Starting from Square 1

[TheSuperiorXemnas]

Putting this in Off-Topic because I do believe this is where it should go.
Straight to the point, I know very little about computers, or rather; parts, terms, etc. I want to start learning on how to build my own computers and everything about them so I no longer have to pretend I know what a sales person is talking about. Can anyone recommend me on where to start learning all of this, whether a book or a site.

Captcha : Library Book - There's a Start....

 

[DoPo]

Ugh. That's a weird question. And I'm not sure how to answer. I mean, I know a lot about computers but I can't tell you how I learned it or how to go about it...

I guess a book would be fine. But many websites may have good info. I just don't know which. I'll give you the materials I was given in first year in Uni for pretty much the module "Here is what a computer is like", although the module is aimed at computer science students, I'm pretty sure the resources wouls still be useful:

The Architecture of Computer Hardware and
Systems Software 3nd
ed., Irv Englander,
Wiley

Computer Systems Architecture, Newman et
al, Crucial. ISBN 1-903337-07-0

Inside the PC, 7th ed., P. Norton, ISBN
0-672-31041-4

Computers, 7th ed., L.Long and N.Long, Prentice
hall. ISBN 0-13-083190-5

But what I think the best thing to do is, is to go and talk to somebody about it. If you have any geeky friends who are into it, you shouldn't have huge trouble persuading them to talk about computers and how they work. Ask questions, listen to explanations. That sort of thing. It would give you a great start. Then just go on on the Internet, and start filling in the blanks. Look at a PC configuration some store offers and try to see if you can make sense of it. If you can't, just look up what you don't know. Also, find a guide on how to build a PC and look up what you don't know, or even better - discuss it with somebody.

 

[Hazy992]

If you want to learn how to build a PC then I suggest Newegg's guide. It's really informative, and when I eventually do my first build I'm gonna use this.

Spoiler: Part 1

Spoiler: Part 2

Spoiler: Part 3

 

[TheSuperiorXemnas]

Thank you all for this information, and now I can start learning from the very basics.

EDIT: Speaking of which, won't i have to learn about Coding too?

 

[DoPo]

EDIT: Speaking of which, won't i have to learn about Coding too?

I don't know, do you want to learn it? It's not at all a requirement for making a PC. Or using one. There is no harm in learning programming but do you actually think you would need it is the question. It is a bit of an investment of time and effort and while there could be a benefit, it's out of scope of just knowing about computers.

Anyway, I found this [http://www.karbosguide.com/books/pcarchitecture/start.htm] book which is online and apparently free. So why not start with that - it's free and easy to access (just click on the link). I don't know how good it is, I'll have a quick look now.

 

[DoPo]

Hmmm, that book. It's a bit weird - for some reason some chapters are repeated. for example "Chapter 6. The CPU and the motherboard" and "Chapter 26. The CPU and the motherboard". And the contents of the chapters seems he same. Also, it seems to be a bit outdated, as in it's a few years old (still talks about Windows XP, basically) but you can still use it just for basic understanding of what a computer is. I wouldn't really recommend it, but then it's there and it's free - why not have a look at it while waiting for a better one. Or don't. It doesn't really matter.

 

[Final First]

I learned about PCs from my best friends Google, Youtube, Newegg and my brother who probably has truckloads of old PC hardware all over his house.

Books would be good too but I don't know any.

I would list the main PC parts to help you but overpuce already did so never mind that.

 

[DoPo]

A-ha, found it! If you want to start with programming, here [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.353643-Programming-and-Game-Design] are some good recommendations. Go with Python as your first language. Even if it's the only one, it' would be enough.