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Joined: Apr 2004
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I am building a slightly modified desktop computer to run my entire mobile entertainment system.  I have a general idea of what I am puting into the computer, but hardware changes like clockworth. I need some recomendations on a few things
The inventory
Intel D865PERLL motherboard (purchased)
Intel 3.0GHz Socket478 800MHz FSB CPU w/1mb catch (buying)
SATA 80GB hard drive (buying)
SATA 160GB hard drive (undicided)
2GB 4x512 (type undicided)
sound card (undicided)
video card (undicided)
External modem for downloading and upgrading (purchased)
Windows XP Home Edition (purchased)
External DVD-ROM (type undicided, will mount somewhere in the car for easy access)
Antec Super Lanboy mini tower (purchased, has plenty of room and a plexy glass side for show)
Monitors (undicided, but I do want one touch screen some where around the dash and one 15" in the trunk)
There is some other stuff here that I havn't mentioned, but you kinda get the idea right. I have only seen one computer in a car before; my friends Acura in Norfolk,VA on base.
Also, if anyone in SD wants to help me out with this project after a couple of weeks let me know. I plan to have the computer up and running just before Christmas.
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 229
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 229 |
It depends on what you want out of it, and how much you want to spend....if you have no budget:
Video Card- ATi RADEON x800 XT Platinum
Sound Card- Creative Audigy2 Platinum
Monitors- I am not good with telling people about touch screen monitors, I have never wanted one, but as for 15" ones, I kinda like NEC/Mitsubishi.
If you have a budget:
Video Card- ATi RADEON 9800 Pro
Sound Card- Creative Audigy2
As for memory, I like Kingston, Crucial, and Mushkin, but another one that I have had mixed results with is Corsair.
If you need any other help, let me know.
1998 Contour GL
2.0L Zetec
Stock as hell for the moment....
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 2,100
Hard-core CEG\'er
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Hard-core CEG\'er
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Originally posted by WildChild:
The inventory
Intel D865PERLL motherboard (purchased)
Intel 3.0GHz Socket478 800MHz FSB CPU w/1mb catch (buying)
SATA 80GB hard drive (buying)
SATA 160GB hard drive (undicided)
2GB 4x512 (type undicided)
sound card (undicided)
video card (undicided)
External modem for downloading and upgrading (purchased)
Windows XP Home Edition (purchased)
External DVD-ROM (type undicided, will mount somewhere in the car for easy access)
Antec Super Lanboy mini tower (purchased, has plenty of room and a plexy glass side for show)
Monitors (undicided, but I do want one touch screen some where around the dash and one 15" in the trunk)
I would actually look at the newer motherboard/processor combo that uses a pentium M processor since one of your bigger problems in the car will be heat and the Pentium M series run much cooler then the P4 series. If you can find the new i855GMEm-LFS
I would get something like that. That will be a little more expensive. For your boot drive you might want to look at laptop drives since the car is a bit harsher enviroment than your normal desktop computer. Some people have had good luck with normal hard drives in the car but other people have had many failures.
2GB is overkill for most anything in the car and will just make your computer take longer to boot up. 1GB should be enough I would think.
You need to decide if you want a dual head video card or not. With a dual head video card you can show either the same or different pictures on both screens. Without the dual head you would have to use some sort of splitter and just show the same thing on both.
For the touchscreen your two main choices are xenarc and lilliput there may be a few other options but I can't think of anything right now. Do you want a 1 DIN screen or do you plan to mold it into your dash somehow?
Also you should check out the forums on http://www.mp3car.com for more ideas about in car PC's.
Beaten - 2003 MazdaSpeed Protege 29K <- broken hearted
Daily/Weekend Beater - 1990 miata 138K - AutoX every weekend = Adult driven on weekends
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,605
Hard-core CEG\'er
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IMHO that is way overkill for a multimedia car PC  . check out www.mp3car.com most people there are running lower end cpus with mini motherboards, as long as the sound card and video card are decent... 
#3162 of 6535
98 SVT Silver frost
Viper Responder 791 w/ 2way remote start 
Let the modding begin!
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Hard-core CEG'er
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you dont need a system with those specs
i was planning one of the mini-itx mobos (1 ghz cpu), using the onboard video, 512 ram, and a high end sound card
the reason for the soundcard as i plan on having it directly run the amps, with no head unit
i plan on getting a 7" lilliput touchscreen, a 200gb hard drive, and a 150W car powersupply
Russell
Oval Port 3L Nearly Done
MTX75 w/ Homebrew Zetec FD and Torsen Complete
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 183
CEG\'er
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CEG\'er
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I would go with the VIA cpu at 1 ghz, its what my friend used in his subaru. With you current set up I'd be worried about how much power you are pulling. When you get the VIA you are down into min atx size, and that means you could put the computer under your passenger seat. Then I would get a slot feeding dvd, so you do not have to worry about the slide out tray getting bashed off. Then you have your touch screen be your display, and you are all good. and if you need more hard drives, just get external ones you can mount else where.
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if you just want to run music, you dont need a high end system by all means. I suggest getting a processor that doesnt run insanely hot, Like a Sempron, or a 1.8Ghz Duron. Im blown away by how fast those perform for how much they cost. Easy to keep cool also. 
98 Corolla LE 1.8L DOHC 1ZZFE
TEIN H.Tech Springs
Tokico HP series Struts
Short ram air intake
Tsudo Axel Back Exhaust
... if a jelly fish stung me.. would you pee on the wound?
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Joined: Apr 2004
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CEG\'er
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OP
CEG\'er
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Great ideas, I will be running lots of media formats, mostly music videos and movies, but I will have a music in there do. I can tone down the system a little, but some of the stuff I bought I can't return, or trade; got them on sell.
I didn't want to run into a problem were I had to much stuff saved into to disk that would make the computer start to lag, freeze up, or run slow. Do you think I should look at external hard drives for storage? For cooling I was going to use a water cooling system, modified w/added copper cooling blocks installed onto the sub amps, and direct fead cool air from outside of the car which my required some cuting.
My budget for this project is fifteen hundred including monitors, parts, and material(fiberglass or wood). I talked to a couple of installation shops about this and most qouted from 15-2000$ for fiberglass inclosures, and 5-1000$ for wood inclosures including installation.
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Originally posted by ALIAS Jerk:
if you just want to run music, you dont need a high end system by all means. I suggest getting a processor that doesnt run insanely hot, Like a Sempron, or a 1.8Ghz Duron. Im blown away by how fast those perform for how much they cost. Easy to keep cool also.
I run an Athlon XP-mobile (2600+) in my desktop. Does 2.4ghz easy and takes less power than the desktop chips do at stock speeds.
As for video card and sound card, it really depends on what you want to do with the system. Do you want to be able to play games?
I guess for sound card, i'd say go with the Audigy 2 as was reccomended.
1999 Mystique LS V6
Alpine CDA-9807, Rear deck sub, Opt. TB, K&N RU-3530/MAF adaptor, custom heatshield, FSVT 17's, SCT 4-program chip, Eibach's/ST200's, Hella Fogs...
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Joined: Oct 2004
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CEG\'er
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As for the Sempron suggestion, they are very good for the money, I would personally like to own one as a budget box. As for Dual Head, that only applies if you want to have different apps running on different monitors. Memory, the more the better if you ask me, more has always been good to me...
1998 Contour GL
2.0L Zetec
Stock as hell for the moment....
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