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Foreword | |
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Preface | |
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Fundamentals | |
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PCs Defined | |
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PC Components and Technologies | |
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System Resources | |
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Building or Buying a PC | |
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Upgrading a PC | |
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Smart Buying Practices | |
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Things to Do with Old PCs | |
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Working on PCs | |
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Rules to Upgrade By | |
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Tools | |
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General Procedures | |
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Motherboards | |
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Motherboard Characteristics | |
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Choosing a Motherboard | |
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Installing a Motherboard | |
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Upgrading the System BIOS | |
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Our Picks | |
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Processors | |
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Processor Design | |
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Intel Processors | |
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AMD Processors | |
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Choosing a Processor | |
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Forthcoming AMD and Intel Processors | |
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Installing a Processor | |
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Our Picks | |
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Memory | |
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Understanding Memory | |
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Memory Access Methods | |
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CAS Latency | |
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Memory Packaging | |
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How Much Memory Is Enough? | |
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Memory Selection Guidelines | |
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Installing Memory | |
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Troubleshooting Memory Installation and Operation | |
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Our Picks | |
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Floppy Disk Drives | |
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Diskette Types and Formats | |
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Drive Types | |
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FDD Interface and Cabling | |
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Installing an FDD | |
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Working with FDDs | |
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Working with Obsolete Diskette Formats | |
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Salvaging Diskette Data | |
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Our Picks | |
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High-Capacity Floppy Disk Drives | |
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High-Capacity FDD Types | |
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Choosing a High-Capacity FDD | |
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Using an ATAPI Zip or SuperDisk Drive as the Boot Device | |
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Drive Letter Assignment Problems | |
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Our Picks | |
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Removable Hard Disk Drives | |
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Uses for Removable and External Hard Disk Drives | |
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Cartridge-Based Removable Hard Disk Drives | |
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Frame/Carrier-Based Removable Hard Disk Drives | |
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Our Picks | |
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Tape Drives | |
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Tape Technologies | |
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Choosing a Tape Drive | |
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Installing and Configuring a Tape Drive | |
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Care and Feeding of a Tape Drive | |
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Troubleshooting Tape Drive Problems | |
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The Dirty Little Secret of Long Filenames | |
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Developing a Backup Strategy | |
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Our Picks | |
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CD-ROM Drives | |
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Compact Disc Fundamentals | |
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CD-ROM Drive Performance | |
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Choosing a CD-ROM Drive | |
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Installing and Configuring a CD-ROM Drive | |
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Cleaning a CD-ROM Drive | |
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Our Picks | |
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CD Writers | |
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CD Writers and Media | |
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Writable CD Formats | |
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CD Recording Methods | |
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Buffer Underrun Protection | |
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Choosing a CD Writer | |
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CD Writer Software | |
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Installing and Configuring a CD Writer | |
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Updating CD Writer Firmware | |
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Media Issues | |
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Burning CDs | |
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Special Problems and Applications | |
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Writable CD Troubleshooting | |
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Additional CD-R(W) Source Material | |
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Our Picks | |
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DVD Drives | |
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DVD-ROM | |
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DVD Writable and Rewritable | |
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Installing and Configuring a DVD Drive | |
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Troubleshooting DVD Problems | |
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Our Picks | |
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Hard Disk Interfaces | |
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IDE | |
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Serial ATA | |
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SCSI | |
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ATA Versus SCSI | |
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Our Picks | |
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Hard Disk Drives | |
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How Hard Disks Work | |
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Choosing a Hard Disk | |
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Installing a PATA (Standard ATA) Hard Disk | |
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Installing an SATA Hard Disk | |
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Installing a SCSI Hard Disk | |
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Preparing a Hard Disk for Use | |
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Our Picks | |
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Video Adapters | |
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Video Adapter Characteristics | |
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Choosing a Video Adapter | |
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Installing a Video Adapter | |
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Configuring Video Under Windows 98/Me/2000/XP | |
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Configuring Video under Linux | |
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Troubleshooting Video Adapter Problems | |
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Our Picks | |
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Displays | |
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CRT Monitors | |
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Flat-Panel Displays | |
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Installing and Configuring a Display | |
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Troubleshooting Display Problems | |
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Our Picks | |
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Sound Adapters | |
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PC Audio Types | |
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MIDI Synthesis Methods | |
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Downloadable Sounds | |
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Sound Card Components | |
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Sound Card Characteristics | |
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Choosing a Sound Card | |
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Installing a Sound Card | |
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Configuring a Sound Card Under Windows 98/98/2000/XP | |
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Configuring a Sound Card Under Linux | |
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Troubleshooting Sound Card Problems | |
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Our Picks | |
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Speakers and Headphones | |
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Speaker and Headphone Characteristics | |
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Choosing Speakers and Headphones | |
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Our Picks | |
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Keyboards | |
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Keyboard Switch Types | |
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Keyboard Styles | |
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Keyboard Interfaces | |
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Choosing a Keyboard | |
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Configuring a Keyboard | |
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Cleaning a Keyboard | |
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Troubleshooting and Repairing Keyboards | |
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Our Picks | |
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Mice and Trackballs | |
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Mice Versus Trackballs | |
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Mouse Characteristics | |
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Choosing a Mouse | |
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Configuring a Mouse or Trackball | |
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Cleaning a Mouse | |
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Troubleshooting a Mouse | |
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Our Picks | |
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Game Controllers | |
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Game Controller Characteristics | |
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Gameport Interface | |
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Choosing a Game Controller | |
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Installing a Game Controller | |
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Troubleshooting Game Controllers | |
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Our Picks | |
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Serial Communications | |
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Serial Communications Overview | |
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Serial Ports | |
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Serial Cables | |
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Installing and Configuring Serial Port Hardware | |
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Troubleshooting Serial Port Problems | |
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Our Picks | |
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Parallel Communications | |
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Mapping Parallel Ports to LPTs | |
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Our Picks | |
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USB Communications | |
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USB Characteristics | |
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USB Host Controller Interfaces | |
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Configuring USB | |
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Troubleshooting USB | |
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Our Picks | |
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Cases | |
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Case Characteristics | |
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Choosing a Case | |
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Our Picks | |
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Power Supplies | |
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Power Supply Characteristics | |
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Volts, Amps, Watts, and Regulation | |
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Power Connectors | |
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Choosing a Power Supply | |
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Installing a Power Supply | |
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Troubleshooting Power Supplies | |
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Our Picks | |
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Backup Power Supplies | |
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What BPSs Protect Against | |
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BPS Types | |
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BPS Characteristics | |
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Choosing a BPS | |
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Our Picks | |
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Building a PC | |
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Purchasing Components | |
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Building the System | |
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Index | |