Thread: Hardware Questions

Originally posted by snafu83
The main thing I'm worried about is extra noise generated by the power supply, can anyone tell me how bad it will be? I hope that the sound quality isn't too bad, but then again, most of my mp3s are 128 kbit/s, so it can't be too bad, right? Where and what do I need to ground to prevent noise?

Also, I plan on runnign 98SE stripped down, adn just have a power switch to kill it, and not use scandisk. I'm going to have to buy a new hard drive, cause the one from my salvaged (free) computer is way too small. The question is, does access time and speed (5400, 7200, 10000 RPm) matter that much for boot up?

Last question: The computer doesn't have a fan, and my car gets pretty damn hot in the summer, so what's the best way to cool this thing? I have just a heatsink now, will a regular fan be enough when the inside of the car hits 110+ F?

1. Use a gorund loop noice remover thing, but if you're having no probs with the signal cable from your stereo to your amplifiers(if any), you should be fine. they dont cost that much either

2. Using the search i found:

TokaTola
I recently bought a Maxtor DiamondMax plus 7200rpm 20 gig hard drive for my home computer. The boot time was instantly cut in half!

search for 7200 rpm or such

3. I think that keeping an eye on the temp with the car parked in the sun one hot day and crankin the mp3player would be a very scientific way to go...

i have a 93 Explorer and ive had my system in that car for 2 years now. also, if you are looking to do anything to your X, check out www.explorerforum.com. I go by mp3suv on there. Its the best forum around for dealing with explorers! many free mods (search for "air box mod")!! ok, i am using a power inverter and experience NO noise what-so-ever. The key is to grounding everything. I have my lcd grounded along with the inverter. Thats the key is grounding the inverter. I hard wired it to the battery, so i ran the power wire to the battery and have the other grounded to the car. My inverter is in the rear drivers side compartment thing (you know what i mean). As far as everything else goes, i would consider getting a larger hard drive. 2 gigs doesnt cut it. also, you may want to consider including a NIC and getting rid of the cd-rom, i know that can save on room, but it may not be worth it in your case, you can determine that yourself. Check out my sounddomain site to see my setup.