Table Of ContentBuilding the Perfect PC
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Building the Perfect PC
Third Edition
Robert Bruce Thompson
Barbara Fritchman Thompson
Beijing • Cambridge • Farnham • Köln • Sebastopol • Tokyo
Building the Perfect PC, Third Edition
by Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson
Copyright © 2011 Robert Bruce Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson. All rights reserved.
Printed in Canada.
Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472.
O’Reilly Media books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. Online editions are also
available for most titles (http://my.safaribooksonline.com). For more information, contact our corporate/institutional sales
department: 800-998-9938 or [email protected].
Editor: Brian Jepson
Production Editor: Rachel Monaghan
Copyeditor: Rachel Head
Proofreader: Rachel Monaghan
Indexer: Angela Howard
Cover Designer: Mark Paglietti
Interior Designer: Ron Bilodeau
Illustrator: Robert Romano
Print History:
August 2004: First Edition.
December 2006: Second Edition.
November 2010: Third Edition.
The O’Reilly logo is a registered trademark of O’Reilly Media, Inc. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and
sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and O’Reilly
Media, Inc., was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps.
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and authors assume no responsibility
for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
ISBN: 978-1-449-38824-9
[TI]
To Mark Brokering, who came up with the idea and kept the ball rolling.
Contents
Foreword to the Third Edition
......................... ix
Preface
..... .... ... ... .. .. . .. .. . . .. .. . ....... .. ....... .. ..... xiii
1. Fundamentals ... ... ....... . .... ... ...... ... ... 1
Why Build a PC? .............................................................. 2
Designing the Perfect PC .................................................... 6
Things to Know and Do Before You Start ...................................18
Things You Need to Have ...................................................21
Troubleshooting ............................................................24
2. Choosing and Buying Components .. ..... 33
Choosing Components .....................................................37
Buying Components ........................................................80
Final Words ..................................................................86
3. Building a Budget PC .. ... ....... ..... ... ... 89
Determining Functional Requirements .....................................90
Hardware Design Criteria ...................................................91
Component Considerations ................................................92
Building the Budget System ................................................99
Final Words ................................................................ 117
4. Building a Mainstream System ....... .... 119
Determining Functional Requirements ................................... 120
Hardware Design Criteria ................................................. 120
Component Considerations .............................................. 122
Building the Mainstream System ......................................... 130
Final Words ................................................................ 157
vii
5. Building an Extreme System .... ......... 159
Determining Functional Requirements ................................... 160
Hardware Design Criteria ................................................. 160
Component Considerations .............................................. 162
Building the Extreme System ............................................. 176
Final Words ................................................................ 204
6. Building a Media Center System ........ 205
Determining Functional Requirements ................................... 207
Hardware Design Criteria ................................................. 209
Component Considerations .............................................. 210
Building the Media Center System ........................................ 220
Installing Software ........................................................ 245
Final Words ................................................................ 260
7. Building an Appliance/Nettop System 263
Determining Functional Requirements ................................... 263
Hardware Design Criteria ................................................. 265
Component Considerations .............................................. 266
Building the Appliance System ........................................... 273
Final Words ................................................................ 290
8. Building a Home Server ..... .......... .. .. 291
Determining Functional Requirements ................................... 292
Hardware Design Criteria ................................................. 295
Component Considerations .............................................. 299
Building the Home Server ................................................ 308
Final Words ................................................................ 326
Index
..................... .......... ...... .. .. ... .. .. .... 329
viii Contents
Description:Build a PC that will outperform any brand-name box on the market Yes, even if you’re not a total geek you can build your own PC -- and we guarantee it’s worth the effort. You’ll discover that the quality is better and the cost is much lower than any comparable off-the-shelf PC you can buy. Des
