What's up guys, it's been about 2 years now since I've been running my "carputer" in my slammed SC400. The reason I say slammed SC, is because most people worry about the damage a lowered car would do to a hard drive. I have had ZERO problems with my setup.
The website to visit to do a lot of useful research is mp3car.com. That is where I learned that a carputer is useful and just as nice as any top of the line double din headunit out there.
Like David says, the carputer does everything any laptop/desktop computer can do and it all depends on your hardware setup. The important things I was looking to achieve was, mp3 playback, video playback, and GPS. It does that all a lot more!!!
Now you guys must be wondering how much, well if you look at your Fry's ad, you can probably piece together somethings and spend a less than $1500 for your entire setup. I'll break down my setup so you can see what you will be needing: (these prices are from when I purchased these items nearly 2 years ago)
1) Via Epia M10000 mini-itx mobo = $275
2) 250w Opus 250w dc-dc powersupply = $250
www.opussolutions.com
3) 512mb ram = $60
4) 20gb 2.5" HD = $90
5) 160gb 3.5" HD = free (had it laying around)
6) 7" Xenarc touch screen = $400
www.xenarc.com
7) Delorme GPS receiver = $100
8) Microsoft wireless usb card = $50
I believe that's all...well, I did this in a hurry and I'm sure I left things out...so I'll be around to answer any questions and help wherever I can...
Tony