Prebuilt computer systems are often a compromise between what manufacturers want to sell and what consumers want to buy. For those who are looking for something more than the standard PC, one solution is to build it from the ground up — a solution that, with the help of this book, is surprisingly simple. Written in concise, jargon-free English, Building a PC in Easy Steps walks the reader through every stage of building and setting up a computer: buying parts and avoiding sales scams; mastering and installing the CPU, memory, video, and other components; altering default settings in the BIOS for optimum performance; and installing and configuring device drivers. Graphics clearly illustrate every step in the process, and an invaluable troubleshooting chapter helps pinpoint any problems that may crop up. In the end, the reader has a computer system tailored to their exact requirements, built from components specifically chosen for reliability, price, and performance.