My setup, need opinion

**skygtr** · 01-25-2006, 11:39 PM

Purchasing:

*7" lillput touch screen LCD
*ASUS A8N-VM CSM Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6150 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
*AMD Althon 3200+ 939 socket
*Corsair XMS 2x512mb pc3200 ram
*slim 80gb 7200rpm hard drive
*slim DVD burner
*(maybe a sound card)---> depends on how this sound on my current audio system (2 amps, 1 12" sub, front components, rear coaxials)
*Ampie case
*Zalman CPU cooler

The question mainly is after searches, I still don't know what to use as in PSU, there are the opus 90 watt and the 120watt, then there is another big inverter. Which one do I use, i want everything to be able to fit in the Ampie casing and so just having a hard time deciding which inverter or power suppy chip to use. Do I need the inveter and the PSU? thanks for the clarification and opinions on my setup

**DarquePervert** · 01-26-2006, 07:34 AM

1) The case is designed for miniITX motherboards. The one you've specified is microATX. It may not line up with the standoffs. Also, the motherboard is 24.5cm X 24.5cm. MiniITX boards are 17cm X 17cm. You've got a fitment problem.
2) The Zalman cooler is friggin huge. I seriously doubt that it will fit inside the Ampie case.
3) One thing you have not addressed is how you're going to power this beast. The CPU alone draws 89w on the 12v rail. There is no DC-DC power supply on the market that will push 7.5-8 amps on the 12v rail, which is what you'd need to power that sucker. That means you'll need a traditional AC-DC power suppy and an inverter. Inverters are more prone to inducing noise into your audio system, as well as horribly inefficient (they convert the car's DC power into AC, then the computer's PSU converts the AC back to DC for the computer to use).
4) What do you intend to use this beast for in your car? GPS navigation, playing MP3s and/or DVDs and/or MP4s, time-lampse recording wih a webcam, and just about any other vehicle functionality all running at the same time doens't need the CPU you've spec'ed.

In a very general sense, you need to do some rethinking of your plan for the reasons I've outlined above. I highly suggest you do some reading in the FAQ Emporium and some more planning to bring your system down to a far more reasonable level. One option you might consider is an Athlon64 mobile CPU. There are variations that will pull as little as 35w, but may not work witht he motherboard you've selected.

**skygtr** · 01-26-2006, 12:11 PM

Thank you for helping me out before my purchase, it would be dumb if it didn't work. I wondering about something. Currently, I have a 7" indash DVD player, now can I ultilize the unit or it would be best to sell and get a touchscreen. Also regarding the ITX, are there other place to shop for ITX motherboards? The system Ill be using is mainly for GPS, bluetooth, connecting my programmable ECU, voice activation, and movies, mp3s, DVD.

**DarquePervert** · 01-26-2006, 12:17 PM

Can it be used? Yes, but you'll need a video card with TV-out or a scan converter to convert the VGA signal to composite video. The result will look marginal at its very best, and most likely look like ****.

Your best bet is to get a touchscreen with VGA input.

**turbocad6** · 01-26-2006, 12:26 PM

darks got you covered.... he's right about everything he's told you.... that processor would be a huge mistake...... & as he said, the dvd player displaying the computer would be crap.... go vga....

**TyBong** · 01-26-2006, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by DarquePervert

Can it be used? Yes, but you'll need a video card with TV-out or a scan converter to convert the VGA signal to composite video. The result will look marginal at its very best, and most likely look like ****.

Your best bet is to get a touchscreen with VGA input.

composite sucks unless it is for videos and such.

**skygtr** · 01-26-2006, 01:48 PM

been reading up on powering the system. I maybe reading it incorrectly, but I can elminate the use of an inverter by purchasing a Snap-On Miniature 12v DC Power Supply - 200w or M2-ATX 160W Intelligent DC-DC PSU and directly connect it to my battery? Do I still need the OPUS regulator? I want to be as compact as possible, so I really want to stay away from inverters and regulators. This was the pdf i was reading up on http://www.via.com.tw/en/downloads/w...ns_bulucea.pdf

For now I've changed my setup to

*VIA EPIA SP13000 Mini-ITX Motherboard
*Corsair XMS 2x512mb pc3200 ram
*slim 80gb 7200rpm hard drive
*slim DVD burner (from a laptop)
*M2-ATX 160W Intelligent DC-DC PSU or Snap-On Miniature 12v DC Power Supply - 200w
*Ampie case
*Lillput 7" touch screen VGA

Do you guys see anything Im missing that I need? I figure that I want fast processing time, loading time, etc. that is why i tried to go with the AMD althon and over clock it, but I would run into the problem with power like Darque said. But for now, I would like to maximize speed and using my system for running Wifi, bluetooth, GPS, voice control, and play mp3, DVD. Thanks so much for the helpful links!

**DarquePervert** · 01-26-2006, 03:16 PM

There are some DC-DC power supplies that are an all-in-one solution. They regulate the 12v line, they are ATX-spec and include a startup/shutdown controller and battery protection. Opus units, the M-series and DSATX all fall into this category.

There are others that are regulated and meet ATX spec, but don't have the other features. Keypower is one of those, and are rebranded by other vendors.

Then there are the unregulated PSUs, otherwise known as pieces of ****.

The PW-series and Pico power supplies fall into this cateogry. They will work, but you have to purchase a regulator in addition to the power supply so that the car's fluctuating voltage (typically 10-14v, but can go more or less either direction) won't shut off the computer (when voltage drops) or fry the motherboard (when it spikes).

**skygtr** · 01-26-2006, 04:51 PM

So ill be good with buying a m2-ATX 160W intelligent DC-DC PSU since it does have everything from startup to shutdown. cool so I can stick this in the ampie and not worry about running extra inverter. Thanks!