need some advice building a car PC!

**dsmstunna** · 01-22-2006, 11:32 PM

Hey guys,

I'm trying to put together my first car pc and i think i'm going to go insane!!! I'm good with cars and fabrication and good with operating computers but when it comes to building the accual PC and knowing what compents to get/buy and will work i'm going crazy. Theirs so many!

I'm hoping i can get alittle advice... Heres what i plan doing.

I have a 95 talon TSI, that has lots of performance upgrades and my main purpose in building a car pc is so i can run a Fuel/ECU managment program called DSMlink off it. and it hooks up to the OBDII port. Alright then i want to be able to have dual monitor outputs so i can have like a video playing on one screen and my DSMlink on the other. Also both being touch screen. I'm trying to keep the box as small as possible because i want it to fit up front by the firewall in my car. Then i want to relocate a DVD-rom and have a slot drive in the center councle, also have a couple remote USB ports instaled in the center councle.

Then also have the ablity in the future to have a wireless internet access and GPS.

Then i'm not sure what i want to do with my audio, keep my stock headunit and route it into that or have all the audio go through the PC. What do you guys recomend for this.

Ussually when i do something i like to do it big and get it done right the first time. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to use for the main compents to handle everything i want to do that will fit in a smaller case. The main thing that worries me is i won't have enough ports to handle everything i want to do. Anyways i'd like to hear any comments or advice.

thanks guys

**quodus** · 01-23-2006, 12:15 AM

i'm new here aswell and have the same sort of ideas . but apart from dual monitors i would have a split screen with media on 1 half and fuel managment and gauges n stuff on the other half. One thing thats big for me is security thats why i wanna go for motorised touch screen 7" wide screen! If you go for the sound routing through your head unit then make sure your head unit has good enough outputs for high quality music (like 8 volt preouts rockford springs to mind) otherwise its a waste. The other alternative is to go for a soundcard with an optical out and buy a really expensive amplifyer (i mean expensive) that has optical inputs for it! there is another alternative to this which i'm not sure of the name of it some sort of equaliser box that transforms optical to normal phono jacks ???? cant remeber the proper name something like that! its early here in the uk. anyways i would like to see what the more experianced car pc pple suggest! good luck!!!

**dsmstunna** · 01-23-2006, 01:12 AM

are you talkng about something like this amp here...?

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-oFvvlas...0&I=500MRAD550

It better have some cyrstal clear sound.

I'm mostly concerned about the processor/case right now though. Will like a VIA EPIA SP13000 get me dual video outputs? or should i just forget this idea?

**quodus** · 01-23-2006, 02:03 PM

i think for dual inputs you would need to have a seperate graphics card on any motherboard . which in turn will give you better graphics than any onboard. I know it can be done with dual video but the best way on how to i'm not sure. hope someone with more know how can answer that!