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For the last few weeks I have been posting the tools in my arsenal and there is another one I would like to mention. Its a book called Upgrading and Repairing PCs
I currently own an older edition and still refer to it regularly. The editions are updated every couple of years and the most recent edition has added the following:
- Deep coverage of the new Core 2 (8th gen or “886″) processors, featuring the new “Core Microarchitecture”
- Cutting edge coverage of quad-core desktop (Kentsfield) processor versions
- Detailed coverage of AMD’s Socket AM2 processors
- Coverage of evolutionary changes in chipsets, including new versions of Intel’s 9xx series chipsets and new 3x series Intel chipsets; coverage of new chipsets from Nvidia, VIA, and SiS has also been added
- Coverage of the new DTX and Mini-DTX motherboard form factors from the newly formed alliance between AMD and ATI
- Beefed-up coverage of Blu-ray and HD-DVD drives/players
- Extensive coverage of new GPUs in addition to heavy-duty coverage of SLI and Crossfire
- Building a PC from scratch–from assembling the hardware to BIOS setup and installing Microsoft Windows XP or Vista
If you are a computer technician you need this book. You can get it over at Amazon for $37.79.
Looks great! Thanks!
i have been using the 17th edition for an age now,i did not know the new version was available i shall be buying it as soon as possible.
There is so much advertisement on this site.. If you wanna go through and google ad it fine but once your done deleting this comment knock it off!
Yes, it’s a great book, but I quit buying books a long time ago. Typically, I can find more precise, up-to-date solutions for issues on Google than in a book such as Mueller’s.
After all, typically these books are(near) $50 a pop. That adds up after awhile, if you buy a lot of ‘em (and indeed I used to).
@ben:
There’s really no pointless advertising on this website. Considering the “advertisement” you are complaining about is mostly to assist technicians, it’s well-placed…
I do agree with aladelf, though. Beyond some programming books, I typically don’t buy books regarding the information age, just due to the sheer variability…and even then, those books can become out-dated fast if it’s something like .NET.
I had Scott’s book back when I was working on 486’s. Truly an amazing reference. I just bought this new reference yesterday.
@Ben. I find it amazing that you decide to complain about something and then expect to be erased. Comments are mostly open policy, but there are ways to be diplomatic and even nicer about it. If you don’t like the ads on the site, which provide the site owner cash incentives by the way, you can go somewhere else.
Bought this book about 1 month ago, very pleased with it. I also bought the authors latest windows book – just as good.
That’s really cool, but I love Google.
Looks like a good read. I’m a programmer and not a technician but do like to do the technical parts of my pc myself. I have learned a lot on this site and can proudly say that I managed to increase my pc’s performance by almost 50% without increasing the ram, but by just using some of the software you’ve featured on this site.
Google has much wider knowledge then one book! You will definitely be needing google every now and then.
“[The] book almost removes a reason to Google”… That’s a pretty serious claim. I’ll have to check out the book to see if it truly CAN remove my reliance on Google. Thanks guys.
The title of the article sure sets people upside-down, as Google is often the upgraded choice to a static textbook. The comprehensiveness of this book would have to be present for it to serve as the source of information for the majority of issues related to its topic.
Most of the times I go to google to research a BSOD or some sort of strange issue that perhaps only affects certain drivers/hardware configs…I’m guessing this book wouldn’t really help in such situations right?
Seen the book at the library, it is a fine book, lots of meat but, I wish these books would include handling Unix and Linux. A few chapters about what you’d encounter in supporting a Linux OS on PC hardware would only make it a tad bit thicker.
Then how long do we wait for the next edition after the technology upgrades? And what about fresh approaches, varied opinions and experiences? Google will not go away, quietly.
Agree with Arnold J., and Google is just too convenient, always updated, and free.
Also IMHO the manual that comes with whatever you’ve got pretty much covers the hardware end of it if you don’t know it already. PC hardware isn’t rocket science. I have seen an early revision of the book maybe 10 years ago I believe, and back then things were quite a bit more involved than they are now, like back when motherboards and modems had jumpers and you worried about things like the IRQ and base I/O address of components. Not so much an issue today.
Working at a computer shop in the mid-late 90’s I recall seeing a motherboard that came with a manual complete with pictures of physical installation; it may have had a ‘plug n’ play’ bios too… but I remember telling the boss man something like “hey, look at this, people really won’t need us for too much longer.”
I’ve bought so many copies of this book, seems like every time I buy a copy of it another one comes out :\
I agree, Google is convenient but all that advertising you have to go thru may not we worth it. So…I bought it but still have not received it.