semi-noob

~Rob · 04-18-2006, 07:09 AM

I'm not unfamiliar to in car audio, nor computers, but this will be my first carputer.

This is my current setup

I'm going to get a new bigger car soon and want a Carputer in it. But first there are some decicions.

Windows or linux? - Windows becasue it's easier to set-up wi-fi drivers (I have a linux laptop)and I have GPS software (VIA-Michelin) which works on windows.

Motorised or fixed screen? - I've heard bad things about the mechanism not working on motorised screens, but the cars I'm looking at only have single-din slots and I'm worried about theft.

ATX or ITX?- A nice M-ATX motherboard would be great because I could have dedicated graphics and it's cheaper for more performance, but ITX runs cooler and is smaller.

Onboard sound, sound card? - I know that things are so good with on-board sound these days that I probably wouldn't notice much difference. I've got a NF7-S motherboard and it sounds fantastic!

Head-unit? - Do I need one? I could get a TV card and use that for radio, but do they pick up RDS? Would a Digital TV card be better?

DVD-Rom drive uin the dash? - How long can an IDE cable be? Ideally the carputer would be i the boot, but if I want a drive in the front (makes sense!) the carputer will need to be nearer the front.

5.1/music? - How should I run speakers? - I doubt I'd put in the sub, but I have my 10" sub already if I wanted a kick. How would I run 5.1 for DVD's and then use all the speakers for listening to stereo music? Feeding 5.1 into amps and then controlling it through softwre I assume?

That's all I can think of at the moment, what are your opinions oh modding gods

Rob

TruckinMP3 · 04-18-2006, 07:18 AM

Start by reading the FAQ.... then ask better questions.

DarquePervert · 04-18-2006, 07:19 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by ~Rob

ATX or ITX?- A nice M-ATX motherboard would be great because I could have dedicated graphics and it's cheaper for more performance, but ITX runs cooler and is smaller.

The ITX boards you've looked at are Via EPIA motherboards with the C3 processor. There are other miniITX boards for Pentium 4 or Pentium M chips, and I think Athlon XP CPUs, as well.

Quote:

Head-unit? - Do I need one? I could get a TV card and use that for radio, but do they pick up RDS? Would a Digital TV card be better?

If you're attatched to terrestrial radio, I recommend keeping your headunit. The PC-based radios suck for reception. THere's a quality mobile tuner being developed by forum members, but it's brand new and there's no software support for it... YET

Everything else is simply a decision of preference. I'm not going to make those for you.

Good luck and welcome to our nightmare. Be sure to search before you ask a question, because you'll likely find the answer faster.
The FAQ Emporium is a wealth of inspiration and the Show Off Your PRoject forum is a wealth of inspiration.
Most members will answer questions about their setups and how they pulled off what they did, so don't be afraid to send PMs.