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Looking for advice for mobile DJ computer system

kittmaster

kittmaster

Limp Gawd
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Joined
Dec 27, 2004
Messages
323
I made a post in the motherboard section but was referred to this section of the forum. I'm not sure if cross posting is allowed, so I'll copy and paste my thread with a link. Can someone please give me some solid advice on how to find a small form factor for these requirements. There are so many mixed reviews, not sure what is the best solution. Thank you.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1522959

PASTED:

I'm looking for some input on selecting a motherboard that will be used for a mobile disc jockey business.

I've purchased two V7's which are controllers that typically interface to a laptop that hangs off the dj coffin. My problem with that is I consider handling from roadies to be hard on equipment and I don't want to use a laptop as most do.

http://www.numark.com/v7

I want to use something in a nano or pico but open to a mini solution:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:VIA_Mini-ITX_Form_Factor_Comparison.jpg

I really have never used anything below a micro-ATX form factor.

Here is the minimum requirements from the manufacturer:

•32-bit - Intel processor, 1.8GHz Core Duo; 1GB RAM
•64-bit - Intel processor, 2.4GHz Core Duo; 4GB RAM
•2GB RAM
•1024 x 768 screen resolution
•Available USB 2.0 port
•Available Hard disk space for music

I want it to run Windows XP or 7, no preference either way.

I definitely want it to have a dedicated video card hardware, vga is ok, DVI is better.

It has to be a durable as it gets and something that can live in a road case with forced fan cooling into the case, I would prefer to put 4GB of memory over 2GB (will run 32 bit version) and I'll have terabytes for storage.

I prefer it didn't require any kind of onboard fan cooling since this can break and cause overheating on the road.

I would prefer to find a way to mount it as a 19" rack mount form.

With that, I know it is a lot of odd requirements, but durability is paramount since this will be used in a mobile application and is just has to work.

I've done a few searches on newegg, and I'm not 100% sure what I'm looking for. Can anyone recommend something that will fill this request? Cost is NOT on object, but it must be able to be bought off the shelf.

I don't believe it will never need to be upgraded since I'm hoping for something faster and stronger than it will ever need. I also plan to buy two of whatever it is since once would be in place for regular use and one as dedicated backup if the first fails.

Hopefully enough info???

Please recommend something you've actually worked with or know someone who has had excellent results with if possible.

Thanks!

Chris
 
if your mounting in a 19" rack then you dont need Nano Pico or even Mini. You should be able to find 1 or 2 u cases that will house the needed hardware with a Full ATX board.

The Biggest limitation that I see there is that you dont want active cooling. Thats going to be the hardest to overcome. & in all honesty a fan on a small cooler is going to be alot more durable then a big honking massive fanless cooler as would be required by a c2d or above.
 
Nano-ITX and pico-ITX will not work for you. I'm not sure why you need a dedicated video card however.

If you want rackmount, that kinda limits your options, but it is still doable. I presume you'll want 1U since you want small. This is about as small as it gets with a dedicated video card option:
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131611
Case: http://www.supermicro.com/products/chassis/1U/510/SC510T-200.cfm

I chose that case because 2.5" drives are more durable than 3.5" ones and you could have a SSD in there as well if you wanted. Most you could fit in there is 2TB with a couple of these. Just add an 1156 processor (example...and yes, that is enough), some RAM, drives, and a video card (like this) and you'll be set.
 
Blue Fox said:
Nano-ITX and pico-ITX will not work for you. I'm not sure why you need a dedicated video card however.

If you want rackmount, that kinda limits your options, but it is still doable. I presume you'll want 1U since you want small. This is about as small as it gets with a dedicated video card option:
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131611
Case: http://www.supermicro.com/products/chassis/1U/510/SC510T-200.cfm

I chose that case because 2.5" drives are more durable than 3.5" ones and you could have a SSD in there as well if you wanted. Most you could fit in there is 2TB with a couple of these. Just add an 1156 processor (example...and yes, that is enough), some RAM, drives, and a video card (like this) and you'll be set.
Click to expand...

IMO the concept is there, but the implementation was not. What does he gain using that 180 dollar motherboard over a 100 dollar mainstream board. Also that requires registered dimm's adding to the cost of the memory as well..

Case is good, but fiven the requirements I would look at a Core i3 and a lower end mainstream 1156 board.

Also if its to be rack mounted how much room do you actually have. For ever u added it makes it easier. So to know what you ahve to work with will help in the picking of hardware.
 
bastage said:
IMO the concept is there, but the implementation was not. What does he gain using that 180 dollar motherboard over a 100 dollar mainstream board. Also that requires registered dimm's adding to the cost of the memory as well..

Case is good, but fiven the requirements I would look at a Core i3 and a lower end mainstream 1156 board.

Also if its to be rack mounted how much room do you actually have. For ever u added it makes it easier. So to know what you ahve to work with will help in the picking of hardware.
Click to expand...
It's the only 1156 board that will fit and allow for a video card that I have found (in that case and any very small 1U case). It also doesn't require registered memory (or ECC). Any other processor will also not work in that case (you would need to switch to a larger one). I did my homework with this and picked out things very carefully...
 
