Talk:How To Assemble A Desktop PC/Archive 1

Hi, and welcome to the Talk page for "How To Build A Computer". Over the course of this WikiBook's existence, we've developed a procedure for doing things here, and, to help ensure the flow and quality of the book, we'd appreciate it if you followed it as you make your contributions to the book. Thanks. --Noogz 07:49, 1 May 2005 (UTC)

= To Do and Not To Do= If you complete something on the list, DO NOT REMOVE IT FROM THE LIST. use the &lt;strike&gt; and &lt;/strike&gt; tags to strike them. This will ensure that others can review what has been added. Thanks.

--Noogz 02:27, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)

If something is partialy completed, please use the stage short template to indecate how complete it is. Reub2000 05:54, 2 May 2005 (UTC)

To Do List

 * Minor edit on Safety precautions, point number 4. "Unplug your PC's Power Supply before installing or removing any components - if power is flowing to components as they are installed or removed, they can be seriously damaged." In order to have a computer earthed, you need it plugged in at the wall but turned off at the power supply and at the wall...otherwise your computer is not earthed
 * Mention what stuff someone would want for OCing, like what cpu etc
 * Add info on various peripherals beyond the Keyboard, Mouse and Speakers.
 * need pictures comparing PS/2 and USB; comparing DVI to VGA
 * Add info on labeling of DDR2 RAM
 * Add info on DDR3
 * Costs and benefits of ECC RAM
 * Add Info on cooling devices
 * Clean up and extend section on actually building the computer. Sections that need particular attention are:
 * Case
 * Picture of motherboard being inserted into a case
 * CPU
 * Picture of a CPU Socket
 * Hard Disk
 * Mention the importance of cache amount, 7200RPM is now standard for desktop hard disks, 8MB 7200 RPM would be faster than 2MB 7200 RPM, and Seagate, Maxtor, Western Digital all are now offering drives with 16MB cache. 8MB should be the minimum these days.
 * Minor edit on Graphics Card section (pass through)
 * Picture of an AGP socket, PCI-Express Socket
 * What about this? [[Media:Pic-agp-pcie-compare-0123.jpg]] --Aurora98 (talk) 02:47, 12 February 2009 (UTC)


 * Mention the Importance of Memory speed that is more important than the amount of Memory, a fast 128MB DDR is much better than a slow 256MB DDR.
 * Extensions and Connections needs clean up
 * Picture of the diffrent typed of cable connection, their sockets
 * Organization of cables, and why you would want to do so
 * Optimizatiing and Over Clocking your new computer
 * OCing a video card
 * Optimizations
 * Maybe a section on modding
 * Troubleshooting section for problems that can go wrong while making a computer, and after it is built &rArr; Development
 * Where to buy products, or where to search for places to buy products
 * Can this be done without making it US-specific? That is one of the criteria for this article, and much information on that has been removed in recent days; otherwise, add to the Buyer's guide. --Noogz 05:58, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * such as adding a table with:

I am only adding Tigerdirect Canada to the list since it is all I use but it can be expanded to include other sites. --klingoncowboy4 13:17 May 25, 2005 MNT
 * Organization
 * An index
 * Keep full Table of Contents current
 * BIOS features as they correlate with hardware - maybe a checklist of functional features available to determine purchasing choices
 * Making guide more user-friendly and a bit more explanation on the Software area
 * Description and hardware support lists of BeOS and DOS on the "software" page

Recently Removed
= Development =

Edit Debates
"This list is definitely not complete, and there are many other distributions that you can select from: For more help in picking a distribution see the Linux Distro Guide, A Neutral Look at Operating Systems/Open_Source_OSs, or Distrowatch."


