot. Mueller will teach you something new (or maybe all that you are missing). Mueller adds a personal touch to the book. It seems like he is talking to you. He uses the proper amount of formal and personal voice in his writing. Overall, I am very pleased with this book. I purchased it at $36 here on Amazon. At the time of writing this review it is $40. I would say it is still more than worth it. I read the 10th edition before buying this book. This book offers more contemporary technology in the context of the basics it teaches. You will enjoy it.