tryin to set up my first carpc

**mm87** · 02-20-2009, 10:53 AM

so heres the deal... i got this old gateway collecting dust in my closet and i would love to be able to use it as a carputer. Its from about 03 and is pretty dated for a desktop but i thought it would be perfect for a car pc.

im having some troubles getting it reformatted so i dont know all the specs but from what i can remember about the specs are:

foxconn processor (not sure of the ghz, im sure low 2s)
1.25gb ram
40g ide hd
dont see a graphics card
has a dc output power rating of 200w

im not sure what the typical power rating for a carputer is so i hope this is low enough so i dont blow anything up in my car lol

if this will work i want to take it out of its desktop case and put it in a smaller case so i can mount it easily in my 92 acura legend

some input here would be awesome

**DarquePervert** · 02-20-2009, 03:23 PM

Foxconn does not make CPUs. You probably have a Foxconn motherboard.

Power ratings are different for each build, as each build uses different hardware. The only way to know your power requirements with any certainty is to measure it.
There are power calculators on the web that can give you a ballpark estimate, and that will certainly help in planning, especially if you don't have the tools to measure the actual power draw.

It's very likely you could use the existing hardware, if it will meet your needs.

**mm87** · 02-20-2009, 04:17 PM

wierd.. theres a foxconn sticker on top of the cpu.. probably just put it there becuase the motherboard is a foxconn. i did look it up tho and its an intel celeron cpu 2.4ghz

i finally got it reformatted.. turns out my original format disk was bad and it wouldnt read it.

unfortunately i think the motherboard is faulty. everything runs fine except for audio and video. since day one the audio on this machine has never worked right. I figured it was a driver problem or just a glitch and thought that a reformat would fix this problem, but it didnt. i used my own format disk (not gateways) and downloaded the drivers straight form their website but the problem persists. so im assuming its faulty hardware. so unless i can get a cheap replacement board this thing is goin to the dumpster

**mrdeep2001** · 02-20-2009, 04:51 PM

for audio, have you thought of getting one of those usb soundcards?

**mm87** · 02-20-2009, 04:57 PM

i thought about that.. but i dont know if that would fix the problem tho. the motherboard has built in audio and video. Basically while playing any audio or video the sound will just cut out and the video will stop but the the time bar still shows that it is playing. If i close and reopen it will come back on. its completely random when it does it. everybody ive ever had look at this computer couldnt figure out why it was doing it. Reason why it sat in my closet. I figured id break it out and try reformatting it but no go.

**mm87** · 04-13-2009, 11:02 PM

well i got the sound working turns out alls it needed was a new sound card. installed a usb one works great now.

im picking up a monitor this week so im ready to get started on this.

couple more questions.

im sure im not the only one going to be running a micro atx desktop computer so theres a few things i want to change before i strap it up.

New case. whats everyone else using?
what power supply? this thing cant draw too much power as it never even came with a cooling fan in the case.
should i get a slim hard drive?
anything else i should change on it?