Thread: using a barebones computer to start. what will i need to add to the computer itself?

Originally Posted by lominono

i have decided to start with getting a barebones computer. what else will i need on the actual computer? i know some bout computers never built one but have some idea of what it involves. so what hardware and software conponents will i need to make thing into a carputer?

Seriously, n00b, you need to build one for your desk first. Get all the components, load an operating system and then actually test it. If you're lucky, something won't work, and you'll have to troubleshoot it. It's a skill you're going to rely on.
Make sure you configure all the parts that you want attached to the computer when it goes into your car, including any/all of the following: external CD or DVD drive, GPS receiver, wireless networking, cellphone interface, soundcard (internal or external), character-based LCD display, touchscreen, etc. You'll gain valuable skill in setting up hardware components, loading & configuring software and yes, more troubleshooting.

Next, install some advanced car stereo equipment, including an amplifier. Tweak it for sound quality as you desire. Get a fundamental idea of how the components all fit together. Again, if you're lucky, something won't work right and you'll learn about troubleshooting this phase of it.

Now you're pretty much ready to build a computer for your car. The only missing piece is power from the vehicle. There's quite a few solutions for that, but you're not ready until you know how to do the first two above.

Read the forums A LOT. Daily, if at all possible. Get ideas and information from the threads pertaining to functionality you want your carputer to have.

Good luck.

Im sorry to say you have a big hill to climb infront of you

As DP has outlined, making your own pc takes a lot of messing about, theres always something going wrong, something needing fixing or reworking- its the way of the PC to have something break and its not what skills you have to build one, its what skills you have to diagnose and fix it when it goes wrong (and it will)

Good luck

sorry i wasnt more clear about this but what hardware and software components do i need after i get the computer up and running. hardware and software that would make any computer into a carputer. that is what i meant by that.

and my father is helping me build the computer. he has done this type of thing before. so its like a slight rise in front of me. if he builds this for me and everything goes succesful then i promised to help him put a puter in his car

What do you want the computer to do?
You're not giving us any information.

No matter what, you're going to need some way to power the PC. Depending on your plans, you'd need a DC-DC power supply or an inverter.

And if your computer is building the computer, show him these forums, and you might be able to make some of these decisions together.

Originally Posted by DarquePervert

And if your computer is building the computer, show him these forums, and you might be able to make some of these decisions together.

Now theres an idea, a computer to build a computer- would save us tons of effort

Its getting late innit DP

Lom, one thing you should do is read the Stickies. They have pretty good info in there. Also, my best advice, do not look for places to save money. Spend you max budget on everything. It'll be worth it. I've been building computers for a long time and what I have learned is this. The more knowledge and experience you have building them, the cheaper you can feasibly do it. If you are starting out with basic skills, you should use the best components you can afford as it will lead to less headaches. In other words, if you can afford, go OPus 150 for power and go Xenarc for screen.

yeah sorry im not being clear here.

okay i first want my carputer(i really dont like this name) be able to play mp3s and videos. after i get those working i then want to add a fm/am thing to the puter(i know theres fm but not sure on am. this is so i can get rid of the head unit). then either gps or tv tuner. then i would like to be able to hook into the car's computer to read temp, rpms, all that stuff. i would say 2-3 weeks between each addition so i can get use to it and see if theres any bugs.

what hardware other than the power supple/inverter and the fast boot thing will i need?

what software do i need? ive looked all over the place and havent found a suitable app yet.

and thanks for all the help peoples i know this is probley really fustrating you. i know what its like being an expert trying to help a newb.

Originally Posted by Mad Ad

Now theres an idea, a computer to build a computer- would save us tons of effort

Its getting late innit DP

:LOL:
Yeah. A long assed day of packing.... I meant father. But I think you guessed that....

Originally Posted by lominono

yeah sorry im not being clear here.

okay i first want my carputer(i really dont like this name) be able to play mp3s and videos. after i get those working i then want to add a fm/am thing to the puter(i know theres fm but not sure on am. this is so i can get rid of the head unit). then either gps or tv tuner. then i would like to be able to hook into the car's computer to read temp, rpms, all that stuff. i would say 2-3 weeks between each addition so i can get use to it and see if theres any bugs.

what hardware other than the power supple/inverter and the fast boot thing will i need?

Fast boot thing? Huh?
The simplest way to do all this is take a standard desktop computer and an inverter, plug 'em both in and away you go. That isn't the sexiest or most efficent way to go, however.

what software do i need? ive looked all over the place and havent found a suitable app yet.

Suitable app for what? To play MP3s and videos? Hell, you can use WinAmp or Windows Media Player for that. There are, however, a number of touchscreen-friendly applications written by users here that have a wide variety of functionality, including backup cameras, XM satellite radio functionality, integration of GPS software and so on.
Most of them are freeware, so you can download them all, try them out and choose the one you like the most.

and thanks for all the help peoples i know this is probley really fustrating you. i know what its like being an expert trying to help a newb.

It's not so much that we're frustrated helping newbies, really. It's that all the answers to your questions have already been answered multiple times in these forums. Use the search feature a LOT. You'll be glad you did.
Look in the forums devoted to a specific topic and look at the top of the thread listing. The vast majority of them have stickies that are a treasure-trove of useful information.