questions about compatibility.. 1st car pc!

sx4intexas · 09-16-2009, 02:55 AM

Hello everyone.. I am new here.. and have thought about doing this once before but never really really researched it.. Now I am looking at it again, and since I have 1 daughter and 1 on the way, I decided this is a must do thing.

ok on to my questions...

I have a list of items and was wondering if anyone can tell me if these will all be compatible. From what I am looking at (spec wise, layout) they should all be ok.. except one thing really... which is the psu..

Case: M350 http://www.logicsupply.com/products/m350

Motherboard

945GCLF2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813121359

Harddrive:WD3200BEVT http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136197

Memory:KVR800D2N5/2G http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...VR800D2N5%2f2G

Power Supply: M4-ATX 250W http://store.mp3car.com/M4_ATX_250W_..._p/pwr-031.htm

Those are all the parts..what does everyone think of them? As you can tell I plan on going with the m350 case. I notice on that website (link above) that I am planning on using the m350 case. On the website it says that this case (the m350) supports only the picousb. Is this true? I would rather use the m4-atx, but I am worried about the clearance level of the actual psu and the case. Does anyone know if an m4-atx psu fits correctly and safely into a m350 case?? Do I HAVE to get the picousb???

ok.. last question. I see another board that I wouldnt mind having and its core2duo. My question is (I know the one i linked is still double core, but just atom). My ultimate goal of this is to play movies in the back seat for the kiddos. Is dual core really necessary if the main thing im going to be doing is watching movies? or would this motherboard suffice?

Thank you everyone in advance. Much help and information is always welcome.

Bugbyte · 09-16-2009, 09:07 AM

Thread moved to Proposed Setup forum.

If you only want to play movies for the kids, it is cheaper and easier to buy two self-contained DVD players.

Some people have had trouble with the M4, some haven't. You don't really need it for the type of setup you are proposing. I don't know the exact case you are looking at but the PicoPSU is much smaller than the M4 so I would think that it probably won't fit. Consider an external power supply such as the M2 or an Opus.

sx4intexas · 09-16-2009, 09:31 AM

Thank you Bugbyte. That is my main goal but not my only goal. I would love to incorporate my sirius subscription into it so I can listen to it on my way to work and also I would like to listen to my mp3s easily on my way to work or when we go on a trip. Plus, from time to time I wardrive and I think it would be great to use when im wardriving. There are many many things that I would love to do with it. I want to refrain from buying self-contained DVD players because of the hassle of stopping and changing out movies or playing movies, etc. Would be much easier if I can rip them to a harddrive, and control them all from a centralized location.

Are the PicoPSU's better than the M2 or M4? External supply wouldnt be that bad though.. I will have to look into the external ones.

kross · 09-16-2009, 03:27 PM

An M3-ATX will fit, and should work fine for an Atom board. I wouldn't use a PicoPSU in a car because it doesn't have a shutdown controller. The M3-ATX is basically a PicoPSU+SDC in one.

If you're going to step up to a Core2Duo board, you'll need a bigger power supply, and a bigger case to put it in.

Here's a slide show giving you a better idea of the space inside the m350: http://resources.mini-box.com/online/M350/index.html

sx4intexas · 09-16-2009, 04:16 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by kross

An M3-ATX will fit, and should work fine for an Atom board. I wouldn't use a PicoPSU in a car because it doesn't have a shutdown controller. The M3-ATX is basically a PicoPSU+SDC in one.

If you're going to step up to a Core2Duo board, you'll need a bigger power supply, and a bigger case to put it in.

Here's a slide show giving you a better idea of the space inside the m350: http://resources.mini-box.com/online/M350/index.html

it looks like the M3-ATX has a 20 pin connection..but none for 20+4.. the motherboard that i listed has 20+4..so i dont think it will work..will it?

Punky · 09-16-2009, 04:21 PM

There should be a thread warning people about the M3 and D945GCLF2 because I've said this about 10 times now.
As tested by another member in the forum, the m3 does not have sufficient current on the 5V rail to power the D945GCLF2 and other peripherals.
I think the m4 would be able to fit the case if you do a bit of hacking, but definitely not out of the box.

kross · 09-16-2009, 04:57 PM

Sorry for the misinformation.

justchat_1 · 09-16-2009, 05:02 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Punky

There should be a thread warning people about the M3 and D945GCLF2 because I've said this about 10 times now.
As tested by another member in the forum, the m3 does not have sufficient current on the 5V rail to power the D945GCLF2 and other peripherals.
I think the m4 would be able to fit the case if you do a bit of hacking, but definitely not out of the box.

Unless you use externally powered usb hubs...but not worth the effort.

i use an m4 without any power sag...if I remember right it has about 10x as much current on the 5v bus.

Any chance you would consider another case? (one that would fit a larger power supply)

sx4intexas · 09-16-2009, 05:02 PM

well i certainly dont want to do much hacking of the actual case... soo.. with that being said.. I could try the M2-ATX. Punky, do you happen to know if the motherboard I have selected and the M2-ATX get along well?

sx4intexas · 09-16-2009, 05:03 PM

Justchat... I am willing to moving to a bigger case.. got any suggestions?

justchat_1 · 09-16-2009, 05:14 PM

I burned up an m2 just from having 3 usb devices plugged in....so thats why I was seconding the recommendation for the m4. I custom built my case so thats not really my area of expertise but the m4 is 122mmx94mm so any case that can fit a power supply that size. Hopefully someone else can chime in with some suggestions....

sx4intexas · 09-16-2009, 05:17 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by justchat_1

I burned up an m2 just from having 3 usb devices plugged in....so thats why I was seconding the recommendation for the m4. I custom built my case so thats not really my area of expertise but the m4 is 122mmx94mm so any case that can fit a power supply that size. Hopefully someone else can chime in with some suggestions....

if you dont mind, can you post what setup you currently have? I dont know how many usb devices I will exactly use, but i dont want it to burn out if i use 3... im sure somewhere, when im done, ill have 3 usb devices easily.

kross · 09-16-2009, 05:18 PM

You can get a pre-built system with the motherboard you chose and M2-ATX here:

http://store.mo-co-so.com/barebones4...ter-p-179.html

sx4intexas · 09-16-2009, 05:30 PM

Thank you Kross. I will definitely look into that one. Seems like a good setup to me, and the less I have to assemble. I am comfortable with putting together a pc, ive done it before. This actually puts me over the amount I was figuring with putting it all together myself... but this saves me some of the hassle.

Now since you linked me to that... has anyone tried any of these pc built systems and can vouch for them?

Bugbyte · 09-16-2009, 10:23 PM

Okay, how are you going to handle the video to the rear screens for the kids? A dual screen system generally requires a video card. If you simply want to split the video between front and rear screens, okay, that can be done but you'll need either VGA screens in the back ($$$) or video screens. If video, make sure your mobo support video output while simultaneously outputting the same to the VGA screen up front.

Are you thinking of putting touchscreens in the back as well?

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