Shows PC users how to build a dream machine without breaking the bank. This book tells readers how to plan their media center PCs, develop a parts shopping list, and acquire components at bargain prices. It helps users how to select, purchase, and install the motherboard, CPU, memory, graphics card, audio and network hardware, and hard drive.

In order to acquire an ideal combination of speed, memory, and graphic quality, an off-the-shelf PC can easily cost $2,000; this book shows PC users how to build a dream machine without breaking the bank. This book tells readers how to plan their media center PCs, develop a parts shopping list, and acquire components at bargain prices. Readers will start with a computer case, then learn how to select, purchase, and install the motherboard, CPU, memory, graphics card, audio and network hardware, and hard drive, eventually learning how to select and install peripheral hardware such as monitors, keyboards, and mice. Numbered full-color photos clearly walk readers through the PC-building process while supporting text and sidebars tell the reader "why" and offer additional information.