Five stupid newbie questions I had to ask.

**mpfjr** · 01-03-2005, 10:10 PM

Ok so the holidays are over and I have been putting off my carpc project long enough. I am ready to start ordering parts and have my list here but I had some questions about some of them.

Please take a few moments and help me out. I would like to order parts this week.

Motherboard: Going with MicroATX instead of Mini-ITX for compatibility/speed reasons.

A) ASUS A7N8X-VM/400 NVIDIA nFORCE2 400 CHIPSET ULTRA ATA133 MICRO ATX FORM FACTOR 1xAGP(8X)/3xPCI/2xDDR W/INTEGRATED VGA,LAN,USB 2.0 & AUDIO (CPU TYPE:AMD DURON, SEMPRON, ATHLON XP - 266/333/400Mhz) - $79.00

Question #1: The nForce2 chipset, does it support the illusive 800X480 resolutions without having to use powerstrip? I see in the drivers settings you can set custom resolutions. Can someone please confirm success?

B) AMD ATHLON XP MOBILE 2400+ 45W (AXMH2400FQQ4C) - $76.00

Question #2: Does this cpu work with above motherboard? Just wanna make sure. I am second guessing myself.

C) Crucial 512MB's DDR400 $74.00

D) FUJITSU 2.5" 80GB MHT2080AT 9.5MM 4200RPM 2MB - $143.00

E) Notebook HD to IDE Converter 2.5" to 3.5" - $9.99

F) Panasonic CW-8123-B Slimline Slot Loading CD-RW / DVD - $96.00

Question #3: If I am mounting this inside my center armrest console thing so that the slot faces the rear seats, how do I connect this device to the computer that is in the trunk of my car? What cables do I need for it and where do I find them and what are they called??

G) Xenarc 700TSV - VGA Monitor with touchscreen and video inputs - $399.99

Question #4: What type of cable do I run from the computer (in the trunk) up to the above monitor? What is it called and where do I find it?

H) IOGEAR MICROHUB 4-PORT GUH275 USB 2.0 HI-SPEED - $16.07
Mounting this below the dvdrom drive for connection of any usb devices.

I) M1-ATX Powersupply $74.99

Question #5: Does this have enough power to supply above components?
If not and you are going to tell me that I need the 150wt Opus, then my next question 5b: Are there any compatibility issues iwth the opus and this setup? I'll of course need the shut down and start up controllers working etc.

I hope instead of just flaming me with

and

responses, you experts can just throw me a bone here. I am really just trying to get some

or some

's before I put this all on my check card.

Thanks in advance and I'll thank you again later!

-Mike

P.S. Question #6, Am I missing anything that I should add to my list? Any must haves?

**RedGTiVR6** · 01-03-2005, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by mpfjr

F) Panasonic CW-8123-B Slimline Slot Loading CD-RW / DVD - $96.00

Question #3: If I am mounting this inside my center armrest console thing so that the slot faces the rear seats, how do I connect this device to the computer that is in the trunk of my car? What cables do I need for it and where do I find them and what are they called??

G) Xenarc 700TSV - VGA Monitor with touchscreen and video inputs - $399.99

Question #4: What type of cable do I run from the computer (in the trunk) up to the above monitor? What is it called and where do I find it?

For the dvd drive: I am using a mapower external case molded into my center console...you can see pics of the process in my sig....

do a search on newegg.com for mapower, a few will pop up, just look for the slim one...it will use USB for signal and a 5v ac power plug (which you can splice into the 5v rail on the M1....which is what I will be doing....

the monitor comes with the cables that you will need....if you need extensions it will be a VGA extension and a USB extension.

Hope this helps!

**Tidder** · 01-03-2005, 10:18 PM

Only thing I would do different would be to change from a 2.5" hdd to 3.5" hdd. You could buy two desktop drives for the price of the one laptop, and have more speed and space anyway. What I did was buy 2, and get my system all set up how I like it, then ghosted it to the other drive just in case.

**RedGTiVR6** · 01-03-2005, 10:22 PM

I will agree on the hdd thing, but there are people on here who will disagree with it as well....think it's all personal preference and how much space you really need

**Bugbyte** · 01-03-2005, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by mpfjr

Question #4: What type of cable do I run from the computer (in the trunk) up to the above monitor? What is it called and where do I find it?

You will need a VGA extension cable for the video and a USB extension cable for the touchscreen. Power too, of course but I assume you're supply that from some point in car that may not require an extension.

Question #3: If I am mounting this inside my center armrest console thing so that the slot faces the rear seats, how do I connect this device to the computer that is in the trunk of my car? What cables do I need for it and where do I find them and what are they called??

I looked for that drive at NewEgg and found that it is an ATAPI/E-IDE. You ought to be able to use an ATAPI to USB converter cable here: http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...118-401&DEPA=0

I notice you left out a keyboard and mouse but assume you are counting on touchscreen, yes?

I can't answer the processor and power supply questions. Good luck with your install!

**m3rdpwr** · 01-04-2005, 12:29 PM

I thought I read in some other posts that the particular motherboard in question has had some weird problems detecting those Athlon's.

They did a wire trick on the CPU to overcome it.
Other people went to the BIOSTAR.

As far as the PS goes, I read someone had done it with a mobile, although YMMV.

Perhaps someone else could shed some light one this...

-Mario

**mpfjr** · 01-04-2005, 08:11 PM

Bumping my thread for a new day. I have not placed any orders although I did find a bluetooth pci card I think I may use instead of the usb adapter type. That way I can use my cellphone for internet.

M3rdpwr: Thanks, I'll check out some biostars.