My First Build

**D M N** · 07-03-2005, 02:54 PM

Like the title says this is my 1st build I want to do it right.
This is the Plan
I want a computer capable of doing the following:
-Play MP3, Mpegs, and DVD
-GPS (thats the main reason why i want to do this)
-Get FM stations

What I have so far is:
-2001 Hyundai Elantra 4dr sedan
-700mhz 128mb ram and 20gb hardrive laptop with a broken screen
-$537 left in my budget

Any suggestion in what I need is greatly appresiated.

**D M N** · 07-04-2005, 08:47 AM

well I found Earthmate GPS LT-20 with Street Atlas USA 2005 going for $90 shipped i'm still looking for a better deal. I'm currently looking at a 10in touch screen which is still in my price range. Auction ends in a few day see if i luck out and win it for cheap.

I'm struggeling with a front end. The main problem is the FM antenna. Anyone have any recomendation for a front end?

P.S. Oh man i'm not a newbee any more i'm a low birate

**John_Duh** · 07-04-2005, 11:02 AM

from what i gathered here in the last couple of months of reading is that there are no decent FM radio units around.
You guys in the US are lucky you can use XM radio as an alternative. We europeans are still struggeling to make a radio that works, just do a search for it.

**fidjouss** · 01-30-2006, 12:10 AM

Hello all.

I have an mutsubishi eclipse G3 (2001) and I am inetrested in building a car pc. I have done some reading online and in this site. I am trying to get some feedback. I am trying to build a car pc for DVD viewing, GPS, Wireless connection to my local Network or a wifi wherever avaialble. I also want to have an independent switch for on and off power. I prefer having a seperate power control for the monitor in case I just want to listen to music with the monitor off.
I have three options to choose from.
1. Buy a mini mac
2. Build my own pc using a mini motherboard
3.Use my gateway laptop

The first option sounds more attracting. The mini mac is more compact, has more expansion ports, and cheaper than the second option ( since I can get one from ebay for $350)

The other option I like more is using my laptop. Since this is my first time of builing a car pc, I dont want to make errors that will be costly (burn the mini pc ...) (Dont care much about the laptop, I have no use for it right now, so it ok if it burns)

I will be using a 7" touchscreen monitor that I will try to mount in the double DIN after I remove my stereo. (I am worried about having an lcd monitor in a car where temperature falls below zero sometimes. Most manufactures say mention temperatures well over freezing. Will leaving the monitor in the car during the cold be a problem?)

I would appreciate your comments. Please advise before I make any purshases. I would for muts eclipse owners who have done this to tell me where is the best place to put the monitor.

Thanks all