Building ANOTHER computer for MP3Car

Despite an UNBELIEVABLY helpful response from the denizens of this board, my first attempt at building a computer for use as a car MP3 player seems to have been a failure (long story short--sparks and an apparently dead motherboard!). Anyway, I'm deciding to give it another go.

Here are the parts I already have:
-Creative Labs SoundBlaster sound card
-Nvidia Edge 3D 4 MB video card (This is simply to set up my computer. I don't plan on having any sort of video display until I decide to throw in a DVD-ROM at some point in the future, at which point I'll buy a good video card w/ TV OUT to hook it up to an LCD.)
-Samsung 40 gig HD
-Mitsumi CD-ROM drive
-2 16 MB 72 PIN SIMMS

Basically, I need to buy a case, motherboard, and processor. Any suggestions? I'm not picky in terms of the components, I'm just looking for something that for now could power a barebones system (I'll be running Win95 or 98--any opinions on which to use?), and that in the future would have a quick enough processor to run DVDs and power a grahpical LCD display. A motherboard that would accept the RAM I already have would be nice, but not a necessity. What cases and motherboard/CPU combos have you guys had success with?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

check this post for info on a small computer/case combo. http://www.mp3car.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/001778.html It lists some info on the book PC and an alternative: the Soyo SY7000.

You can skip the video and sound card if you buy a motherboard with built on sound and video. PCChips makes a bunch, as do the better manufacturers like ASUS and Soyo. As for processor, all you really need is a 75 or higher, but 200s are so cheap nowadays that you might as well use one of those and have room to grow. For your case, use whatever fits. You can custom make, or use something premade.

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Aaron Cake
London, Ontario, Canada

Player: Cyrix 200, 32MB RAM, 10.2Gig Quantum HD, Onboard EtherNet/Sound/Video, Custom Lexan Case, Arise DC-DC, Win95 Kernal w/Custom Player
Car: '86 Mazda RX-7 w/Basic Performance Upgrades

I agree the PC-Chips motherboards are great if you want built in components. I bought a PCChips motherboard with built in Sound, Video and LAN and a 500Mhz AMD processor + fan for $150 shipped. I'll give you the details if you're interested.


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That sounds tempting. It kind of seems a waste to buy a motherboard with built in video and sound when I already have a video card and a sound card. What is the PC Chips web site? And can anyone suggest a motherboard/processor combo that does NOT include onboard video/sound that may be cheaper? Thanks.

well bdk3clash if u want ur box/setup to be small, the PC chips will do.


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abcd-1
Author of CobraI and CobraII.
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Well, also the guy mentioned he would throw in a DVD, shouldn't he get a little more prepared with the processor to watch movies?

I'm with fjm... If you are planning for DVD get a board that will support at least a 366mhz Celeron. I would look at the AMD socket A processors. You could buy a slower Duron now & be all set to go up to 1.1ghz Thhunderbird (not that you'd ever need that much horsepower in your car) but hec... you might want to get in a few rounds of half-life now & then right? Also make sure you can supply enough power if you decide to go that fast. Check out http://www.pricewatch.com for the lowest pricing on almost anything you can think of.

I can do DVD on my system (see tagline) but it's not always perfect. There is a little artifacting at times. The cuwe board has onboard video with the intel i810 chipset. It's a flexatx form factor (about 7x9") The best software player I've found (so far) is PowerDVD.

-kate

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send mail to:
kate at bootstrap dot net

2000 Jeep Cherokee
Asus CUW(E) + 366mhz Celeron + 96mb + 13GB + DVD
Palm Pilot + PalmAmp
300w Inverter

Just a note: stay away from the AMD Durons or T-Birds (Athlon) for car use (no offense Kate ;-)). Now before the flaming begins, I use a t-bird 750 (@1.1) for my everyday gaming system.
The reason I say this is because of the heat that these processors throw out and power requirements. The AMDs need to disipate 50watts of heat and require power supplies that provide at least 12amps at 12volts. They even have an approved power supply list on their site for warranty/compatability issues. Normal Heatsinks will not work, and you will end up with a very cool keychain (see www.hardocp.com for an example)

I reccomend a Celeron 1/2 or a P3 because they are more efficient (35watts of heat, and less than 6amps: P3). I have a P3 733 that I am waiting on the DC-DC ATX supplies prior to install. For now, I run the Neo35.