Rating: 
Summary: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
Review: If you are looking for a general computing hardware book this ain't for you believe me. However if you have a general to good knowledge of computers and want to learn more about the little bits behind the big bits, you can't go past the hardware bible.
It ain't no bed time reading thats for sure (even if you could lift it- It's huge!!!). Rosch explains in great detail about everything you ever wanted to know and everything you couldn't give a stuff about which is fair enough for what he is trying to achieve. However if you have no knowledge on a given subject explained in the book its a nightmare to read. Page after page is so stacked full of information that absorbing it all means reading everything twice, waking up, then reading it again. There are bright parts scattered throughout where Rosch lets his guard down and talks in plain English, however he is usually trying to joke about something that, after reading page after page of information which travels relitively fast above your head, makes you want to burn the book and cast its ashes out to sea wrapped in a block of concrete!
It comes with a C.D. which believe it or not "Contains 700 additional pages of coverage". Okay Mr Rosch so you have put some shareware on the C.D. and aditional diagrams and the like, good form, however its still mostly text. Remember where in the modern age of multimedia. Even a normal picture would be nice rather than the same old one cent diagrams.
Having said all that I must confess I'm talking from a "learning about computers in general" point of view and perhaps the book was not written for me....However I suppose in a couple of years the book will be a great reference tool when I understand a little more than I do now, only by then I'll be reading it so I can explaining to my children how computers used to work in the old days.
Rating: 
Summary: For those looking for the overall Hardware book this is it.
Review: In over 15 years of I work I am always looking for new material and books relating to the latest technology both hardware and software. This is the first time I have looked at the Hardware Bible and as a Computer Technical Instructor this book has already come in handy for a couple of A+ classes I am teaching. While the book is not written to any specific exam, I found that is would definitely help with the A+ and CST exams. The author's extensive hardware knowledge is evident throughout the book. One thing that impressed me throughout the book was the author not only gives detailed information about the most current technology, but also gives you a firm background on older technologies as well. While the book is the "Hardware" bible, there is far more than just hardware information, you'll also find TCP/IP and the internet, as well as memory management included in the overall coverage. I found this to be a fairly complete text to work with. You can also register online and find both the 5th and 6th editions available. About the only thing that wasn't included was a cd with hardware utilities, but looking at what you do get this is a minor drawback. Overall this book is a certainly worth the look.
Rating:
Summary: A reference guide!
Review: It's almost every thing you wanted to know and never found the answer, without lots of research, but here they are! A little lack of some drawing to help...
Rating: 
Summary: Nice, extensive and worth the money
Review: okay I know a bit about general computer stuff and for me this book completely fulfilled my needs. Almost everything is covered, just not the architecture of non-intel cpu's like HP's, MIPS, Sun and DEC alpha, which I find a shame. The cdrom that comes with the book is a waste of time to say the least, ugley layout mostly text that offer no significant extra info and no index -absolutely unuseful. One of the best things about this book is the authors critical view to a lot of the technologies described, which really is needed when you are discussing pc technology. If you want coverage of just abot everything concerning pc's and don't mind the volume of data then this is definitely the book. The author could have added sort of summaries to each standard description; sometimes he describes the subject a little to extensive, and the tables are a bit technician like,a fact I suppose would-be engineers and real technicians would love. Last I must confess I only read the Premier Edition and don't know if it differs from fourth edition.(other than it's a hardback)
Rating:
Summary: Hardware matters
Review: There are two types of drivers: those who look under the hood and those who haven't yet discovered the hood catch. The same goes for computer users. Some folk will use their computer for years in happy ignorance of its inner workings - and failings. Then there are those of us for whom ignorance and bliss never equate. If you belong to the latter group, you'll want Winn L. Rosch's Hardware Bible at your side. For a decade, the Hardware Bible has been the definitive hardware resource for anyone wanting to understand what happens under the hood of their PC and its outlying equipment. Surprisingly, this is not a handbook for techheads, although techheads will love it. Rosch's approachable style makes it perfect for adventurous beginners as well as intermediate and advanced computer users bent on extending their understanding of the PC's inner workings. Rosch covers just about everything you can think of: microprocessors, motherboards, memory, busses, the BIOS, support circuitry, the power supply, input devices, the display system, monitors, audio, ports, printers, hard drives, modems, networking, and on and on. This recently revised edition is right up to date with the latest hardware and includes a CD-ROM with diagnostic and troubleshooting software, plus a couple of megs of additional reference material thrown in for good measure. If you want to know your LIFO from your FIFO or why your hard disk growls when it should be purring, Winn L. Rosch's Hardware Bible is for you.
Rating:
Summary: *THE* Hardware bible!
Review: This book is definitely worth the money, great for
beginner or advanced computer users! It covers a comprehensive hardware selections with clear concepts and explanations. Although it doesn't cover hardware repair
but it's a must buy for anyone who wants learn comprehensively about personal computer hardware.
Rating:
Summary: one of a kind book
Review: this book is good for someone who likes browsing or for the old pro for reference the book is a must if you are really into the reading and wanting to learn more about the pc world
Rating:
Summary: Awesome full understanding
Review: This book is not a how-too, but a why and a what. I have a new extensive technical writing project to do with network printing and I need to know a slew of stuff quick. Not just to know it but to understand it. Networking, ports, printers, it's all here! I agree with one reviewer that if you are strictly interested in the cutting edge, this book does not distill that knowledge, but offers it along with histories and legacy information. My particular project involves - as do most professional projects - a mix of the old and the new: therefore for the real professional world, after just one day I am finding this book indespensible. There is just a hint of humor here to keep the narrative going, but the information is the thing. And, all for a reasonable price-this voluminous content, I give it a resounding thumbs up!! Jon Wexler
Rating:
Summary: A wealth of information for the intermediate/advanced user
Review: This edition has a ton of information on the PC, and the CD-ROM "bonus" is a nice touch, giving the reader the sum total of Rosch's research since Edition 1: Anything there is to know about the PC is available in one form or another. Rosch has some prejudices with regard to hardware, however, and indicates "better" or "worse" in instances where many of his colleagues might disagree. SCSI vs IDE is the best example I can give: while writing most of the text at the level of a user who will naturally gravitate to SCSI for upper-end performance, he continues to advocate IDE/ATAPI for its (typically) lower price.
Rating:
Summary: Incomplete, Mispelled, and opinionated.
Review: Unrivaled amounts of knowledge are combined with incomplete blurbs about the knowledge, and disappointing mistypes that pass even the best spell-check. For example, in the Display Adapters section, under the heading "MMX Technology" at top of page 744, the Advanced Graphics port is given three different names. AGI, ACP, and finally AGP. All this in less than a quarter of one page! In the same chapter, a UMA graphics port is "completely" covered- in three sentences! (a little more information, please?) There exist entirely too many bad "jokes" to list this book as a reputable reference book as well. It's too bad all this information had to be sabotaged!
| 
