[skydiver]

Hi everyone,

I just got my nissan xtrail 3 days ago. I am completely confused between going for a high-end HU or a car computer.Here are my requirements:

- connect USB drive to play mp3 and divx movies
- navigation
- touchscreen access

I have read in some threads about car computer setups and even looked at iride products. Can anyone let me know if they are fine to be used in the short runnings within the city (start and stop) What is their startup time and are they reliable in the indian conditions?

I am trying hard to find if there is a H.E HU avaialble which can do the job for me, but of no avail.

Please suggest. Alsol if I do decide to go for car computer, please suggest a place to get it installed in Bangalore. I would rather have it installed professionally than turing it into a DIY job (for lack of time mostly) .!!

Thanks in advance..

[shreyasma]

Originally Posted by skydiver

Hi everyone,

I just got my nissan xtrail 3 days ago. I am completely confused between going for a high-end HU or a car computer.Here are my requirements:

- connect USB drive to play mp3 and divx movies
- navigation
- touchscreen access

I have read in some threads about car computer setups and even looked at iride products. Can anyone let me know if they are fine to be used in the short runnings within the city (start and stop) What is their startup time and are they reliable in the indian conditions?

I am trying hard to find if there is a H.E HU avaialble which can do the job for me, but of no avail.

Please suggest. Alsol if I do decide to go for car computer, please suggest a place to get it installed in Bangalore. I would rather have it installed professionally than turing it into a DIY job (for lack of time mostly) .!!

Thanks in advance..

They are fine for 'short runnings'. The shutdown/stand by/hibernate/startup time completely depends on the configuration of the PC and the OS itself (size of windows can be customised using 'nlite'). They are absolutely reliable in our woking conditions. The only clause here is the way the ventilation is provided to the PC.

If you dont want to do a DIY, then its good to get an assembled one from iride or similar and get it installed by a knowledgable installer.

nLite:

nLite and vLite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
nLite - Deployment Tool for the bootable Unattended Windows installation - FAQ


Good luck

[skydiver]

Thanks Shreyas,

I am thinking of getting the ipc-mx car pc and sourcing the touchscreen from US...dont intend to add any more functionality other than a USB drive and usb bluetooth receiver.

[nisarg86]

@skydiver. go thorough some of the car-pc threads in DIY section. You will get your all answers there.
As shreyas suggested startup time depends on tweaking OS. Good Ventilation and Good CFM Fans are required to cool down all you components in your cabinets.

[shreyasma]

If you just need the PC for video/audio and bluetooth functionalities, then even a normal configuration can be made fast by tweaking the OS.

According to me, iPC-MX is good. But just pump the RAM to 1GB. And, HDD depending on the movies and audio you have.

[esteem_lover]

It's a tricky decision. Depends what sort of a person you are. If you like the idea of experimenting and having something different from others & if you can live with the negatives, go for the car PC else get a good ICE system and a Garmin or Tom Tom from US & buy the local maps from Mapmyindia etc.

[navin]

Originally Posted by skydiver

- connect USB drive to play mp3 and divx movies
- navigation
- touchscreen access

A carputer can do a lot more than just ICE. However it question you need o ask is what do you want from this electronics set up.

If you want something specific that a carputer can do (such as playblakc lossless audio files a la FLAC) then maybe a carputer is what you need.

Since hardware changes so fast I always like to ask myself the question "What does this new hardwre do that I NEED". NEED and WANT are different. Then ask Will the complexity of a carputer justify this NEED?

[skydiver]

guys,

thanks for the suggestions. I dont think I would be using the carputer for more than listening to music and occassional videos and navigation (get fed up working in fromt if the screen day-in and out... )

I think I'd then go for a stand alone system for navigation..

the sheer price point of car pc drew me towards it..it is very very competitive as compared to those high end ICE's plus they offer so much..

now whether I use it or not is a different thing...

thanks again...

[shreyasma]

Originally Posted by skydiver

the sheer price point of car pc drew me towards it..it is very very competitive as compared to those high end ICE's plus they offer so much..

Skydiver, when you invest in the carpc, this will only serve as a source.
Its still like buying a highend HU that is customisable and has many more features.

You will still have to buy the other ICE components like speakers, amp, sub etc etc

[esteem_lover]

Invest in a good double din touchscreen HU, a decent amp, compos & a sub. You can even connect your standalone GPS for a larger screen.