I need some advice/suggestions for a carpc. I want to be able to play mp3's and dvd's/divx. To be able to hook up to my home system wirelessly would be a positive.

I'm by no means hardware savvy so I need things "dumbed down". I can't decide which of the following ways I should go.

1: a laptop/docking station placed in the rear floor storage compartment. There is absoultely no ventilation there so I suspect this is not a good location.

2: bulid a PC that will fit in the storage bin next to the jack (rear left hand corner of the cargo area). This is a well ventilated area.

The laptop/docking station would be very easy to set up (I think). I know there are special power supplies that would be needed as well as something to remotely turn it on. To turn it off you could just set up the hibernation feature for it to shutdown when the battery gets down to so 80%.

Build a PC,? I have no experience with this so this won't be easy. The new MAC MINI would fit the side compartment nicely. but I haven't used a MAC before and am worried that I would need to get all new software to run what I want.

So I guess I'm asking for input from those who know this kind of stuff and what would you suggest. Should I piece together a PC, buy a mini mac, or would a laptop be okay in the rear floor compartment?

Really this thing would be perfect but I don't trust the quality. (http://www.cooldrives.com/hdmohdpousb2.html) The web sites that are selling it are kind of fly-by-night. Is it possible to build something like this?

htpc at newegg (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=3&manufactory=8550&DEPA=0)

this may be a starting point. newegg has been around for a while and are generally very competitive price wise.

shuttle pc (http://sys.us.shuttle.com/Media.aspx)

Thanks for the link RKS. I found this G-play device (http://www.g-technology.com/Products/G-PLAY.cfm#Acc) which is similar to the modix. I might wait a month or two and wait for some reviews....I'm still contemplating the mini mac, it's only $100 more for a full fledged computer??? but by the time I add the dc power, a remote... The G-play would be much easier to incorporate but...:comphead: :comp26: :clueless:

I have built a few computers, and like to use newegg as a source for parts. The new micro ATX cases and motherboards will provide you with the smallest form factor for what you are trying to do, but if all you are interested in is storing and playing mp3 and divx files, then maybe you should consider a modded xbox. It is actually a Pentium III class computer anyway. For well under $300 you can find a used console, your choice of modchip and anywhere from a 60 to 160 gb hard drive. Their is a plentitude of free open source software available and with Xbox Media Center you have essentially an operating system that is very similar to XP Media Center Edition. I use it at home and am getting ready to put one under the passenger seat of my Armada. If connected to the net, it will scan your hard drive for video and audio files and allocate a thumbnail image and info from either the IMDB or the CDDB to each file. Then you can just browse through your titles. It has a very slick GUI that is being updated all of the time with new screensavers and music viualizations. You can run an ethernet wire out to the garage and plug it in whenever you need to transfer/update, or stick an ethernet/wifi adapter under the seat with your xbox and do it wirelessly.
The process of modding an xbox is really simple and there are even adapters available now that require no soldering on the motherboard. I have had no problems with it, but am actually a little apprehensive about attempting an LCD screen mod to the storage bin in my overhead console.

Here are a couple of links:

http://www.xboxmediacenter.de/info_project.htm
http://www.xbox-scene.com/

I ended up going with a morex 3688 box. I got a MII12000 epia mother board, 512mb ram, and a 40gb hdd. I'm buying an external hd which will allow me to plug and play between machines. Still in the process of building it and getting all the cables etc. I should of looked into the xbox mod more as that is about all I need to do....Hopefully I'll get things installed over the next month.

check this out.

http://caraudio.avdeals.com/minipc.htm