Synopses & Reviews
"...perhaps the most comprehensive book on the subject we've ever seen. It's incredibly well researched, well written, and jam packed with useful information."
--Josh Norem, Reviews Editor, Maximum PC
Upgrading and Repairing PCs is the definitive guide to the inner workings of your PC. Whether you're adding a faster processor or bigger hard drive, tracking down a problem, or just want to understand how the components of your computer work together, this book explains everything you need to know. Trust the one book that has become the de facto standard among PC professionals and enthusiasts around the world.
World-renowned PC hardware expert Scott Mueller has taught thousands in his week-long seminars and millions through his books, videos, and magazine articles. Major changes in the PC hardware industry--including coverage of new Core 2 processors from Intel, Socket AM2 processors from AMD, and significant advances in motherboard chipsets, Blu-ray, and HD-DVD--make Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 18th Edition, an indispensable addition to every serious computer user's bookshelf...that is, if it ever leaves their desks. Readers from around the world trust their computers to Scott. Upgrading and Repairing PCs is found on the desks of teachers, students, hobbyists, repair technicians, and even law enforcement agencies that use this book to aid them in tracking criminals.
New in This Book
- 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
On the DVD
DVD contains 2 hours of all new, studio-quality video--playable in your set-top DVD player and your computer! Scott digs deep into networking, showing all the components needed to build a SOHO (Small Office Home Office) network. Coverage includes network adapters, routers, switches, access points, cable/DSL modems, and cabling. Upgrading an existing network to gigabit speeds is also covered, as well as the latest wireless network technology. The DVD also contains a previously published edition of the book as well as technical reference material, a glossary, and an acronym index. Whether you’re building a hot new PC for home or work, or nursing an aging and ailing PC back to health, these materials prove to be worth their weight in gold to the serious PC technician or hobbyist.
www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com
If you don’t have a DVD player or only have a set-top DVD, visit www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com to download all the video from the DVD in Windows Media Player format as well as the PDFs and other materials on the DVD! Plus, check out monthly articles, FAQs, and video from earlier editions you might have missed!
Introduction 1
1 Development of the PC 7
2 PC Components, Features and System Design 25
3 Microprocessor Types and Specifications 39
4 Motherboards and Buses 235
5 BIOS 441
6 Memory 509
7 The ATA/IDE Interface 581
8 Magnetic Storage Principles 637
9 Hard Disk Storage 663
10 Removable Storage 707
11 Optical Storage 747
12 Physical Drive Installation and Configuration 851
13 Video Hardware 885
14 Audio Hardware 987
15 I/O Interfaces from Serial and Parallel to IEEE-1394 and USB 1025
16 Input Devices 1059
17 Internet Connectivity 1103
18 Local Area Networking 1151
19 Power Supplies 1207
20 Building or Upgrading Systems 1295
21 PC Mods: Overclocking and Cooling 1335
22 PC Diagnostics, Testing and Maintenance 1367
ON THE DVD:
A Glossary
B List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
Synopsis
This is the eBook version of the printed book. Upgrading and Repairing PCs is the definitive guide to the inner workings of your PC. Whether you're adding a faster processor or bigger hard drive, tracking down a problem, or just want to understand how the components of your computer work together, this book explains everything you need to know. Trust the one book that has become the de facto standard among PC professionals and enthusiasts around the world. World-renowned PC hardware expert Scott Mueller has taught thousands in his week-long seminars and millions through his books, videos, and magazine articles. Major changes in the PC hardware industry--including coverage of new Core 2 processors from Intel, Socket AM2 processors from AMD, and significant advances in motherboard chipsets, Blu-ray, and HD-DVD--make Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 18th Edition, an indispensable addition to every serious computer user's bookshelf.that is, if it ever leaves their desks. Readers from around the world trust their computers to Scott. Upgrading and Repairing PCs is found on the desks of teachers, students, hobbyists, repair technicians, and even law enforcement agencies that use this book to aid them in tracking criminals. New in This Book . 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 thenew 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 www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com If you don't have a DVD player or only have a set-top DVD, visit www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com to download all the video from the DVD in Windows Media Player format as well as the PDFs and other materials on the DVD Plus, check out monthly articles, FAQs, and video from earlier editions you might have missed
Synopsis
“…a comprehensive resource for PC enthusiasts and professionals alike. Packed with the latest speeds and feeds, you’ll want to keep this book on-hand as an authoritative technology reference.”