 * The italicized text was removed because it was "not necessary". I think that book can offer some good information about plausible Linux distributions. I don't want to start an edit war here and I'd like to hear some other takes on this.--Hyperlink 07:15, 8 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Temporarily Removed Content
''OK. There are a few things that I see as necessary in bringing into order here. Please read on, and add comments. --Noogz 09:53, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)''

Images
--Noogz 09:53, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Sorry about this, but I've had to temporarily remove the images (they are only commented out - please don't remove the comments, or the pics completely). It's good that they're there, and I was planning on doing some of my own - but I do believe we have to cite them - are they yours, Reub?
 * Nope, not mine. I just croped and resized the dual-cpu one. Reub2000
 * The dubious caption that accompanied one of them didn't quite suit the article "Would you use this just to surf the net" is awful - I found it slightly intimidating, and it hinders the article in that it doesn't provide much insight into what's being displayed. It doesn't serve much purpose.
 * The actual presentation of images needs to be cleaned up. -- I'll add this to the To Do list.

Linux Distros
Does this really need to turn into another Holy War as to what Linux distro is right? I propose a vote on which ones are necessary for the scope of this article. So, if you have a case, add a nomination and state your case for inclusion - we'll vote on it next monday. If it doesn't turn out conclusively, it would be best to just remove references to distros completely.--Noogz 09:53, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)

How about a list of standerd distros (Fedora, BSD, Slackware, etc.) with a description of what they are and who they are best for. Their strengths and weaknesses, what hardware they work best on, package support etc. klingoncowboy4 14:24 May 23, 2005 MNT (Sorry I lost my watch and don't know what time it is in UTC :-

EDIT: 14:34 May 23, 2005 MNT

I just read the relevent bit and it already says what I sugessted above at a very basic level so perhaps it can be expanded.


 * I think we should just include the easy-to-use (for someone who hasn't used linux before) distros. Like Ubuntu, MEPIS, maybe Mandriva.  &mdash;Bpogi 01:43, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

Organizing the book
Hi Folks! Your book is progressing greatly, and even going for book of the month. Before being placed into that position, I suggest you though, to give your book a little bit of a "Wikibook appearance" (Currently it looks like a 1-page Wikipedia entry...). If you want to invest some time in adding subpages to your book, to structure it better, and make it better readable online (people can more quickly go to the section they are interested in), I`d suggest creating subpages: Have a look at a very basic example like Hamster Care: Ideally on the main page, there is a short introduction and a table of contents which then leads to the pages of the book: How To Build A Computer How To Build A Computer/Decisions, Decisions, Decisions How To Build A Computer/Choosing the parts How To Build A Computer/Building the computer and so on. Using subpages by "/" will give you an automatic link back to the main page. Don`t split it up completely, four or five sections is probably fine for the moment. (one can always add more later, but avoid having "red links" from the start..) Have a look at a recent conversion first and read User talk:Ojmorales0002 to see about pitfalls (why it is better to use names than chapter numbers, and why a flat hierarchy is best, i.e. don`t use sub-sub-pages, but have all pages be a direct sub-page of How To Build A Computer. For an ongoing discussion how to best organize Wikibooks have a look also at Hierachy naming scheme . If you need help or have questions, I`d gladly help. Also, if you don`t mind, I might help you with the basic conversion. --Andreas 09:19, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * I had been thinking the same thing myself for a little bit. There were a couple organizational issues that needed to be taken care of before this conversion, but I believe that was taken care of. I reorganized it into sub-modules and split the "Building" section. I think definitively separating the software and hardware construction makes reading easier. We now need to start thinking about the transitions and improving the introduction/conclusion. --Hyperlink 05:01, 20 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * The Decisions procses is part of choosing the parts, so I'm going to combine them.
 * I reflected the changes made by Reub2000 in the TOC (table of contents). Please have a look below in the Active Discussion section: Provide a picture of an open computer. --Andreas 15:22, 21 Mar 2005 (UTC)

