Introduction

1. The common guidelines for choice the PC

2. A system unit

Desktop and Slimline

Mini-tower And Midi-tower

System unit choice

Power supply unit choice

3. The processor

Characteristics of processors

The architecture

Productivity of processors

Development of processors

Pentium

Pentium Pro

Pentium MMX

Pentium II

Pentium II Xeon

Intel OF PENTIUM III

Celeron

Intel OF PENTIUM 4

AMD K6

AMD K6-2

AMD K6-III

AMD Athlon

AMD Thunderbird and Duron

The integrated processors

Names and trade marks of processors

Intel

AMD

Cyrix

Rise

Centaur

VIA

SiS

Transmeta

Development of the market of processors and computers

Web-addresses

4. The working memory and the cache memory

Dynamic storage

Base memory

Extended-memory

Expanded-memory

UMA and UMB

High memory area HMA

The recommended size of the working memory

SIMM, DIMM and RIMM

Frequency requirements

The Cache memory

Modern and perspective memory

Dynamic storage types

The forecast of the market of memory

Algorithm of operation of memory

Variants konstruktiva memories

Web-addresses

5. Computer buses

Buses ISA, EISA, MCA

Buses VLB, PCI

Host Bus

Dual Independent Bus

AGP

USB, IEEE 1394, Serial ATA

Web-addresses

6. Disks

Floppy disks

FDD

LS-120

ZIP

HiFD

Hard disks

Magneto-optic disks

Web-addresses

7. Motherboards

The architecture and processing techniques

Basic performances

Form factor

AT

ATX

Mini ATX

Micro ATX

NLX

Intel motherboards

Motherboards Abit

Motherboards ASUSTeK

Motherboards Chaintech

Motherboards Gigabyte

Motherboards Microstar

Motherboards for Pentium 4

Chip sets

i430TX

i440BX AGPset

i440GX AGPset

i450NX PCIset

i440ZX AGPset

i810 Chipset, i810E Chipset and i810E2 Chipset

i820 Chipset and i820E Chipset

i815 Chipset, i815E Chipset and i815EP Chipset

i840 Сhipset

i850 Chipset

ALi Aladdin 5 AGPset

ALi Aladdin 7

ALi Aladdin Pro II

ALi Aladdin TNT2

SiS600

SiS620

SiS630

VIA Apollo Pro

VIA Apollo Pro Plus

VIA Apollo Pro133 and VIA Apollo Pro133A

VIA Apollo PM133

VIA Apollo KX133

VIA Apollo KT133 and VIA Apollo KT133A

VIA Apollo Pro266 and VIA Apollo KT266

AMD-750

Choice of chip sets and motherboards

Web-addresses

8. Videoadapters and screen monitors

The main features of a video subsystem

Choice of videoadapters

Video chip sets and videoadapters

Choice of screen monitors

Key parametres of screen monitors

Web-addresses

9. CD-ROM drives and DVD

The main data

Operation with the CD-ROM drive

Standard characteristics of CD-ROM drives

Multihigh-speed CD-ROM drives

Service and repair

Additional remarks

Drives DVD

DVD-ROM

CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW

Drives of CD-R

Drives of CD-RW

DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW

10. Multimedia

Multimedia sets

Sound maps

Some characteristics of sound maps

Sound maps for bus ISA

Sound maps for bus PCI

Video blasters, TВ-тюнеры

Video blasters

TV-tuners

Audio systems

The sizes

Passive and active

The multiband

The multicomponent

The multi-channel

Power supplies

Magnetically Shielded

Popular models

Audio systems USB and NXT

Other solutions

Standards of multimedia

Graphics standards

Video

Sound standards

MP3

Arrangements MP3

Diamond Rio PMP300

Daewoo MPIO

Arrangements of other corporations

Web-addresses

11. Modems and local area networks

Modems

Built in or external

Protocols

Speed

Guidelines

Local area networks

The equipment and programs for local area networks

Installation and network configuration

Web-addresses

12. Optimisation

The factors influencing productivity of the PC

SETUP THE PC

Optimisation of operation of hard disks

Cluster, size and high-speed performance of a hard disk

File system FAT32

Usage of hard disks of a high capacity

Modes PIO and DMA

Caching of drives

Usage DriveSpace

Access to the program

Program installation

The common data on compaction

Disk compression

Razuplotnenie a disk

Change of a method of compression

Video output optimisation

13. Processor dispersal (overclocking)

The forced modes

Some problems

Productivity and frequency

Change of modes through BIOS

Multiplication factor change

Supply voltage rise

Requirements to the hardware

The processor

The motherboard

Memory

Cooling

Dispersal of Intel of Pentium

Dispersal of Intel of Pentium Pro

Dispersal of Intel of Pentium II

CYRIX/IBM dispersal 6X86

Dispersal AMD K5

Dispersal AMD K6

The step-by-step circuit of dispersal

Dispersal of Pentium III Coppermine

14. Upgrade

Dynamic storage

The processor

The PC with processors 286 and 386

The PC with processors 486

OverDrive

The PC with Pentium processors

The PC with processors Celeron, Pentium II/III

The PC with processors AMD Athlon, AMD Duron

Hard disk

The CD-ROM drive

The drive of CD-RW

Video subsystem

The motherboard

Upgrade BIOS

15. Systems of a virtual reality

Acquaintance

Systems of output of 3D-maps

System I-Glasses

System VFX1

3D-sound

Input devices of information VR

The keyboard, the joystick, the mouse, the trackball

The 3D-mouse, gloves

Web-addresses

Index