Have you ever wondered if you should buy a 3-D video card or a computer with a RISC (reduced instruction set computing) processor, only to face the bald fact that you had no idea why it could possibly be worth the $200 to $5,000 you were about to spend? If you have (and who can honestly say that he or she has never bought something just because it sounded “cool”), the fourth edition of this award-winning guide to PCs is sure to demystify the workings of your computer and its peripherals. Focusing on Wintels–particularly Windows 98 machines in this edition–White’s style is a perfect balance of the technical and the miraculously simple; yet this is not a book just for beginners. Working your way through each chapter step by step, you’re certain to be more knowledgeable about some facets of your desktop machine than even the “expert” who set it up for you.