Rating: 
Summary: In the spirit of fairness ...
Review: .. I felt I should counter the gloomy write-ups I've found here. One frequent complaint is that there's too much old info. Hmm ... how does this aspect ("current-ness") compare with other books on the same subject? i.e. how quickly can the writers/publishers of computer books include current facts and get their books to market before those facts are outdated? In '98, I'd bought the text by Michael Meyers (and bought the Minasi one a year or two later). I remember Michael Meyers saying that it was necessary (or at least useful) to know how PCs came to be the way they are today .. what bits & pieces in them they once had, and how those have been improved to make for a more & more capable PC. Other texts on PC Hardware also see fit to start out with such a development time-line. If complaints about the oldness of the info go beyond the need for a historical base, then I offer no defense. No doubt, the smart buyer will browse & compare with other books. But be sure to note Mark Minasi's easy writing style. It makes for relaxed (if not enjoyable) reading, without short-changing on some really usable stuff you might learn. And one good answer to the outdated info we tend to find in even the latest computer texts is to subscribe to a good magazine.
Rating: 
Summary: Know your past in order to understand your future...
Review: Although I hadn't read all of the review on this particular book, I've read enough to post my opinion. I see that there is a lot of complaints on this book because it provides a lot of information on older PCs. From my experience at tech support, I can say that knowing your way around legacy systems is still a very important. If you can understand memory management from back in the 8086 CPU days, then you have enough knowlege to apply to todays computers. Maybe you will never run into an ISA bus in your life, but at least you'll know the origins of todays expansion buses. The PC is a total integrated system comprised of seperate entities which act as one. Knowing how they all co-operate is integral in understanding the complexities of hardware support. An excellant analogy to this reasoning is this. If you are not mechanically inclined, would you want to go out there and start doing engine work on todays high-tech autos? How about if you first learned how to work on a simple two-stroke, or an old four-cylindar engine. Afterwards, you would then have the confidense to apply your knowledge on the newer technologies, meanwhile you'd be adapting to the new stuff. Similarly, understanding older computer technologies and seeing how it in many ways is still applicable to todays systems is prudent. If you don't like this book, then get Upgrading and Repairing PCs (14th Edition) by Scott Mueller. I understand that Mark Minasi does make his book easy reading, but Mueller's book is definately for the tech who wants a dependable bench-top reference.
Rating:
Summary: It is witty, easy reading, and very informative.
Review: I find most books boring and tedious, so I don't read much, but this book was actually fascinating to me. I read it for hours at a time and the amazing thing is it's a technical book. If you didn't know better you'd think you weren't reading anything technical at all. It's even funny at times. I now use it as my PC bible. I recomend it to anyone who doesn't want to work at learning something useful. -Sen
Rating: 
Summary: Minasi or Mueller?
Review: I have both Mueller's 14th edition and Minasi's 3rd edition and consider them to be superb. If you are going for an engineering degree in computers and like thick technical explanations interspersed with great useable information get Mueller. But, with Mueller don't expect an enjoyable, easy read. But, if you want an enjoyable easy read with great information, get Minasi. Some complain that Minasi's information is not up-to-date. Well, neither is Mueller's. (In all fairness, Mueller is more current than Minasi.) If you want cutting edge information in any technology field, you are not going to get it in a static book. For that go online to Tom's Hardware and the like. So, bottom line, if you need highly technical information about computer systems (i.e., pin outs, electrical diagrams, etc.) get Mueller. But, if you just want to learn how to upgrade and repair computer systems or get (and maintain) the background necessary for your A+ certification, get Minasi. Better yet, do like I did and get both!
Rating:
Summary: Indexing has changed dramatically
Review: I have purchased copies of the book for the past 6 or seven years. Mark Minasi is the computer guru! His capacity to take technical questions of intimidating proportions and reduce them to a level us peons can understand well enough to get the job done. Brilliant people in my life have always had that ability to take an abstract piece of information ( something like the origin of the solar system) an distill it into language the rest of the world can understand. Mark Minasi does this year in and year out with the latest PC's and there components.After reading and listening to him over the years I've come to feel reasonably well versed in upgrading our home computers, here in Dryden New York. No small feat when you consider that I am an art teacher by profession.
However in your latest release of Mark's work I noticed that the indexing is less than half the size of the previous year's version. Sadly it is not nearly as thorough. This may sound like a miner point but for some of us readers it will prove to be a critical one. I past years whenever I had a problem I would run across an unfamiliar term or network protocol, you could look it up in the index and follow the solution to your problem through to completion. As I see it the value of the entire book is to guide you through a problem you've run into on your own, as well as making for fun reading of course. The weak index creats a broud obstruction at the very center of the process of self education which is what Mark has taught flawlessly for years.
