Product Description

Tom's Hardware Guide provides easy to read suggestions and analysis that empowers you to do technology to technology and product to product comparisons.Tom has created this guide to provide you with the inside scoop on configuring a computer that will minimize the risk of quick obsolescence and allow you to obtain the ultimate in PC performance. Tom not only suggests the best products to buy but additionally gives you the knowledge to help you make your own decisions. Tom allows you to "talk technical" to that computer salesman or neighbor, with authority. Millions of individuals have read Tom's reviews. You too can see why Tom's "no-holds-barred" approach to the PC industry has made him the industry guru for technology. From Intel's boardroom to the corner computer store salesman, this is where they retrieve information on the latest technology products and the market. You get hard-hitting, objective information on all PC subsystems - from processors and chip sets, to video cards, disk drives and memory - it's all covered. If you want to understand the potential and future direction of cutting-edge PC technologies, and discover whether the performance of these technologies matches their hype, you need this book.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #830448 in Books
• Published on: 1998-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 624 pages

From the Back Cover
Tom's Hardware Guide was created to provide you with the inside scoop on attaining the ultimate in PC performance. Written by the originators of tomshardware.com, the Interenet's #1 source of new technology information and performance reviews. Millions of people rely on Tom's reviews and advice. Tom's no-holds-barred approach to the PC industry has made him into the premier technology industry guru. From Intel's boardroom to the individual at the corner computer store--they all look to Tom for information on the latest technology products.

About the Author
Tom’s review and insights into PCs and PC performance are famous for their thoroughness and independence. Tom has consistently delivered information you can’t get anywhere else. Tom’s advice and reviews are so popular and valuable that in a typical month, Tom’s site delivered over 2 million impressions on the front page alone, and receives more than 200,000 page requests daily totaling over 6 million page requests a month. In his spare time, Tom is a surgeon living in London.

Customer Reviews

Sloppy and superficial
I made the mistake of buying this book, and I can't believe how bad it is. I was expecting a technically competent, insightful, no BS book about PC hardware. What I got was an outdated, error-plagued, superficial book that's not much use to anyone, novice or expert. Here are just a few amazing facts I found in Tom's Hardware Guide:

* 30-pin SIMMs are 16 bits wide, and so must be installed in pairs in 386 and 486 systems. [30-pin SIMMs are 8 bits wide, and must be installed four per bank in 386/486 systems, and eight per bank in the few Pentium-class systems that use them.]

*DAT stands for Digital Analog Tape [DAT stands for Digital Audio Tape, and anyway the proper terminology for a "DAT" tape drive is DDS, not DAT]

*xDSL throughput varies according to how heavily other users on your xDSL line are transferring data [xDSL is a point-to-point service, and does not use shared media]

*"A 7GB DAT cartridge costs only about $12 per unit, for an incredible value of 597.3MB per penny. That's half a gig for each penny you spend." [When I do the calculations, I get (7 GB*1,024 MB/GB)/1200 cents = 5.97 MB/penny. This isn't isolated, either. Anywhere this author does math, you'd best check it yourself.]

*Most telephones use Category 2 cable [there is no such thing as Category 2 cable, and never has been]

*No video is available during a flash BIOS recovery procedure [the author apparently doesn't realize that this is true only for PCI video cards, which is an excellent reason to keep an old ISA video card around.]

*TCP/IP doesn't do "transfer checking" and is therefore less reliable than IPX/SPX. [Huh? From his garbled explanation, it appears that the author is referring to UDP rather than TCP. What this author doesn't know about network and transport layer protocols could fill a book.]

And it goes on and on. Every technical book I've ever seen has at least a few errors, but this one has so many mistakes that it's not worth reading. If you want a good hardware book, buy Scott Mueller's Upgrading & Repairing PCs. Steer clear of Tom's Hardware Guide.

No secrets, but one of the best I've read for intermediates
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).

Think you know it all,well sit back,read and learn a little!
If you're one of the many computer enthusiasts out there who think they know it all then you're in for a big surprise, I was. Dr. Thomas Pabst explainations of hardware operations and functions not only demonstate his great ability for detail and accuracy but also his ability to grip the reader and not let go. Tom's Hardware Guide is one of the best computer books I have ever read, flowing logically onto the next component, micro-chip or peice of technology not yet known to the human race. His detailed reviews of current hardware componets offer comparisons to other leading competitors giving clear un-biased information allowing you to form your own opinion. This book is one of may all time favourites and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in computer technology and where it is leading.

If after reading this article you're tempted to shell out the money be warned, this isn't a beginners advice book, its the hardcore computer bible and it will frighten you, but its worth it.