Thread: First Car Computer Advise

When i 1st joined i read these two links thorougly ::

http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/advfaq.php

http://www.mp3car.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

I was able to put a pc in my car with much ease after that.

yup, unlike most forums, the faq's actually have useful info there

every install is different, but most installs use usb cable extensions, and vga cable extensions.

wheather getting a prebuilt system, or building it yourself is kind of up to you-- some people just like to install it and go, others like to pour blood, sweat, and tears into it, and then go.

So started looking into it and got an idea but want some input before i commit and buy everything (mainly cause something is bound to not mesh right) so here are the current parts im looking at, let me know if something wont work or have a better suggestion. havent figured out everything yet so feel free to suggest changes. Thanks

that is kind of a large processor for most car computing.

most of the time, a atom processor will do the job just fine(those boards are a little cheaper, and less power hungry also)

i run a pentium dual core, but only because i have some heavy audio processing to do that the atom couldn't keep up with (i ran a atom at first, and it worked great, until i threw audio processing at it).

also, didn't see a power supply listed-- you might have trouble powering a processor that big, but will need to check the power supply ratings against the available dc-dc offerings outputs.

Updated the motherboard/processor, and dont have a power supply or screen yet cause not sure what to get, advise appreciated

the pine trail atom should be pretty yummy. I'd go with an m2-atx or m4-atx for the psu. I'd also try to invest in a faster drive. Your boot times will appreciate it .

that motherboard looks a little better, and i imagine that it would work good, i just don't trust the passive cooling...

the power supply is kind of dependant on budget, and motherboard power requirements. if you have the space and the money, i like the m4/dsatx because you can upgrade later on without changing the power supply, but if money is tight, it is best to get only what you need for your selection of motherboard.

something i didn't notice before--what case is that? if that is the double din one made by bybyte, then you aren't going to find much that will fit it--that case only accepts pico-itx motherboards, and will not work with mini-itx motherboards..

also, you will want to triple check the depth of your dash-- in my 01 eclipse, i had 10", but needed 13" to fit a mini-itx, and still allow the cables to be routed(you might be able to get it down to 10-11" with using right angle cables, but it is still tight-- and don't forget that the screen will take up about 1.5-2"). from what i have been told, most dashes aren't as deep as that though, so it could be a issue.

check out the bracket that i had made, and after it didn't work, sold to member tbird2340 for his dodge:
http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/fabr...-please-7.html

he ended up building a second tier for hdd and power supply, so if you look around that thread, you can see the end product-- i think he might have used a heavy foot on a couple of parts to make them fit!

to add to tripzero's comments-- i use a 7200rpm drive to boost boot times-- there is a noticable difference between boot times of a 5400, and 7200 rpm drive, but, if you can afford it ssd is even faster

Im planning on installing the hardware somewhere else and not in the dash and running cables to the front, as for the case its suppose to be for Mini ITX so should work, ill double check though. Thanks for the help on the power supply and recommend faster drive ill look into that

If you are creative and/or handy, you can go without a case or fabricate your own.