OK... I've just made a new table of contents template (actually, a rip-off of the Lucid Dreaming one :)), which appears at the top and bottom of every page. If you add new pages, could you add Template:HTBACTOC to it, to be consistent with the rest of the book. --Noogz 06:18, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Nice work on the TOC stuff Noogz. I especially like the mini and full TOC versions. The template is great too.--Hyperlink 09:01, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * The mini toc on the main page, and full toc on a sperate page was my idea. Reub2000 15:53, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)

= Discussion =

Overclocking AND UNDERCLOCKING?
I noticed that there was nothing about Underclocking in the Overclocking section - not everybody wants to overclock, as some of you should know. I think it would be appropiate to add some stuff about underclocking (which, if I'm correct, is basically overclocking with a few different steps in - nevertheless, someone might get confused, etc.)

Also, if we do decide to put more information about underclocking a CPU in the same section as Overclocking, should we change the title of that section to "Overclocking/Underclocking"? --Aurora98 (talk) 03:00, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

About the merge

 * Ok, but why the book main page threatens with merge suggestion message? --Derbeth talk 16:52, 6 November 2006 (UTC)
 * The Computer Hardware book may have a bit more to offer than the How To Assemble A Desktop PC for computer harware but How To Assemble A Desktop PC is better overall. The merger is to move Computer Hardware into this book and not the other way round. Klingoncowboy4 19:05, 6 November 2006 (UTC)


 * It makes no sense to merge this article with computer hardware. The two subjects are completely different. Building a desktop computer deals with only internal hardware, not external hardware. It would cause confusion to put a subject completely about internal hardware and assembly into an article that deals with both internal and external hardware.


 * I don't think that they should put computer hardware into this because it is not really about learning all about hardware, it is about learning how to build a computer and it might get you off track and thinking about something else. Studyfreak101

PDF
What if we created a PDF of this guide, and hosted it on Wiki Commons? Reub2000 00:28, 4 May 2005 (UTC)


 * Then you'd have a PDF on Wiki Commons. :-) You could replace the pages here with a link to the PDF. :-) AlbertCahalan 01:06, 4 May 2005 (UTC)


 * Um, it would be an easy to print version of this guide. I guess I or somebody else should get to work in OpenOffice Writer? Reub2000 02:02, 4 May 2005 (UTC)


 * Seriously, discuss this at the wikibooks staff lounge first. Having two copies of a document causes big trouble. They don't stay in sync for long. Maybe there is, or could be, a stylesheet (wiki skin) that would make a printed version of the wiki look nicer. The ability to produce nice printed books is a general demand for wikibooks projects, not something specific to this book. The problem is either solved already or needs to be solved urgently, and OpenOffice is definitly not the answer. Preparing books for printing needs to be mostly or fully automated. AlbertCahalan 02:27, 4 May 2005 (UTC)


 * Somebody brought up the suggestion of PDF conversion there. For now the solution would be to manually make a PDF. It should be mostly copying and pasting a few things into openoffice writer, adjusting a few things, then exporting it to PDF. And, the PDF copy would of cource not be editable, and would always be based off of the work of wikibookians. Reub2000 04:10, 4 May 2005 (UTC)


 * Search down that page for the word "print". There are at least 3 discussions about the matter. At the header that was number 20 when I visited, somebody mentions that there is a wiki skin that gives a link for a more printable version of the page. Elsewhere, somebody else mentions that even the default is good to print; the stuff on the left of the screen is hidden when you print. AlbertCahalan 04:45, 4 May 2005 (UTC)


 * Users should not have to change the skin. Besides, it still doesn't make it print like a book. It also doesn't print the whole thing out at the same time, instead one module at a time. Stuff here is formated for online viewing where there is no notion of a page, and everything is one long page. Page numbers and chapter should be printed on the top. Links should be replaced with a page number. Stuff like that to adapt it into a printed page, not possible by a simple script or skin that makes a page "printer friendly". Reub2000


 * Is your sole existance in life to argue with me?


