# full size carputer



## chappy125 (Oct 27, 2015)

Hello everyone,
I am going to be making a center console for my 2006 lincoln town car. I am pretty bored with my pioneer AVH4100, I bought it for the android auto but never use it. I have decided decided to go with a carputer as it will meet all my needs. I looked into the e3io but they are way above my price range. I am going to have a space of 11"H X 9"W X 15"L of space so I want to use a full size computer. I already have the computer, it has a evga x58 motherboard, Intel i7 and 6gm of memory. I have been looking around the forums and can't find anyone using a full size computer in their vehicle.

So far I have decided to use a Lilliput 7" screen,Centrafuse, and joycon for steering wheel controls. 

What I am unsure about is a power supply, hard drive (I have a 1T regular hard drive but thinking a SSD will be better for a car application) and what DSP I should go with for around $100-$200 new or used. 

Thanks in advance for your help, comments and suggestions.


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## jb4674 (Jan 29, 2015)

Mac mini would be perfect for this but, you said you already had the machine. 


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## chappy125 (Oct 27, 2015)

Yes I already have most of the equipment. I have also considered many other options but after reading multiple forums, a carputer fits my needs the best.


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## Bayboy (Dec 29, 2010)

The only dsp I would recommend in the $200 range is a minidsp but that may be a stretch on the c version.


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## Focused4door (Aug 15, 2015)

Bayboy said:


> The only dsp I would recommend in the $200 range is a minidsp but that may be a stretch on the c version.


Could probably get a used one for that , but with an i7 I think I would at least look into what options are available for using the PC as the DSP.

We have a bunch of Lilliputs at work, and have had very good success with them and zero failures.

I would definitely go with an SSD for a car


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## chappy125 (Oct 27, 2015)

I will make room in the budget for a SSD.

I already have a JL V1 300/4 and a V2 500/1. I need something for digital sound processing and translating the signal Into RCAs. I am open to suggestions. Maybe a good soundcard?


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## jb4674 (Jan 29, 2015)

That's not how it works. Just because you have a fast processor, it doesn't mean that it'll be up to the task of processing audio like a separate DSP would.

Similar questions have been asked comparing a guitar processor against a computer and the answer is always the same. A dedicated DSP processor will differ from a PC CPU because the DSP processor will be limited to processing audio signals only, while the PC processor will have to split duties to process, audio, video, services, codecs, in addition to providing a GUI to name a few. 


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## BassMechanic308 (Feb 15, 2015)

I think your biggest factor overall is the amount of power drawn from the pc as a whole, and reliability with heat/cold weather seasons. Also, probably how big the setup would be.


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## chappy125 (Oct 27, 2015)

Space will not be an issue. I will have plenty of room in the center console.

Power wise I will have a AGM battery with a 200amp alternator in the car. How much power does a full size computer pull?


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## SPLEclipse (Aug 17, 2012)

For your setup probably a couple hundred watts maximum. Nothing to be worried about. As for temps - it's normal for that mobo and processor to run around 60 degrees C (about 150 degrees F), so heat shouldn't be to big of an issue, especially if you're only using it for media and the like. Just make sure you've got adequate air circulation.

For DSP - that setup would be able to handle anything you wanted processor wise. Full FIR with tons of taps, virtually unlimited channels, whatever steering algorithm you want, etc. The main problem will be that to get the software and hardware you'd want to do that kind of stuff would be more expensive than a standalone DSP. You could probably get a used 7.1 xonar or something similar plus any software you'd need for basic DSP for around $100, but it would take more work to get it working perfectly, you might have driver issues, tuning won't be as intuitive as a standalone, etc.

For power, many people recommend the Opus power supplies. Something like their 360w model would work well for your application. https://www.opussolutions.com/


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## chappy125 (Oct 27, 2015)

Thanks for the info. Looks like i will just go with a stand alone DSP. I tried to find one but i dont know much about them. I come across new ones for around $100 or new ones for $400+. There doesnt seem to be much inbetween. I really like the Mosconi 6to8 v8 but they are a bit out if my price range. I want something around $150 used, any recommendations?


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## BassMechanic308 (Feb 15, 2015)

may i suggest something else for a mobile pc getting ready to hit the market here soon?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/udoo/udoo-x86-the-most-powerful-maker-board-ever

im actually planning to pick one of these up once they hit the market full steam. mainly because it can use 3 of the most used OS'es to date, and the mulitscreen aspect is another feature that could be extremely useful.


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