[greenhorn]

No offence, but if you can't (I'm not assuming that you can't, just saying) choose parts & configure, assemble and build a regular PC yourself, you should stay away from getting a carpc. You could get one made by professionals, but it wouldnt be too much bang for buck, plus half the fun is in doing it yourself

[Devil on Wheels]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

No offence, but if you can't (I'm not assuming that you can't, just saying) choose parts & configure, assemble and build a regular PC yourself, you should stay away from getting a carpc. You could get one made by professionals, but it wouldnt be too much bang for buck, plus half the fun is in doing it yourself

None taken. Well I actually do have a professional at my disposal. An old friend, was Sr. Manager @ Dell, currently between jobs. I won't say he knows as much as some of the experts at TBHP but he does know his stuff.

Unfortunately he had to travel to Chandigarh, so got to wait until he comes back.

I intend to source everything from Nehru Place, to keep the costs as low as possible. Earlier in the thread I had said I would have budget of 100K but seems that's a lot of money for a DIY. I think I would revise my budget to 50K so that it looks like a challenge to me.

Originally Posted by kingofmyworld

My personal choice would also be JBL as its economical. Everything else will be a bit high n budget.
@ghpk : Aries here :P

Has anyone installed Amps from Rockford Fosgate. It is a bit more expensive than JBL but not sure how it compares with JBL in terms of quality/features. Or is it a case of Phoren brand just overcharging based on brand value alone.

[ghpk]

Originally Posted by Devil on Wheels

I intend to source everything from Nehru Place, to keep the costs as low as possible.

You won't get ATX power supply and Touch screen LCD for carputer at Nehru Place, IRIDE is taking premium price for LCD, if you have someone to bring from USA, that would be the cheapest option and sure way to get proper LCD.

Edit: for "Rockford Fosgate" check the ICE section here, you'll find many pics and detailed review of Rockford Fosgate amps.
few of our ICE-Gurus have it or had it in their setup in past.

[Devil on Wheels]

Originally Posted by ghpk

You won't get ATX power supply and Touch screen LCD for carputer at Nehru Place, IRIDE is taking premium price for LCD, if you have someone to bring from USA, that would be the cheapest option and sure way to get proper LCD.

Thanks for the info. Is IRIDE available in UK, and if yes, is it likely to be at roughly the same price as in the US??

I have got friend from UK coming to India next week.

Alternatively, getting it from USA shouldn't be too much trouble for me but yes I will have to wait in case I have source it from US.

[ghpk]

iride.in is the website which most carputer geeks go to.

Check the mp3car.com they might ship to US/UK locations easily.
shipping to India is a problem due to heavy shipping charge and our pathetic postal services.

[kingofmyworld]

Originally Posted by Devil on Wheels

Thanks for the info. Is IRIDE available in UK, and if yes, is it likely to be at roughly the same price as in the US??

I have got friend from UK coming to India next week.

Alternatively, getting it from USA shouldn't be too much trouble for me but yes I will have to wait in case I have source it from US.

Best thing to do is to source it from USA, Thats the most cheapest way. And as you are planning for a long term project, Waiting shouldn't be a problem in your case. Isn't it?

Do a search in ebay.com and you'll find many results. I sourced my power supply, monitor and the GPs device from ebay.com and its a total tension free way to get things on the internet.

[bhp_maniac]

Originally Posted by ghpk

iride.in is the website which most carputer geeks go to.

Check the mp3car.com they might ship to US/UK locations easily.
shipping to India is a problem due to heavy shipping charge and our pathetic postal services.

iride.in is a good option if you want things right away. Since you are planning for a long term project you can save some money by sourcing them from US. Also look for the possibility of an SSD for storage in your carputer. I believe SSDs are getting cheaper these days. My suggestion will be to upgrade your AMP+Speakers first. Then start with the carputer. Again, if you have AMP and Speakers done, then all you need is to just plug in your carputer. In case of sound card, I believe a good investment is always reasonable. In most cases the quality of the final sound depends lot on the source. So be wise while selecting a sound card.

[Devil on Wheels]

Originally Posted by bhp_maniac

iride.in is a good option if you want things right away. Since you are planning for a long term project you can save some money by sourcing them from US. Also look for the possibility of an SSD for storage in your carputer. I believe SSDs are getting cheaper these days. My suggestion will be to upgrade your AMP+Speakers first. Then start with the carputer. Again, if you have AMP and Speakers done, then all you need is to just plug in your carputer. In case of sound card, I believe a good investment is always reasonable. In most cases the quality of the final sound depends lot on the source. So be wise while selecting a sound card.

Thanks for your advice buddy. My project is currently in sleep mode as a friend of mine needed some money and I gave him the 25K I had allocated for upgrading my Amp and speakers.

[leadf00t]

Originally Posted by ghpk

@ Devil on Wheels. you are right, a 30k jewelry would be digestible but a 30k Car System would turn out to be a WASTAGE.

I am not flaming women, but i think that's they are configured by the master PC (God)

bang on ghpk. bang on. wifey keeps bringing that over and over again. you spent35K on that stupid car audio system. While her 22K netbook (when she has a 17" compaq office laptop , 25K jewelery , 4K of shoes , 2K of cosmetic , and what not qualifies as completely logical purchases.

anyways enough of my cribbing .

@ devil on wheels most sensible is to upgrade your speakers, next amp ( keep in mind that the amp has everything you will need in the future to match correctly with your proposed CarPC.

I would summarize your upgrade approach in a single line.
Plan everything now right from the cabling , amps to the pc but buy in logical stpes in such a way that one purchase shouldnt remain idle till your next purchase.

[Sprucegoose]

+1 to that
no point getting a carPC installed coupled with a Bad ICE.

Better if you upgrade to a Badass ICE setup before going in for the computer.

You can do what i'm doing.
I've been planning a Carputer for over 2 years now.

Just waiting for
1> Prices of key components to drop [happened, SSD]
2> A new computer to come [happened, now the old one goes into the car for free]
3> Waiting for annual bonus [still waiting. Last years went into pedders suspension & Yokohama S.Drives 205/50R15]

Since its a gimmic rather than an essential component, i'm just paying for the Screen, PSU, custom casing & a bit of wiring.

Post the initial setup, periodic upgrades are planned.

[bhp_maniac]

Originally Posted by Devil on Wheels

Thanks for your advice buddy. My project is currently in sleep mode as a friend of mine needed some money and I gave him the 25K I had allocated for upgrading my Amp and speakers.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. Keep researching and make your wish list. Will be following this thread