 * I don't see this as a particularly worthwhile idea - it's just a waste for us at the moment. If automatic conversion comes into the MediaWiki software, then that is fantastic, but it's not worth our time at the moment.  --Noogz 07:10, 4 May 2005 (UTC)


 * I created a print version of this wikibook. It basically contains all pages of the book as templates (so it gets updated automatically by pressing "Refresh"), and with some CSS magic, all unwanted boxes and navigational elements on the page disappear as soon as you choose "Print preview" in your browser or actually print the page. This should replace the basic need for the PDF version. --Andreas 08:52, 4 May 2005 (UTC)


 * Nice job Mr. Ipp. This will definitly suffice. How did you manage to get rid of the TOC template?


 * Thanks :-) You don't really want to know about the technical details - do you? The short explanation: I put 'class="top"' to the DIV element containing the TOC. Now why this makes the whole DIV disappear on print version is another story hehe.. (it is a trick.. a workaround for the Monobook.css: class=top is actually responsible that the topmost line disappears when printed (the one with user info and login/logout). Since it is a class, I can use it in other DIVs as well, and all it does, is to hide the element when printed. This is what CSS is good for..  ) --Andreas 15:32, 4 May 2005 (UTC)


 * CSS is definitly a gift from whatever higher power you belive in. Reub2000 20:03, 4 May 2005 (UTC)

I think I have a copy of Adobe Acrobat 6.0 around here somewhere Klingoncowboy4

Collaboration Of The Month
Since we are no longer eligible for BOTM (until May next year), I have nominated use for Collaboration Of The Month - this will help us get some extra coverage for a while - so, please vote, here!

I have renominated the book for Collaboration Of The Month vote, here! Klingoncowboy4 22:34, 1 Jul 2005 (UTC)

How done are we?
There are a lot of "75%'s" listed in the table of contents. How close is this to being above "a maturing text"? When should we declare this a developed text?--Hyperlink 20:16, 21 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * When we have the "To Do" list completed. There is still A LOT to be done under "Construction".  --Noogz 08:03, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Book Of The Month (May)
Well... Since we had 3 votes last month, we're up for nomination again. Get your votes up there, ensure we keep at least three up there so that we remain on the nomination list. If you can contribute to something that is listed on the To Do list, then solve it. I think it is time that we feature-froze the list so that we don't get ahead of ourselves. --Noogz 01:23, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC) For more info, see Book_of_the_month/May_2005_voting


 * Is it really needed to freeze the todo list? Reub2000 03:18, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Yes, but it won't be a permanent freeze - only until the end of the month, so that if we do get voted as BOTM, we don't have a whole lot of Only-just-contructed, incomplete sections. If we want to add new sections, at least wait until the current one is complete - it's a quality issue.  --Noogz 05:17, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * We could always wait until June. Even if we are to shoot for May BOTM, no reason to freeze it now. We can always freeze it 3rd week of april. Reub2000 05:55, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * You could always have 1 page called e.g. How To Build A Computer/Extensions where you first collect new material without restriction (no need to freeze). As soon as there is enough material on a specific topic to justify a new chapter in the book, content can be cut&pasted to the new page. I think it is just important not to have many few line stub chapters and to avoid red links or 00% or 25% entries in the table of contents. All those pages should first go to the "Extensions" workspace until they are "ready". --Andreas 06:29, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Good Idea. Creating: How To Build A Computer/Development Reub2000 07:44, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * How about putting \Development on the main page in some sort of format? I shouldn't look like an actual chapter, but we don't want this page to be the only access point...--Hyperlink 07:04, 8 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Done. --Andreas 11:19, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Currently we outnumer the other books greatly. Reub2000 01:03, 17 Apr 2005 (UTC)


 * WE DID IT!!!!! w000000000000000t!--Noogz 01:58, 1 May 2005 (UTC)

