Please review my proposed setup....

**jdmagoo1** · 10-26-2010, 05:23 AM

Well it has come time to ditch the Infill G4!!! Way to underpowered for the carpc environment and has annoyed me far to often. Anyway, not to be caught out with an underpowered system again i propose this system. Could you please comment on compatibility issues and other known problems with software (Centrafuse and other) that may exist with these components. Your comments will be much appreciated:

CPU: i5 650
M/B: Zotac H55ITX-C-E (WIFI 'n' & USB 3 version)
RAM: 4Gb DDR3 1333Mhz (kingston)
CASE: m350 from mini-box
HDD: 40Gb Intel X25-V Solid State Drive
CPU Cooler: low profile
PSU: M3-ATX 125Watt nominal 150Watt peak
Blu-ray Drive: Slot loading blu ray drive (because i have allot of blu rays now)
GPS: BU353
CAN-BUS SCAN TOOL: OBDLink WIFI (I hope i get all the info from the CAN-BUS from my 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3L Diesel)
Steering wheel controls: SWI-CAN to SWI-PS to Joycon EX (i Hope this works)
Monitor: Lilliput 669GL-70NP/C/T/-HB-RV (the new one! 4 wire, High Brightness and mounts in a double DIN frame)
Radio: Ultimate DAB+ from Craigbrass
OS: Win 7 64Bit
Frontend: Centrafuse 3.1
Scan Software: Dashcommand (Will this embed properly with Centrafuse?)
Mic: Andrea Superbeam
Echo cancellation: SOHO card

I think thats it from memory, i know its probably overpowered for all of that, but i have being running a G4 for a few years and want to future proof my setup.

Anyway looking forward to your constructive comments

Cheers

James

**DarquePervert** · 10-26-2010, 05:37 AM

M3 is insufficient for what you intend to use.
Save yourself the headache and go with a more substantial PSU.

I wouldn't go with a 64-bit OS. Hardware & software support for 64-bit OS is marginal, at best.

**jdmagoo1** · 10-26-2010, 06:03 AM

Originally Posted by DarquePervert

M3 is insufficient for what you intend to use.
Save yourself the headache and go with a more substantial PSU.

I wouldn't go with a 64-bit OS. Hardware & software support for 64-bit OS is marginal, at best.

Which PSU would you recommend? Something that fits into the m350 case preferably

CarTFT advise they have tested the M3-ATX with the same M/B, m350 case and the i5 650 CPU with no problems.

I was also thinking the same about the 64Bit OS might just stick with 32Bit and loose the extra RAM

**Punky** · 10-26-2010, 08:43 AM

a few people on mp3car tried the m3 with atom + ion motherboard and realized it didn't have enough power. So I'd be curious about carTFT's claim.

**tripzero** · 10-26-2010, 09:44 AM

so why do you need an i5? I'd cut that out of the picture and get an i3 or stop using slow software and get an atom. I'd also cut out the blueray player. HighDef video on that small a screen seems silly. 4Gigs of ram also seems excessive. You should be fine with 1Gig.

64bit is slower in many cases than 32bit. Compatibility with 64bit should be a thing of the past. It kinda surprises me that Darq hinted at issues. I've been running 64bits for years now without any issues with drivers or apps. Even flash is 64bit now. However, I only have ever run 32bit in the car. All my LinuxICE builds were 32bit only as well.

I like the SSD though. That should bring many fast boots.

**HiJackZX1** · 10-26-2010, 09:47 AM

i would go with the OPUS 360. My OPUS 320 works on my Zotac 610i perfectly. I am using a C2D E8200 with 4gb of Ram.

Now I just read your stats.... Wow a i5? How much wattage are those processors? If its 95W and up, then forget it, a OPUS 360 may not even be able to power it. When picking your PSU, you also have to take into account all the devices you have connected to it. Things like cooling fans also add to the mix.

Also I agree with Trip..... you do not need high def video in the car. I would just download the digital copy of the movie from the bluray CD, and then place that on a HDD. I have a standard DVD in my setup and the only time I ever use it is when updating or installing software.

**jdmagoo1** · 10-26-2010, 03:07 PM

Guys what about the CarNetix CNX-P2140 for the PSU?

Also, the blu ray drive is USB and slot loading I realise the small screens wont show all the detail but as i said i have plenty of blu ray disks now and would rather have a drive than having to rip them to hdd just to play.

The i5 650 is 73W

Cheers

James

**justchat_1** · 10-26-2010, 03:14 PM

Theres nothing wrong with a blu-ray player in your setup ignore the above comments. Yea you won't notice the quality difference on such a small screen but the convenience of not having to rip each disk just to play it is worth a lot. Last I heard though, cf won't play blurays so you may want to double check on that before you get it.

+1 to the rest of the comments...thats not future proofing its just overkill. CarTFT is full of ****, that may work with no fan and no usb devices but it won't last very long before it burns out.

**tripzero** · 10-26-2010, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by justchat_1

Theres nothing wrong with a blu-ray player in your setup ignore the above comments. Yea you won't notice the quality difference on such a small screen but the convenience of not having to rip each disk just to play it is worth a lot. Last I heard though, cf won't play blurays so you may want to double check on that before you get it.

I always find it more convenient to rip my media once to my media server and have my carpc automatically sync it rather than lugging discs around from place to place ("honey, where's that Iron Man II disc? Did I leave it in the car again?"). But that's just me

.

**tripzero** · 10-26-2010, 03:32 PM

Originally Posted by tripzero

I always find it more convenient to rip my media once to my media server and have my carpc automatically sync it rather than lugging discs around from place to place ("honey, where's that Iron Man II disc? Did I leave it in the car again?"). But that's just me

.

Also, double check if your 2006 has a CAN bus. Not a deal breaker most likely, but it's still good to know.