Carputer 101

[CJL 10+ year member]

Does anybody have any input on this Package Bundle ?

Could i put a carpc together for cheaper(via ebay,newegg) that will be equal or better performing?

P.S. Im a n0ob to this whole thing. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/blush.gif.99bc659ee2012b7d826165e26fb5eebe.gif

 

[spoonraker 10+ year member]

For not including a screen, that seems a bit pricey.

The cheapest way to go is to just use a MicroATX motherboard and just build a computer off of it, http://www.newegg.com is the way to go. It is much easier to get more power with less money going this way, however the tradeoff is obviously the form factor. That motherboard is only 17cm square and comes already installed in a neat little case with all the other stuff. The cheaper route will have much larger components, and will most likely require custom fabrication.

I'm a big fan of doing things yourself, and a CarPC has always been a project, not just something you buy and install like a head unit or something. Do you want to put in work, or spend a bit more and get something that's pretty much ready to go? It's up to you.

 

[Megalomaniac 5,000+ posts]

For not including a screen, that seems a bit pricey.
The cheapest way to go is to just use a MicroATX motherboard and just build a computer off of it, http://www.newegg.com is the way to go. It is much easier to get more power with less money going this way, however the tradeoff is obviously the form factor. That motherboard is only 17cm square and comes already installed in a neat little case with all the other stuff. The cheaper route will have much larger components, and will most likely require custom fabrication.

I'm a big fan of doing things yourself, and a CarPC has always been a project, not just something you buy and install like a head unit or something. Do you want to put in work, or spend a bit more and get something that's pretty much ready to go? It's up to you.

the price seemed reasonable to me, given that it is a miniitx board.

 

[spoonraker 10+ year member]

These are the items/prices included, listed at the bottom.

1 of VoomPC-2 CarPC Enclosure ($118.99 value!)

1 of Major Brand 120GB 2.5" SATA Hard Drive ($74.99 value!)

1 of 1GB DDR2 DIMM PC2-4200 RAM ($47.64 value!)

1 of VIA C7 2.0GHz Processor Mini-ITX Express Motherboard J7F2WE2G ($194.95 value!)

1 of Panasonic Slot Load CW-8124 DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive 24x24x24 ($68.00 value!)

1 of M2-ATX 160W Intelligent DC-DC PSU ($89.94 value!)

$120 for a case? Seriously...that's a TON of money for a computer case, small or not. You could fiberglass your own custom case for less than that.

$75 for a 120Gb HDD? Sure it's a laptop drive, but I paid $45 for my 250Gb desktop drive. The slight size decrease isn't worth the price IMO.

RAM I guess is alright, if you used a regular mobo instead of that miniITX one you could buy RAM considerably faster for less.

$200 for the motherboard is pretty good. Decently powerful and tiny as hell.

$70 for a CD burner? That's really expensive.

DC PSUs are expensive anywhere, but it's a necessary expense, so no complaints there.

Overall I'm not saying it's a rip-off, I'm just saying it's pricey for what you get. Factor in the work that you don't have to do because it's fully assembled, and I guess you can justify it.

 

[Megalomaniac 5,000+ posts]

These are the items/prices included, listed at the bottom.
1 of VoomPC-2 CarPC Enclosure ($118.99 value!)

1 of Major Brand 120GB 2.5" SATA Hard Drive ($74.99 value!)

1 of 1GB DDR2 DIMM PC2-4200 RAM ($47.64 value!)

1 of VIA C7 2.0GHz Processor Mini-ITX Express Motherboard J7F2WE2G ($194.95 value!)

1 of Panasonic Slot Load CW-8124 DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive 24x24x24 ($68.00 value!)

1 of M2-ATX 160W Intelligent DC-DC PSU ($89.94 value!)

$120 for a case? Seriously...that's a TON of money for a computer case, small or not. You could fiberglass your own custom case for less than that.

$75 for a 120Gb HDD? Sure it's a laptop drive, but I paid $45 for my 250Gb desktop drive. The slight size decrease isn't worth the price IMO.

RAM I guess is alright, if you used a regular mobo instead of that miniITX one you could buy RAM considerably faster for less.

$200 for the motherboard is pretty good. Decently powerful and tiny as hell.

$70 for a CD burner? That's really expensive.

DC PSUs are expensive anywhere, but it's a necessary expense, so no complaints there.

usually size is an important factor for most people. But the major issue is power consumption. The beefier you get the more power you'll need. Its not a bad price for a "prefab". but i did speak with him through pms, i asked i ftime was a factor, he said no. so he is probally going to take the time to buy the parts separately by shopping around.

btw i paid $80(iirc, id have to check first pg) for my slot loaded drive...although it is a dvd/cd/dvd-dl burner //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[spoonraker 10+ year member]

I think i got mine (only burns CDs) for like $40 and i thought that was expensive.

Small size makes everything expensive, you can get a regular size CD burner for $20 and a DVD burner for $35

I hope he decides to go the custom route, I love seeing what people come up with.

btw nice new avatar

 

[Megalomaniac 5,000+ posts]

yea. i've seen people over at mp3car using desktop roms and it looks hideous seeing a tray popping out in the car :yuck:

Go Dallas!

 

[spoonraker 10+ year member]

yeah usually I don't like the looks of regular drives in cars. It can be done, but in the dashboard area where most people put them, it just doesn't look right. If you mount them on your actual case and put it somewhere other than the dash, I don't think it really matters though.

I still think he could do better than $80 for a slot-load cd burner

 

[Megalomaniac 5,000+ posts]

yeah usually I don't like the looks of regular drives in cars. It can be done, but in the dashboard area where most people put them, it just doesn't look right. If you mount them on your actual case and put it somewhere other than the dash, I don't think it really matters though.
I still think he could do better than $80 for a slot-load cd burner

meh $80 was cheaper than the retail price for the same drive of $194!! I got lucky on the find //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/santa.gif.e1ec9cf2e0a0dd232ad35aa594a126d0.gif

 

[Megalomaniac 5,000+ posts]

so i got speeding ticket Wednesday //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif i was planning to buy the new lcd that day too, just my luck i guess

 

[spoonraker 10+ year member]

if you were that tight on money you probably shouldn't have bought it anyway //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Megalomaniac 5,000+ posts]

i miss my carputer, its worth the debt

 

[2kchevy06civic 5,000+ posts]

my friend is all about carputers. He's been building/changing his for over 3 years now. I've watched him change over the years and I must say it actually is really cool once it's up and running. I like how he molded the screen and dvd player in the dash. I want to say he made it to were everytime he pulled up to his driveway his music files would update and I thought that was really badass. I just don't have the money for a carputer really, otherwise I would have tried one by now.

 

[Megalomaniac 5,000+ posts]

I just ordered this, I say hey why not, the price is pretty good compared to stores i've seen it at, i believe snova/randysavage has the same one.

http://store.mp3car.com/Griffin_Powermate_Volume_Knob_SUPER_DEAL_p/com-052.htm

 

[spoonraker 10+ year member]

Those are awesome and well worth the money. The biggest problem I have with my touchscreen CarPC is that there is no tactile feedback. You have to actually look at the screen to know what you're doing, the PowerMate lets you do tons of routine functions without having to take your eyes off the road.