Picture for book of the month
Your book is currently a very strong candidate for becoming book of the month! Since you are a quite active group, could one of you take a picture with your digi-cam of an open computer, best with some hardware components and a screw-driver lying around, and upload them to the Commons? If you win the race, having a good picture is recommended. Be quick, thanks! --Andreas 07:58, 21 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * I looked through here but could not find a suitable picture. I'm not a hardware guy myself, or I'd get the picture.--Hyperlink 20:03, 21 Mar 2005 (UTC)


 * I could snap a few pictures of my comps, but my wiring leaves a lot to be desired. What would be really good is picture of someone working on an unfinished computer. We could also gimp or photoshop some arrows showing where stuff is.Reub2000 02:34, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)


 * PS: I uploaded a picture Commons:Image:Mycomputer.jpg. Use it if you want. I'll put specs and info with the image.
 * This photo is probably usable... So... Does anyone want to GIMP some words/titles into it? I'm hopeless at graphic design... We need something that says "How To Build A Computer", and possibly some component names etc. --Noogz 06:43, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Even if it is not immediate now, a How To Build A Computer/Cover page might not be bad! (have a look for example at Using Ratpoison/Cover or the current book of the month US History). --Andreas 07:43, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * I just added a cover. Feel free to improve! --Andreas 08:02, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Someone into case modding want to upload a picture of their computer? Reub2000 01:03, 17 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Don't know where else to put this
I have a suggestion for the hardware data provided by your book. The overall gist of this book is great (having read the first 2 chapters). I wish I had something like this when I was first building a computer. It would have been a great help.

However, there are many places where the descriptions given by harware manufacturers arn't given in this book. For example: CAS latencies, HDD technologies (NCQ, cache size, RPM), CPU specifics (clock speed, cache size, socket type), monitor frequency ranges, etc. Most importantly, describe what effects these technologies can have on the computer as a whole. This information would be best placed in an appendix/appendices, so it doesn't clutter up the rest of the book.

The overall goal should be to describe the different specs that each component can have, so a buyer knows what they are looking at when they look at system specs. Also, I would avoid making specific references to "better choices" (like the specific AMD vs Intel remark on the CPU page). Instead, inform the user of the differences, and have them make a decision on their own.

Just my 2 cents, hope it helps.

-- Zachary Jensen (CoolGuyZak -AT- gmail.com)


 * Put this in the to do list. I don't know why this stuff should be put into an appendix, and not in the hardware section though. Reub2000 23:02, 29 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Change the book title?
(Note to new readers: This conversation was started before this page was moved from How To Build A Computer to How To Assemble A Desktop PC on 2005/09/06.) Flayked 23:52, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

Ok, I am an old fart, so for me "computer" is not equal to "PC compatible computer". IMHO, since the book is about building a PC compatible computer, that fact should somehow be reflected in the book title, or at least in the book introduction. The bool is not for people who want to solder their own 8-bit CPU onto some home-made board (as we used to do it in the past :-)) 85.72.155.105 20:55, 15 August 2005 (UTC)


 * I agree completely. If there are no objections, I will change the title to "How To Assemble A Personal Computer" (with correct Wiki capitalization and page movement, of course). Flayked 20:26, 29 August 2005 (UTC)


 * I'm starting a poll on the issue right here.

Book Title Poll
Should the title of the book be changed?

Yes, change it to something reflecting the fact that this book is about x86 computers.
I think "PC Assembly" would be good. It's short. AlbertCahalan


 * If it doesn't cover laptop assembly, should it be "Desktop PC Assembly"? Otherwise, I like that name. 4.255.41.231 21:52, 30 August 2005 (UTC)


 * By the way, there are many references to "computers" in this book. Do we need to change those or are they OK? 4.255.41.231 21:56, 30 August 2005 (UTC)

I initially came to this book because I wanted to learn how to build a computer the old fashioned way. I was going to suggest that the name of this book be changed, but someone already did that. I would agree, then, that this should have a different name. Allow me to suggest the name "How to Build a PC" (or Desktop PC), since it is generally understood that a PC is based on the Intel (or compatible) CPU and will run Windows, which is probably what most people are looking for.