While Minasi work still remains flawless, getting to his answeres will be hindered buy a poor indexing job. By way of qualification, perhaps this type of indexing would be fine in other books. We just got spoiled with having the best of everything in past 13 editions. I want to repeat the mark Minasi has lost none of his accuracy or wit. The quality remains. Its just the indexing that limits the overall effectiveness of getting to the write answere when you need it . Fred C Wendell
Rating:
Summary: Getting Started with ease, Without Intimidation!
Review: I have so far bought two editions of this book, the 7th and the 2003 edition. Both books were and are very helpful in the areas that I need them for. A beginner can't ask for a better book to learn about computers, than this line of books. I have no complaints about Marks books, because a person who isn't a computer technician or an IT professional wouldn't want anything that's extremely complicated to start learning about their computer.
Marks' books teach you in a way that they not only capture your interest they give excellent examples of the subject at hand. I will continue to buy his books because when I needed help, when I first started out dubbing into computers'and information on how to upgrade and repair them his book at the time was the best information for what I wanted and needed. Any one who's in a more advanced stage of computer repair, would go for the expert information without the Laymens terms. That type of book would defeat the purpose for a beginner or intermediate student.
I feel that Mark did exactly what he set out to do, and that was to allow the reader to come away with more information than they started with, each time they read and study his books without feeling intimidated. And that is exactly what his books does. Not to mention the extras' on the CDs', which I thought to be very considerate of him to include them!
Rating: 
Summary: Overpriced and the info is outdated.
Review: I just finished reading the book for a computer repair class that I was taking. The book does not talk about the new computers to any degree. I did like the fact that it included a history of computers but thought that the book could have been written in a style that was easier to understand or more exciting to read. I am looking forward to reading "The Complete Computer Repair Textbook" by Cheryl Schmidt and comparing it with the Minasi book. The book was highly overpriced at the $60 I had to pay for it.
Rating:
Summary: Overpriced and the info is outdated.
Review: I just finished reading the book for a computer repair class that I was taking. The book does not talk about the new computers to any degree. I did like the fact that it included a history of computers but thought that the book could have been written in a style that was easier to understand or more exciting to read. I am looking forward to reading "The Complete Computer Repair Textbook" by Cheryl Schmidt and comparing it with the Minasi book. The book was highly overpriced at the $60 I had to pay for it.
Rating:
Summary: Minasi or Mueller?
Review: I was going to give the book 2 stars, but since the title is the
"COMPLETE PC UPGRADE and Maintenance Guide...", I decided to downgrade to 1 star. In my opinion this book is seriously deficient as an upgrade guide, and inferior to its main competitor (Scott Mueller's book). This book contains no information that I could find on the latest motherboard chipsets by VIA, Intel, SiS, or Nvidia. These chipsets come in a bewildering array of combinations, and the selection of the chipset is at least as critical as that of the CPU itself. The chipset you select has perhaps greater influence on the performance and price of the motherboard than the CPU. This omission is unconscionable given that the word "Upgrade" was placed in the title. The information provided on the CPU offerings from Intel and AMD is also very poor. You will find no comparison charts. You find no explanation of AMD's CPU ID scheme which can be confusing because, e.g., an AMD 2100+ runs at a lower clockspeed than 2100GHz. This is information that should be in this book. These are just examples of the deficiencies I found in lack of enough info for one to make an intelligent decision on a CPU and motherboard. Buy Scott Mueller's book instead. They are roughly the same size, but whereas Mueller's book can be used, this book's main use in my library would be as a doorstop. Thank goodness that I obtained my copy of Minasi's book from my local library, so I can return it without spending a cent.
Rating: 
Summary: Fatally Flawed
Review: I was going to give the book 2 stars, but since the title is the
"COMPLETE PC UPGRADE and Maintenance Guide...", I decided to downgrade to 1 star. In my opinion this book is seriously deficient as an upgrade guide, and inferior to its main competitor (Scott Mueller's book). This book contains no information that I could find on the latest motherboard chipsets by VIA, Intel, SiS, or Nvidia. These chipsets come in a bewildering array of combinations, and the selection of the chipset is at least as critical as that of the CPU itself. The chipset you select has perhaps greater influence on the performance and price of the motherboard than the CPU. This omission is unconscionable given that the word "Upgrade" was placed in the title. The information provided on the CPU offerings from Intel and AMD is also very poor. You will find no comparison charts. You find no explanation of AMD's CPU ID scheme which can be confusing because, e.g., an AMD 2100+ runs at a lower clockspeed than 2100GHz. This is information that should be in this book. These are just examples of the deficiencies I found in lack of enough info for one to make an intelligent decision on a CPU and motherboard. Buy Scott Mueller's book instead. They are roughly the same size, but whereas Mueller's book can be used, this book's main use in my library would be as a doorstop. Thank goodness that I obtained my copy of Minasi's book from my local library, so I can return it without spending a cent.
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