| Introduction | p. ix |
| First-time Builders | p. 1 |
| Case and Power Supply | p. 2 |
| Motherboard | p. 4 |
| Central Processing Unit (CPU) | p. 6 |
| System Memory or RAM | p. 7 |
| Floppy Drives | p. 7 |
| Hard Drives | p. 8 |
| CD Drives | p. 10 |
| CD Recorders (CDRs) | p. 10 |
| DVD Drives and Recorders | p. 11 |
| Tape Drives | p. 11 |
| Modems | p. 12 |
| Network Adapter | p. 13 |
| USB, FireWire, and I/O (Input/Output) Ports | p. 14 |
| Sound Cards and Speakers | p. 15 |
| Keyboard and Mouse | p. 16 |
| The Video Monitor | p. 17 |
| Video Adapters | p. 19 |
| Operating Systems | p. 20 |
| Selecting and Purchasing Parts | p. 23 |
| Paying for Performance | p. 25 |
| Selecting a CPU | p. 26 |
| Intel Pentium 4 | p. 28 |
| AMD Athlon and Duron | p. 29 |
| Intel Pentium III and Celeron | p. 30 |
| AMD K6 Series CPUs | p. 30 |
| Multiprocessor and Workstation CPUs | p. 31 |
| Motherboards | p. 31 |
| Memory | p. 35 |
| Video Adapter | p. 38 |
| Case and Power Supply | p. 40 |
| Intelligent Drive Electronics (IDE) | p. 41 |
| Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) | p. 44 |
| Comparing Drive Performance | p. 46 |
| Modems | p. 48 |
| Sound Cards | p. 50 |
| Network Adapters | p. 51 |
| Video Monitors | p. 51 |
| Printers and Scanners | p. 52 |
| Before You Assemble Your PC | p. 53 |
| Handling Parts and General Assembly Guidelines | p. 54 |
| Problems to Watch Out For | p. 58 |
| Faulty Connections | p. 59 |
| Building a Pentium 4 in a Tower Case | p. 65 |
| Preparing the Case | p. 65 |
| Installing CPU and Heatsink | p. 70 |
| Installing Memory | p. 74 |
| Installing the Motherboard | p. 77 |
| Installing Adapters | p. 81 |
| Installing the Drives | p. 83 |
| Connecting the Drives | p. 88 |
| An IDE RAID | p. 92 |
| A SCSI Subsystem | p. 96 |
| Finishing Up | p. 102 |
| Building an Athlon (Thunderbird) or Duron in a Midtower Case | p. 105 |
| Preparing the Case | p. 105 |
| Installing the CPU and Heatsink | p. 108 |
| Installing the Memory | p. 115 |
| Installing the Drives | p. 118 |
| Installing the Motherboard | p. 122 |
| Connecting Power to the Drives | p. 125 |
| Making Ribbon Cable Connections | p. 127 |
| Installing Adapters on the Motherboard | p. 130 |
| Closing the Case | p. 134 |
| Connecting the Peripherals | p. 136 |
| Exploring CMOS Setup | p. 138 |
| Building a Pentium III or Celeron in a Minitower Case | p. 145 |
| Preparing the Case | p. 145 |
| Mounting Memory on the Motherboard | p. 147 |
| Pentium III Option | p. 150 |
| Celeron Option | p. 154 |
| Mounting the Motherboard | p. 159 |
| Making Connections and Reinstalling the Power Supply | p. 164 |
| Installing the Adapter Risers | p. 166 |
| Installing Drives | p. 169 |
| Finishing Up and Closing the Case | p. 177 |
| CMOS Setup | p. 178 |
| Installing an Operating System | p. 183 |
| Troubleshooting Checklists | p. 193 |
| Stone Dead | p. 194 |
| Power Comes On; Screen Is Dead | p. 195 |
| Screen Comes On; No Boot | p. 196 |
| Boots; Locks Up During or After OS Install | p. 198 |
| Boots and Runs | p. 198 |
| Floppy Drive | p. 199 |
| Hard Drive | p. 199 |
| CD or DVD Drive | p. 199 |
| Modem | p. 200 |
| Sound Card | p. 201 |
| Network | p. 201 |
| Video | p. 202 |
| Printers, Scanners, and Other External Peripherals | p. 202 |
| Index | p. 203 |
| Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved. |