 * I prefer "assemble", but I agree. Also, desktop Mac assembly is similar (you need a case, mobo, CPU, power supply, etc.) if you can find the parts. So "How to Build/Assemble a Desktop PC" sounds good to me. (This guide would obviously not cover laptops or PocketPCs.)

Once the reader is assured by the title that they are reading about PCs, then any reference to a `computer' within the book would understandably imply `PC'.


 * OK.

I think using the word `assembly' would be misleading, as this is often used to mean assembly language. -- Jeff Meunier


 * Very true, but "How to Assemble a Desktop PC" is clear, isn't it? 4.255.40.38 17:35, 1 September 2005 (UTC)

I moved this page after >15 days since the first post on this issue, and no "NO" votes. Flayked 23:49, 6 September 2005 (UTC)


 * I also would be interested in building a computer "the old fashioned way" (with a few new-fangled improvements). Yes, people have filled out the "desktop PC" sections of the book first -- that doesn't make it wrong to talk about assembling Macs or laptops or wire-wrapped/soldered systems. If you say "this book is not for hand wire-wrapped/soldered system", then I feel you have an obligation to point out which book *is* the appropriate one to talk about those things. (See OnAndOffTopic ). So ... would Electronics or Embedded Systems be a better place to talk about hand wire-wrapped/soldered systems? And where is a good place to talk about customizing laptops? --DavidCary 03:36, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

And Microprocessor Design. --DavidCary (talk) 23:07, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

Book of the month (April)

 * I nominated this book to be the April book of the month. I'm not sure how "likely" it is this'll get it... but its worth a shot! If you've put some work into this Book throw your weight for it!--Hyperlink 07:15, 18 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * This book is currently tied for first place in the voting. Vote now if you think this book is worthy of recognition.--Hyperlink 05:13, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * As of today (21-march), We're 2 clear, and in the lead. If you have added to this book,Get yourself counted!!! --Noogz 07:00, 21 Mar 2005 (UTC)


 * Reub has been of the oppinion that we could make this book look much better after another month or so. I don't feel terribly one way or the other about this, but since Reub started the book and seems to have aspects he wants to put a bit more time into... I've decided to retract my vote as well in support.--Hyperlink 01:39, 24 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * I've added some things to the todo list. Everyone, please look at it, and see if you can do any of those. Once it's down to only a few items, then I think we should put this up for article of the month again. Also, feel free to add stuff to the todo list, whitch you think should be there. Reub2000 02:51, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC)
 * Hi, if you don't want to vote for this wikibook anymore, please consider voting for one of the other books in the April voting. Thanks! --Andreas 08:52, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Guidelines

 * Please, No brand/location-specific products in the purchasing section. This is not a buyer's guide, and this is also trying to be relevant to non-US Citizens. --Noogz 03:05, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)


 * MOVED. SEE BELOW FOR THIS POST

--Noogz 08:19, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * I think there are some places where brands should be mentioned. However, I agree that the buying parts section is getting a bit long and out of hand. So many useless peripherals sections. And the guide should never state that someone should simply buy a certain brand. Reasons should be given for choices, and maybe even alternatives. However, I didn't notice a problem with this guide mentioning non-us parts. Reub2000 04:55, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)


 * I do completely agree on the brand issue. There are many places where mentioning specific brands can be useful, and I kept them in, such as Intel/AMD and ATi/nVidia - these references are necessary as they do actually explain how to build a computer in the later sections; but in other sections (such as Hard Drives, CD Drives, and other petty peripherals), a writer's brand choice can often only be a matter of opinion, and as such shouldn't be in this book.  As for the Non-US problem, I've edited out a considerable amount that refers to brands that cannot be used outside of the US, which is annoying.  --Noogz 22:07, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)


