Thread: Proposed hardware for first CarPC

Will be doing in dash mounting of LCD (possible double din setup from mo-so-co) and want to put the PC case in the glove box (in the mazda 3 it's pretty big).

Want to mount amp under front seats (if room allows).

Mentioning these things in case it matters in terms of recommendations.

48 views and not a single comment?

I see several other requests asking for comment in the same way that I am seeking some type of validation...many of those posts have received no comment as well.

Is it that nobody cares to comment, or that I am expecting too much to get any feedback on what hardware I am thinking to use?

90W seems a little low to power the entire machine, and LCD. Do you know the power draw on the LCD?

Also 500GB 3.5" desktop drive, if you are going to use it - make sure you mount it in some type of shock case, otherwise Soild State is the way to go.

But otherwise, looks like a solid car computer setup. What are you putting it into?

For GPS, I would recommend the BU-353, or something like it. Its very popular.

I agree that the 90W is probably not going to get the job done powering all of that equipment, it'll be close. Search around for a power supply calculator, i think there might be one on the forums here somewhere...

That 500GB 3.5" desktop drive will be absolutely fine w/o any sort of shock absorption on it, there are plenty of people on here that are using them in their computers with no problems.

Don't forget with cases that the mobo will also mount to a micro-atx form factor case if you want to save some $$$ and forfeit a little size.

Originally Posted by Ramb0_Command0

That 500GB 3.5" desktop drive will be absolutely fine w/o any sort of shock absorption on it, there are plenty of people on here that are using them in their computers with no problems.

The only reason i say that is because my friend has gone threw 2 hdd's in a year

Originally Posted by DeAtH07

The only reason i say that is because my friend has gone threw 2 hdd's in a year

Yeah but we'd need more details to say it's a bad lot. I have made a point to ONLY buy Western Digital drives in both personal and business use. I've YET to have ONE fail due to it's own design. The one I purchased in 2001 is STILL going, and it's powered nearly 24/7. Little 80GB drive doin' just fine. Keep in mind these stay where they belong and are used how they were intended. Does your friend have a decent power supply, decent wiring TO the computer in the house, does his animals/kids knock into his PC, is he always messing with it when it's ON? These all will impact the hardware, I had a friend that blamed the Kingston RAM, come to find out he put it in his computer while it was on. Grats.

Anyways, back to the subject at hand. 90W seems very low to me, make sure you add up the Watt/Amp draw for every device you intend to have connected to the carputer. Then see where you stand, and give yourself some leeway. Don't buy a 90W power supply if you add everything up and come to 80Watt. You're going to run into problems.

I added everything up and came to a 50Watt total, I bought a 250Watt M4.

It will be worth the extra money in the longrun to have a little bit better of a power supply.

Edit: Don't forget to take LOTS of pictures!

Desktop hd's are great for storage/$, but not so good in a car. Laptop hd's are better. They are built for motion and more temp extremes. Search for an automotive hd. They are great for shocks and high/low temps. I had issues last winter with the standard hd not spinning until the temp got above 40. Its worth the extra cost imo.

Thanks for responses fellas!

I was starting to think my questions were silly or poorly formed.

As for the power consumption of the Intel D945GCLF2 Atom 330 mobo /CPU combo:

http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/powe...core-atom.html

so, it seems under fully load it would draw 55w-65w if I understand correctly. Adding in the display draw and the drives...well, I think the M2-ATX should cover it. I will do the math though before ordering.

It looks like the M2-ATX would be a better choice?? It has some extra wire or pin I would need...according to the thread I linked above.

The hard drive is not a desktop drive. The Western Digital Scorpio Blue drive I have is is a 5400RPM 2.5" notebook SATA-II drive.

For the GPS...I have seen many people to get BU-353...I am going to go with this, instead of my existing BT Holux unit.

Thanks again fellas!

Lookin' good Oracle! As far as the case, take a look around at what you have already, I've seen some people on here even use the little cash boxes you can get at Staples/Office Max/etc...

I'm using the case of an HP Thin Client I had laying in in a box in the closet.

Next you'll need to figure out where you're going to pull your power from and start snappin' those pics for your worklog!