As a general address, I will stay that I have at least 8-10 rack spaces available since I am removing a legacy tape deck and single cd player both in a 2 space shelf for each component.

I've been told that CPU speed is paramount for all of the on the fly calculations Serato ITCH uses to process the data and .wav files. I would guess that if a full motherboard in any rack space will do.

Also, the dedicated video question is due to the ITCH software rendering real time waveform data while streaming the data across USB at high speed, so a lot of the GUI is offloaded to the GPU.

Thank you for helping me, I didn't think of that angle of using a full. I'm just worried about high power consumption since I have a full lighting array and it all has to run off a typical 120V/20A breaker.
 
I played with the NS7 last year and it seemed to work great on the low end laptop my friend had, so I would just get a machine based on my HTPC to run your setup.
NS7 looks like 2 V7's and mixer all in one unit.
 
Zepher said:
I played with the NS7 last year and it seemed to work great on the low end laptop my friend had, so I would just get a machine based on my HTPC to run your setup.
NS7 looks like 2 V7's and mixer all in one unit.
Click to expand...

The V7's are actually the NS7 cut in half and no mixer (you use your own).

I'm running it on a core2 duo 1.83GHz process x64 with 2GB of RAM and the CPU in one core is hitting 100%.

While it "works", it won't be perfect in a real world DJ environment and I really want something that will tower over the needed specs to ensure plenty of headroom for when the entire thing needs to go balls to the wall.

I'm told that and i7 might be the best choice?
 
If you have more than 1U to work with, that allows for a lot more variety. What depth restrictions do you have for each case?
 
Blue Fox said:
If you have more than 1U to work with, that allows for a lot more variety. What depth restrictions do you have for each case?
Click to expand...

I would venture a guess (since I'm not in front of case) that there is at LEAST 12 to 14 inches of clearance from the lowest point of mounting to the highest........:)
 
How much taller can they get? If I have 8 rack spaces and each is 1.75" each, that is 14 inches tall......I think that last one you mentioned would be a good starting point.

Front mounting would be the best as mentioned, I need to get the video cable from the lower case to the upper case and the usb cable from lower to upper.

For clarity, the lower case is a portable 4 wheel with I believe 30 racks spaces, there is a 3 rack space with 3 fans pulling air into the case, above that is a crest 4001 amp, and above that is a carver 1.0T amp. Then there is the ~8 to 10 rack space "hole" for this, and at the very top is a 1 rack space custom panel for interconnects like 1/4/XLR jacks etc.

The upper case is a full DJ coffin which rests on top of the lower case creating a T. So the only real cables needed (that I can visualize) are the video and single usb cable

I guess I'm just confused by "tiny", I figured 12-14 of height would be an airport.....:eek:
 
I meant depth restrictions, not height. You already said you have 10U to work with. How deep is this rack then?
 
My best guess, is around 18 inches, I will measure it when I get home and report back, but the carver is 13 inches long and I know the crest is longer than by at least 5 inches. I'll report that back as soon as I physically measure it out.
 
Maybe a R210? you would still need to drop in a dedicated video card and depth is definitely not an issue with these servers. Theoretically , you could get a 1U with a i3 and make use of the gpu on the die. Although, I don't know of any servers with a HDMI out with a i3. You could also drop in another SATA drive in the R210 if you decide to go that route


Im guessing you're using a standard anvil, SKB case a R210 would easily fit in there
 
the depth is 18" with a 2" padding of the end cover assuming no cables come out the back, does that change the scope and increase the pool size of something more practical? Or the 2U remain the case of choice?
 
So if there is 8 to 10 available why is 2u still whats being shot for.. here is a 4u that should allow pretty much any hardware config as long as its a microatx mobo. & its only 13.5" deep so you shouldn't run into any issues there.
 
I actually used the hardware this weekend for the first time in a makeshift mode using my laptop and holy shit what a great experience!

I realized another requirement is that I need two front loading 5.25 openings for cd/dvd drives.

And all the connections have to be front loaded, I can't wait to get this project going!

The next thing to find also is to find a way to create a removable mounting method or traction method to slide into the coffin.
 
That's going to be tricky. I haven't seen many other cases with front I/O, not to mention multiple optical drive bays (a single 5.25" bay will actually do as you can squeeze 2 optical drives in there).
 
I was thinking about this and your right, that would be one odd case to do all that I ask, so in retrospect, I think that using a blank 1U plate, I can get chassis mount connectors to link the back of the computer case to "rebuild" the output connectors.

I guess the most CRITICAL part is to have TWO DVD ROM or CDROMs that can be access from the front.

All the cases I see all have solid "grates" in front of them, I've seen a couple that "fold" down, is that normal? I've never used these types of cases, so sorry for all the noob inquiries.

That link you provided earlier, is that the same type of case I'm looking for still? I have lot of moving parts, so I'm getting lost in some of the details.

Thanks again for your time and help on this one.

Regards,
Chris
 
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