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Computers

Your largest decision, in terms of numbers of options, is what computing platform to use for your Car PC. There are literally hundreds of vendors, manufacturers, and 3rd party solutions providers to weed through. Plus, the decisions you make for your core computing platorm have a much larger effect on how long you can run your Car PC without your engine running.

What follows is a brief overview of the items to consider when purchasing a Computer for your Car PC.

• Case: Personal Preference - Size Permitting
• Motherboard: Low Power Consumption
• Memory: Less Can Be More
• Hard Drive: As much as you need
• DVD Drive: Ideally not necessary
• Cost: $500-$700 (could be $1000+ depending on your needs)

Case: Personal Preference - Size Permitting

The case you use for your Car PC is really just a matter of personal preference. As long as it fits in whatever available space you have allotted for your Car PC, then you're good. Our experience is that most people tend to go minimalist on a case.

Motherboard: Low Power Consumption

No matter what, it's a good idea to shoot for the lowest possible power consumption for your Car PC. Our experience is that Via makes the absolute lowest power consuming motherboards out there, especially with their Mini-ITX and Nano-ITX motherboards. Keep in mind that these are not the most powerful computing platforms our there for crunching numbers and performing high-end graphics work, but also realize that you probably won't be doing that sort of work on your Car PC. Heat is another important issue to consider with your Car PC (depending on where you live), but lower power will also tend to generate less heat inside your vehicle...

Memory: Less Can Be More

Some OSs think you need 2GB+ these days, but for a Car PC, less can often be more. Quite simply, you just don't need a huge amount of memory for most Car PC type tasks. 1GB should always be more than enough, but if you're optimizing your system for faster boot times and minimizing cost, you could scrape by with as little as 256MB (and we've heard rumors of people using as little as 128MB - CRAZY TALK!).

Hard Drive: As much as you need

Your hard drive size pretty much depends on how you use your Car PC and how much data you intend to store. Typical things you'll end up storing include navigation maps, point of interest database, every MP3 you own, and possibly even retro video games and recent TV episodes. Don't go too crazy here, but estimate your needs, include a little padding for things you haven't been able to foresee, and get that amount.

DVD Drive: Ideally not necessary

Don't get us wrong - you'll most likely need some sort of drive to load your OS onto your Car PC in the first place, but the question is will you ever use one after that? Small files are most easily transferred via a USB thumbdrive, and if you're planning on synchronizing any content (your MP3 library, new, traffic, and weather forecasts, for example), then you'll have at least intermittent WiFi connectivity. Plus depending on where you put your Car PC in your vehicle, you may not have regular/easy access to the slot/drive tray.

Cost: $300-$700 (could be $1000+ depending on your needs)

Smaller size usually results in higher cost (certainly higher than you would pay for a desktop, and often higher than you would pay for a laptop), even though the individual components are usually less powerful. So once you have a budget for your overall project, choose a Computer that fits into your overall budget, but $300-$700 is typical of the systems we see.

Specific Recommendations

SolidLogic 2699 Mini-ITX System

• Mainboard EPIA SP8000E 800Mhz
• Case Morex 2699 Mini-ITX Case - Black
• Memory DDR400 RAM 1GB
• Hard Disk/Flash 3.5" Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 320GB
• A/C Adapter (brick) A/C Power Adapter 80W (PW-AC 80W)
• Operating System None
• Build and test None
• <$600

http://www.logicsupply.com

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