Thread: Newbie needs advice

New to CarPCs? Don't know where to start?

I suggest reading up a bit.
Specifically this post: here

What do I buy?
Another question that is often asked by those newcomers to the MP3Car.com community is “What all do I need to make a CarPC work in my application?”

While we cannot possibly tell you exactly everything you will want for your implementation, we can give you a decent list of the basics that you need to get your rolling.

• Motherboard – keep size and power consumption in mind when purchasing
• Processor – as with the motherboard, size and power are a concern, some of the smaller VIA boards have imbedded processors
• Memory – keep in mind that the more memory you have the longer your boot up times, however, the less memory you have the slower you computer can run
• Hard Drive – people have had success with both laptop drives as well as full size drives in this community. Laptop drives consume less power but are generally slower and have less capacity while full size drives consume a bit more power but are generally faster and have more capacity. You will have to decide which one is right for your application. Both have proven to handle the harsh environment of in car use quite well, withstanding the bumps and jars that will present themseves from in car use.
• Power Supply – Follow the FAQ located here to help determine the proper power supply size.
• Display – remember, a computer uses a VGA output.
• Optical Drives – for regular CD use and for loading software and the like.

There are many things you can add on to your CarPC. Some of those options are as follows:

• GPS
• Satelite Radio
• AM/FM Radio
• Wi-Fi
• OBD-II scanning
• What new and innovative application can you come up with? Be sure to post it up in the forums!