Rating: 
Summary: No secrets, but one of the best I've read for intermediates
Review: Though the book is exclusive to the year or two after the release because of Tom's reccommendations; they will soon become outdated. This is the best PC guide I have, and I have quite a few. I'm no expert, but with this book, I am much, much better off than I was before. Written in a style that appeals to both the beginner and the intermediate,to somewhat advanced, Tom's book is thourough, clearly structured, and well-rounded. This book, however, is not for the weathered PC builder's veteran, none of the stuff will really be new to them. I highly recommend it for anyone who is wanting to research what PC hardware components are available and how they stand up to the rest, when considering the configuration for a "homemade PC". Remember that it is limited to time, because six to 12 months from now, i will be outdated. Great for OCers, too. To learn even more, check out Tom's site (I can't list the URL).
Rating: 
Summary: For Computer Fanatics that care about EVERY COMPONENT.
Review: Tom does a great job getting into the nitty gritty of every part of the computer. This book helped me make all the right choices in selecting components for my new computer. In the end, the book more than paid for itself. I saved hundreds of dollars purchasing a custom system (as opposed to an expensive OEM system from Compaq/Dell/etc) which was superior in every way.
Rating: 
Summary: There are many good books about hardware, this isn't one
Review: Tom runs a fine website, but this book is not up to those same standards. It's full of factual errors, and in dire need of some serious editing.
Rating:
Summary: Informative, interesting, and fairly up to date
Review: Tom's Hardware Guide is an excellent refrence, though I would be lieing if I said it is overly interesting. It is interesting to every computer nerd in the world, but the everyday reader might get a little bored with the tedious, wordy language of this book. But, for anyone with patience and a determination to understand hardware better, this book provides a great refrence and tons of useful info.
Rating:
Summary: A great book of detailed info that will be outdated in 6 mos
Review: Tom's Hardware Guide website is well known for its devotion to detailed information and reviews of the latest technology and even business trends in the PC industry. This book also goes into great detail over each of the subsystems of your computer, from the motherboard to the keyboard. It explains how each subsystem works and how the choices of each type of component will affect your system. It has up-to-date info on the very latest technologies, including the 3D video chipsets of 3Dfx and Nvidia, as well as explaining the benefits (or not) of AGP. However, its very up-to-date nature will not last. Anyone who has paid any attention to the PC industry knows how quickly current technology is outpaced by bigger and better stuff: my new PC with a Pentium II 400 MHz processor was superceded by the 450 MHz version within only a *month* of its purchase! Thus the information in this book, while accurate, fully detailed, and intelligently written, will be outdated or obsoleted within a year. Much of the information on the basic technologies, such as SCSI vs IDE, may remain stable for longer, but for the more volatile areas like 3D video and CPU chips will certainly not. The guide seems to recognize this fact, however, with section titles such as "Currently available network cards" and with a timetable for emerging CPU chips from Intel. As well, the bookcover is paper and the photographs are dark and hard to distinguish at times, as if the authors recognize the time-sensitive nature of its contents and knew they didn't need to print it on anything of long-lasting quality.In other words, this is an excellent book if you are trying to decide between currently available technologies for your current system, or if you want to understand how each of the subsystems in your computer work in detail. If you're looking for a lasting tome of info for your bookshelf, this ain't it-- though there probably won't be one from anyone anytime soon.
Rating:
Summary: Come on tom sort it out
Review: Tom, not the same old drivel again that i am force d to read grudgingly whilst flicking through your pages on the web. I know you think you know the lot tom but give your readers some credit. One to avoid unless your a geeky overclocker, spend your money on some more ram.
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