Pc Chop Shop: Tricked Out Guide To Pc Modding

4360FM.qxd 9/23/04 10:59 AM Page i PC Chop Shop: Tricked Out Guide to PC Modding David Groth San Francisco • London 4360FM.qxd 9/23/04 10:59 AM Page ii 4360FM.qxd 9/23/04 10:59 AM Page i PC Chop Shop: Tricked Out Guide to PC Modding David Groth San Francisco • London 4360FM.qxd 9/23/04 10:59 AM Page ii Associate Publisher: JOEL FUGAZZOTTO Acquisitions Editor: ELIZABETH HURLEY PETERSON Developmental Editors: BRIANNE AGATEP, JEFF KELLUM Production Editor: LESLIE E.H. LIGHT Technical Editor: WARREN WYROSTEK Copyeditor: SALLY ENGELFRIED Compositor: CHRIS GILLESPIE, HAPPENSTANCE TYPE-O-RAMA Graphic Illustrator: HAPPENSTANCE TYPE-O-RAMA Proofreaders: NANCY RIDDIOUGH, AMY MCCARTHY Indexer: JOHN LEWIS Cover Designer: RICHARD MILLER, CALYX DESIGN Cover Illustrator/Photographer: ANDREW VOUDOURIS, XOXIDE.COM Copyright © 2005 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. World rights reserved. No part of this publication may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photocopy, photograph, magnetic, or other record, without the prior agreement and written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Card Number: 2004109305 ISBN: 0-7821-4360-1 SYBEX and the SYBEX logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SYBEX Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Screen reproductions produced with FullShot 99. FullShot 99 © 1991-1999 Inbit Incorporated. All rights reserved. FullShot is a trademark of Inbit Incorporated. TRADEMARKS: SYBEX has attempted throughout this book to distinguish proprietary trademarks from descriptive terms by following the capitalization style used by the manufacturer. The author and publisher have made their best efforts to prepare this book, and the content is based upon final release software whenever possible. Portions of the manuscript may be based upon pre-release versions supplied by software manufacturer(s). The author and the publisher make no representation or warranties of any kind with regard to the completeness or accuracy of the contents herein and accept no liability of any kind including but not limited to performance, merchantability, fitness for any particular purpose, or any losses or damages of any kind caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly from this book. Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 4360FM.qxd 9/23/04 11:00 AM Page iii To everyone who ever disassembled anything to see how it worked. Acknowledgments I want to thank everyone at Sybex for having faith in this book. Of all the books I've ever written, this was probably the most fun. I would like to thank Elizabeth for her work in the development of the book and its concept and Leslie for commandeering the project and making it happen. Thanks go to Jeff Kellum, Sally Engelfried, Nancy Riddiough, Amy McCarthy, Jack Lewis, and the great design folks at Happenstance Type-O-Rama. I would also like to thank Corsair and Xoxide for donating parts for the Sybex mod— they made this book happen as much as any of the people who worked on the words within. Finally, thanks to my wife, Linda—who was patient while I was grumpy, and to my kids—who helped me relax by letting me read them stories when I needed to. 4360FM.qxd 9/23/04 11:00 AM Page iv Foreword Have you ever seen the film The Fast and the Furious? The testosteronefueled film that features eye candy–laden hot rods adorned with unending modifications and glaring lights is a true testament to the potential that mankind has when art meets passion, function, and performance. I often use that film as a way to help pe