 * BTW, I found this, which has a lot of text that you deleted. I find it quite amusing. I was wondering if we should request that it be deleted? Reub2000 02:23, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)


 * Yes... This does seem quite impressive -- this guy won't give up! I especially love his description of CPU's and his comparison between Windows and Lux... As for deletion: I think it would be much more fun to see how he reacts if we actually put some useful information into the article, and clean it up to a respectible standard.  What do you think?  --Noogz 09:54, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)


 * How about listing online merchants in each of the major English speaking countries. Reub2000 21:56, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Suggestions: Cyberman 04:34, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC) Responses: Noogz 09:35, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)


 * Simply stating a person should buy a case with a motherboard and power supply with fan already installed would be a good choice.--
 * Although it's nice to tell people to purchase a precompiled case/fan/PSU, it does cut off options. I can't remember whether we have actually listed this as an option (I think we have), but if not, put it up there -- this is intended to provide a general insight, but still quite specific; not to provide a cut-corners option


 * Notice, most stuff is made over seas. I think most of this would be foreign to Americans.
 * That notice was put there to remove references to brands that are sold exclusively in the US - although there are many brands who are globally recognisable, many aren't - we don't want to alienate foreign readers (like myself)


 * Maybe we could integrate a lot of Wiki into the a+ certi book. With people reading that whole book they sure would be able to compile a computer from scratch.
 * I don't see the A+ book to be completely relevant -- this has a slightly different focus, I think, in that it doesn't have an end educational point - so you can borrow stuff from here, by all means, but we don't need to get rid of this module for one with a slightly broader focus.


 * Also people have to undrestand the complex logic of buying parts and having a power supply to them. If you don't have enough power, you can't have all your parts powered up.
 * That could definitely be added - but doesn't your previous suggestion remove the idea of a PSU from the buyer's mind?

Edits

 * In the Software => Linux section, I have removed XMMS from the list; as we are already suggesting KDE and amaroK is already on the list, amaroK seems to be a better suggestion in this context. --Noogz 20:50, 23 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Software Installation Section
The section about installing software has grown way out of hand to a point where it doesn't actually help with building a computer - there are way too many redundant lines, such as those on BSD and Window managers, and are going to be removed, and if they reappear, will be removed again. --Noogz 22:24, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)


 * I think preparing your new computer is definitly a part of building a computer. However, do get rid of any mentions of obscure OSes like SkyOS. Reub2000 02:16, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)


 * Maybe this part should link to the freeware wikibook as it has an extensive list of free software Bawolff 01:04, 28 Jan 2005 (UTC)


 * I don't really see it as necessary to place a link there - we have here just a short list of software that is necessary to get a computer up-and-running to a reasonable standard - there's no reason to link to a huge list of software that is only going to confuse. --Noogz 08:22, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Please - in the Software section; please don't add programs of identical functionality to the current ones - I'm sure that no intelligent user requires two Anti-virus packages --Noogz 10:28, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Split

 * Why not split this article into 3 sections, prebuild, building, and postbuilding. Reub2000 02:06, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)


 * If that is to be the case, we need a slightly longer introduction that goes into a bit more depth. But the article needs to be at a higher standard (specifically the building section) before we do this.--Noogz 08:43, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

What parts do
There should be more of a description on what parts do, a down to detail theme.


 * How exactly is this necessary? Although it can be good to have a certain amount of understanding of a computer, I don't think it quite links into the expertise that is required for an article like this - this is only supposed to go into detail regarding the actual building of a computer.--Noogz 08:25, 30 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I agree that *somewhere* there should be a description of what the various parts do. But the wikibooks listed at Computer Science/Certifications already have much of that information -- wouldn't it be better to link to the appropriate page in those wikibooks (or to a Wikipedia article) for more details, rather than duplicate those details here? --65.70.89.241 17:00, 7 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Wikibooks are supposed to be as self-contained as possible, not linking to other wikibooks. --Bpogi 22:01, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

