VoomPC M10000 Car PC Barebone

The VoomPC M10000 kit's lack of clear documentation is disappointing. There are no step-by-step instructions, how-to documents, or even checklists. Each part comes with its own guide, covering little more than descriptions and locations of jumpers. As a whole package, the assembly was confusing, and bridging the power supply and the motherboard was half prayer, half preparation.

Once assembled, the system booted right up. We had to use a PS2 keyboard at first to set the BIOS for a USB keyboard and have it boot from a USB CD-ROM. Windows XP installed without incident and did not require any fancy drivers to be loaded before it could start. The mounting tabs along the base of the enclosure make for straightforward vehicle installation, as does the snap-in power connector. Most similar systems require some sort of screw-down, semipermanent power couplings, but the VoomPC M10000's connector makes removal quite easy.

For all of its little quirks and difficult setup, the payoff is sweet. Few packages come with the VoomPC M10000's standard features, and none of them have a case as nice.