Hello - I've never built a computer before, but I think I can do it cheaper than the off-the -shelf versions of what I want.
My husband and I live full time on our boat, and we cruise world-wide. We are in the process of building a new boat and instead of using marine chart plotters, we are going to have our navigation system entirely PC-based. We are using Time-Zero software which allows for use on 4 monitors simultaneously, so that is my first spec.
Our boat is a 24-volt boat powered by solar panels and batteries, and while we have inverters, it would be more efficient to run the PC as all the other electronics on the boat directly from the 24 volt system. I've found a source for the power supply, but it is pricey. https://www.powerstream.com/DC-PC-24V-500.htm.
The folks at Time-Zero tell me that I need at least an i7, 16 GB ram and a high quality graphics card. They have directed me to this industrial computer company http://www.vecow.com/dispPageBox/vecow/VecowCP.aspx?ddsPageID=ECS-4500_EN&. I can't find any prices for these online, but my experience with these ruggedized industrial computers is that by the time you get all the bits, the run upwards of $3K. As on this marine site https://www.argonautcomputer.com/collections/rugged-mini-pc-s.
Our ship's computer will be in a location that will not see sun or sea, so there's no reason to get a ruggedized version. We have space for a full sized tower, but I would prefer a mid-size or smaller form factor if I can swing it. I'd like to see If I can build something for around $1200.
One big question I have is the regarding the size of that DC power supply. What size case would it fit in and in what ways does it limit the rest of the build?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Regards,
Christine
My husband and I live full time on our boat, and we cruise world-wide. We are in the process of building a new boat and instead of using marine chart plotters, we are going to have our navigation system entirely PC-based. We are using Time-Zero software which allows for use on 4 monitors simultaneously, so that is my first spec.
Our boat is a 24-volt boat powered by solar panels and batteries, and while we have inverters, it would be more efficient to run the PC as all the other electronics on the boat directly from the 24 volt system. I've found a source for the power supply, but it is pricey. https://www.powerstream.com/DC-PC-24V-500.htm.
The folks at Time-Zero tell me that I need at least an i7, 16 GB ram and a high quality graphics card. They have directed me to this industrial computer company http://www.vecow.com/dispPageBox/vecow/VecowCP.aspx?ddsPageID=ECS-4500_EN&. I can't find any prices for these online, but my experience with these ruggedized industrial computers is that by the time you get all the bits, the run upwards of $3K. As on this marine site https://www.argonautcomputer.com/collections/rugged-mini-pc-s.
Our ship's computer will be in a location that will not see sun or sea, so there's no reason to get a ruggedized version. We have space for a full sized tower, but I would prefer a mid-size or smaller form factor if I can swing it. I'd like to see If I can build something for around $1200.
One big question I have is the regarding the size of that DC power supply. What size case would it fit in and in what ways does it limit the rest of the build?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Regards,
Christine
