It is an exelent book for a beginer. Also a more experienced buyer can get updated information.

I reviewed this book in a local chain bookstore. I had never seen it here on amazon before that. The book has several very good points. It's very well organized. It has several helpful photos, howbeit black and white. It describes how to build a basic comptuer, a gaming computer, and also a home entertainment system. It tells you what hardware is needed for each system-and what is not. It lists the basic tools needed to build or work on the hardware. It also gives you the paramaters of what is safe and prudent to do-and not-for example, it tells you there is no reason to open the power supply, and why. I did not have the money to purchase the book that day, but Im purchasing very soon. I would not try to build a system with just this book- It isn't comprehensive. but it sure helps you narrow down the info you need to get started, and with a little common sense, you will see what other books you will need to fill in knowledge not covered here.

This book told me all that I needed to build a PC that met my needs. It made me understand me the information hidden in those geek product descriptions. I now won't be wasting money on over-specifying equipment and I won't be disappointed by equipment that doesn't perform to my requirements. Find out how walking on carpet in socks can ruin your CPU! The book is big but easy to read because the author's style is conversational and sometimes funny.

This book was very good, though not the best PC Building book I've read. I chose this one because it was published recently (2008) and I wanted something that was up-to-date on current technology. The book did not disappoint in that area. Overall, the book did a nice job walking you through each component of a PC and giving you advice on how to select the right components. This book will definitely be of use to both beginner and experienced PC builders. With no prior knowledge, you will be able to build a great computer by following the advice in this book. My only complaint is that I occasionally still had questions about certain components after reading the section on those component. However, I do not feel like this significantly detracted from the usefulness of the book.