–Chris Angelini, Managing Editor, Tom’s Hardware
For 20 years, Upgrading and Repairing PCs has been the industry’s #1 guide to PC hardware: the single source for reliable, step-by-step information on identifying and fixing problems, adding hardware, optimizing performance, and building new PCs from scratch. Now, this 19th Edition has been completely updated to focus on today’s technologies and today’s maintenance challenges!
From processors and motherboards, memory to storage, video to power, and networking to Internet connectivity, it’s all here: technical details, practical insights, and step-by-step solutions to difficult problems. Updates include new CPUs like the Intel Core i Series and AMD’s Phenom family...solid state drives (SSDs) and hard disk drives...motherboard form factors, chipsets, power supplies, DDR3 memory, Windows 7 readiness, and a whole lot more!
Your guide, Scott Mueller, has taught thousands in his legendary personal seminars and millions more through his books and videos. Nobody knows more about choosing, installing, troubleshooting, repairing, and maintaining PC hardware. Whether you’re a professional technician, a small business owner who doesn’t want to pay for service calls, or a home PC enthusiast, this is the one book you need!
NEW IN THIS EDITION
- Intel’s and AMD’s hottest new processors, including the Intel Core i Series and AMD Phenom family
- The latest PC system designs and form factors, including the new mini-ITX and DTX motherboard form factors
- State-of-the-art graphics cards, GPUs, and chipsets from NVIDIA and ATI/AMD
- Terabyte-class hard disks, solid state drives, and other data storage innovations
- Revamped coverage of building PCs from scratch–from selecting and assembling hardware to BIOS Setup and troubleshooting
ON THE DVD
The DVD contains two hours of up-to-the minute, studio-quality how-to videos–all playable on either your DVD player or computer! You’ll find detailed presentations covering important PC components like processors, motherboards, chipsets, memory, hard disk drives, chassis, and power supplies, including tips that will help you select the best components when building or purchasing new systems as well as when upgrading or repairing existing ones. There is a complete step-by-step guide to building a new PC from scratch, including tips that will not only make the build process run smoothly, but will also help you build a system that has performance, durability, and will be easy to maintain, upgrade, and repair in the future. That’s not all: You’ll also find the complete 16th Edition of this book, plus extensive technical reference material, a comprehensive PC glossary, and much more!
About the Author
Scott Mueller is president of Mueller Technical Research (MTR), an international research and corporate training firm. Since 1982, MTR has produced the industry’s most in-depth, accurate, and effective seminars, books, articles, videos, and FAQs covering PC hardware and data recovery. MTR maintains a client list that includes Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. and foreign governments, major software and hardware corporations, as well as PC enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. Scott’s seminars have been presented to several thousands of PC support professionals throughout the world.
Scott personally teaches seminars nationwide covering all aspects of PC hardware (including troubleshooting, maintenance, repair, and upgrade), A+ Certification, and data recovery/forensics. He has a knack for making technical topics not only understandable, but entertaining as well; his classes are never boring! If you have 10 or more people to train, Scott can design and present a custom seminar for your organization.
Although he has taught classes virtually nonstop since 1982, Scott is best known as the author of the longest-running, most popular, and most comprehensive PC hardware book in the world, Upgrading and Repairing PCs, which has become the core of an entire series of books, including Upgrading and Repairing PCs, Upgrading and Repairing Laptops, and Upgrading and Repairing Windows.
Scott’s premiere work, Upgrading and Repairing PCs, has sold well over two million copies, making it by far the most popular and longest-running PC hardware book on the market today. Scott has been featured in Forbes magazine and has written several articles for PC World magazine, Maximum PC magazine, the Scott Mueller Forum, various computer and automotive newsletters, and the Upgrading and Repairing PCs website.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
1 Development of the PC 7
2 PC Components, Features and System Design 25
3 Microprocessor Types and Specifications 39
4 Motherboards and Buses 235
5 BIOS 441
6 Memory 509
7 The ATA/IDE Interface 581
8 Magnetic Storage Principles 637
9 Hard Disk Storage 663
10 Removable Storage 707
11 Optical Storage 747
12 Physical Drive Installation and Configuration 851
13 Video Hardware 885
14 Audio Hardware 987
15 I/O Interfaces from Serial and Parallel to IEEE-1394 and USB 1025
16 Input Devices 1059
17 Internet Connectivity 1103
18 Local Area Networking 1151
19 Power Supplies 1207
20 Building or Upgrading Systems 1295
21 PC Mods: Overclocking and Cooling 1335
22 PC Diagnostics, Testing and Maintenance 1367
ON THE DVD:
A Glossary
B List of Acronyms and Abbreviations