Thread: Using a home pc as car pc?

Basically you want to figure out the watts the mobo and everything else pulls. Just because you have a 250 psu on it now does not mean you need that much. I've seen people with 600 watts psu and only use 150 of it.

A lot of the mini itx boards/cpu/vga combos only consume 10 watts. A lot of 7" touchscreens are around 10 - 15 watts. A M2ATX is 160 watt intelligent ATX startup and shutdown psu for car computing. Also the OPUS range from 120 watts and higher and are prone to less problems then the M series.

These PSU are designed to startup and shutdown with the car's ign. These will also monitor the car battery and shutdown if the battery levels drop too low so you are able to start your car if need be. Do some and it has all be covered before and check out the FAQ section. If you have questions ask. We will answer.

You searched but must have not checked the FAQ link in the nav bar at the top of the forum. You'll find information about powering computers and how to calculate the necessary power supply size there.

Also, check out the FAQ emporium. It's a little broader than just the FAQ. You can access it from the link in my signature.

As you will soon find if you search other posts, power inverters are not recommended. They waste a lot of power as heat. And from a carputer standpoint, they are not as cool. Get one of the intelligent psu from the store. They are smaller, don't create as much heat, and will turn your pc on and off for you. I use the m4 I got from the store. I actually have two. My wife bought me one for my bday, but I am impatient and bought one a few weeks before.

Here is a link for the Opus 320w. I have read a lot of good things about Opus, but have never had one myself.
http://store.mp3car.com/OPUS_320W_In..._p/pwr-024.htm

This is what I currently use.
http://store.mp3car.com/M4_ATX_250W_..._p/pwr-031.htm