British vs. American English
I just looked at the article, and there are several instances of British english like "colour". Does wikibooks have a policy on whether to use British English or American English? Which one should be used for this article? Reub2000 02:33, 2 Feb 2005 (UTC)


 * Inconsistency is OK for the article - just write your own edits in your "native tongue", and don't edit "typos" that result due to the dialect. As such, there won't be any fighting about which dialect is right.  Your thoughts?  --Noogz 05:49, 2 Feb 2005 (UTC)


 * I found this on Wikipedia. So I guess we use British English because seems to be predominant. Reub2000 03:04, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)


 * That page regarding styles of English also mentions not having multiple styles on the same page. This article seems to be American English imo. --Hyperlink 05:55, 18 Mar 2005 (UTC) I was wrong. I don't know where I got that idea from. It seems it is actually the other way around and the majority of spelling is done in British English. Sorry about messing that up, don't know how I misjudged that.--Hyperlink 06:14, 18 Mar 2005 (UTC)


 * I think we should go with the native tongue of the majority of contributors. Should we poll? --Bpogi 21:59, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

= Moot = This category is for stuff that isn't actively being used and/or doesn't really matter and is mostly history. What good is a talk page if you can't tell where the important stuffs is?--Hyperlink 05:42, 21 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Kudos
whell, very nice indeed. It would be a little better if you have done, like in the US History book, and organised the content a little bit, on diferent pages. Whell, it's good. Congrats ...

Should we ask Mark Headrick for permission to copy his pictures and instructions ? Mark Headrick http://www.abbeyclock.com/computer.html


 * I'm not sure what contry he is in, but in America, anything is copyrighted once it is made. So we must ask him if we want to use it.


 * Those pictures would make a nice addition to this guide, so I don't see why it would hurt to ask him. Howerver, when I make a computer this summer, I plan on talking plenty of pictures. Reub2000 06:28, 27 May 2005 (UTC)

Original Photography
I get inside a fair number of computers of all strata in the course of my work, and my camera is an Olympus E-10. If y'all would like some original photography, I'd be happy to oblige. Hang specific requests on this message, if you like, and I'll check back. I'm Baylink@en.w, but I haven't yet signed up here. Or are we on single-sign-on now? --Baylink

Excellent. Please take lots of photos. We need a picture of a floppy disk drive cable (with the strange little twist in the middle), and a picture that shows what to look for on the floppy drive and the motherboard when trying to plug in the cable right-side-up. Also a few "whole system" photos to show that it's normal to have a messy tangle of wires and cables when you are done. (Or am I doing it wrong?) (No single-sign-on yet -- I had to seperately register at the English Wikipedia, the Simple English wikipedia, Wikibooks, MetaWikipedia, etc. --65.70.89.241 17:00, 7 September 2006 (UTC)


 * I will take some pics of my sys. &mdash;Bpogi 23:32, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Archive
Does anyone have any objections to me archiving everything below the To-do list? --Bpogi 22:04, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

Choosing the Parts page is lengthy
The How_To_Assemble_A_Desktop_PC/Choosing_the_parts page is 83 kb long. This may make it difficult to navigate and may cause problems with some browsers. I think it should be divided up into a few different parts. &mdash;Bpogi 02:05, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

Quick once-through
Well, there, I've been through the book once and I hope left it better than I found it, anyway it's longer. Anybody looking to contribute could do worse than adding more wiki-links, and the hardware section could use some more pictures I think, the overclocking section could be up-dated and more detailed and a troubleshooting section for when things go wrong would be a nice addition.Oh, and maybe some clever person could figure out a consistant placement of the TOC on each page - I couldn't figure it out. For myself, I'm a little burnt at present. --Slothrop 07:44, 14 March 2007 (UTC)L

Featured book
This is almost featured book!--Kozuch (talk) 23:24, 22 January 2009 (UTC)