# LifeOnMars - The eBay Project £300 AMD Build in 3 Months



## LifeOnMars (Dec 9, 2009)

Hi everyone. A few people know me on here, alot of you don't. Here's a bit of background for you and I'll try to keep it brief  I've basically had a bad time of it in the past three years. In Jan 2007 I lost my Dad to cancer, he was a lovely man and as a close family it hit us hard, I suffered from depression following this and to tell the truth I think I'm only just snapping out of it. As a result of the depression I suffered at work and had to leave. This put pressure on my girlfriend and I financially and in November 08 we had our home repossessed. We found a room that we could afford to rent, I managed to get another job and things were looking up. I managed to get a budget gaming rig together, gaming is a release for me. Then we had our room burgled and the rig was stolen along with other items, shortly after this I lost my job ( reoccurring depression) We decide to make a move down to the South coast of the UK to an area I spent alot of time in as a kid on holidays. We currently have a room in a shared flat and it's not too bad but I'm still not working.

It's time for me to sort my life out and get over this depression. I'm actively looking for work now and I'm going to make sure that we both get the life we deserve. Alongside this I'm setting myself this project. A full gaming rig, all bought from eBay on a budget of........

*£300!!!*
*
In 3 Months - DEADLINE DATE MARCH 9th 2010*

I have an xbox 360 20gb which I've just been running through a 15"SD TV  This xbox will be my first sale on eBay to get the first funds to buy components with. I will update this thread with any news as it happens i.e. I got a job, or made a purchase etc....Below are the minimum specs that I must adhere to in this challenge. So here's to getting back on my feet and getting back into proper gaming It's going to be fun 

A Well Known Case
A Well known PSU of 450w or over
An AM3 motherboard with 710/750 SB
AM3 CPU with at least 3 cores
4 GB RAM at least 1333mhz speed
At least a 500GB 16mb Cache Hard Drive
A DVDRW Drive
A Graphics Card capable of playing at the below resolution capably with 1GB VRAM
At least a 22" monitor with 1920 x 1080 resolution minimum
A keyboard

I already have a mouse


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## Fourstaff (Dec 9, 2009)

Good luck! There was a well publicised case of a person trading a red paper clip all the way up to a house.


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## grunt_408 (Dec 9, 2009)

Man you have had a run of bad luck. It is time for change. Good luck with the Gaming rig and I look forward to seeing pics of it.


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## LifeOnMars (Dec 9, 2009)

Fourstaff said:


> Good luck! There was a well publicised case of a person trading a red paper clip all the way up to a house.



I remember that Not quite aiming that high but should still be a challenge for me


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## LifeOnMars (Dec 9, 2009)

Craigleberry said:


> Man you have had a run of bad luck. It is time for change. Good luck with the Gaming rig and I look forward to seeing pics of it.



Thanks mate and yes it most certainly is time for change. My gf has a digi camera so I will update with pics as the build comes along.


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## DrPepper (Dec 9, 2009)

Yeah good luck with it. If I see any deals I'l post them to you.


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## LifeOnMars (Dec 9, 2009)

DrPepper said:


> Yeah good luck with it. If I see any deals I'l post them to you.



Thanks mate. Loving your build by the way, when are you going to update your thread with pics of the complete build?


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## DrPepper (Dec 9, 2009)

LifeOnMars said:


> Thanks mate. Loving your build by the way, when are you going to update your thread with pics of the complete build?



When I find the usb cable for the camera  When i got back from plymouth it was gone and my phone is broke so we don't have any camera


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## LifeOnMars (Dec 9, 2009)

DrPepper said:


> When I find the usb cable for the camera  When i got back from plymouth it was gone and my phone is broke so we don't have any camera



It's under the bed, it's under the bed  That's where I seem to find everything I've lost anyway


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## TheCrow (Dec 9, 2009)

I wish you all the luck in the world with this! I hope things work out for the best!


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## Sensi Karate (Dec 13, 2009)

Sorry about your lose and bad luck in recent times, hope things get better! I've lost relatives, cousins and close friends in the past, and I know how it feels. I really hope you achieve your goal and can start gaming again!

Best of luck!


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## kurosagi01 (Dec 14, 2009)

man your doing the almost impossible lol you would have to search for best deals for ages,its possible for the rig to be £300 but including monitor to be £300 that make it even harder.


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## LifeOnMars (Dec 14, 2009)

kurosagi01 said:


> man your doing the almost impossible lol you would have to search for best deals for ages,its possible for the rig to be £300 but including monitor to be £300 that make it even harder.



I know  But that's the challenge and I will do it !! LOL. Also, there is the possibility of buying a bargain on ebay, selling it on ebay for a profit and buying a component for free with the profits


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## DrPepper (Dec 14, 2009)

How much would you pay for an antec p180 ?


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## Lionheart (Dec 14, 2009)

Im sorry for your loss, it must of been really hard, I can't even imagine how it felt, but anyways I hope you achieve a better life, a life that you deserve man, and as for the rig goodluck with it, I wish I could help you.

PS. It would be nice if everyone had some spare cash lying around in their paypal account to help this dude out, I mean $5 or $10 can be really helpful if a lot of ppl pitched in, might sound weird to some ppl but who cares, i cant imagine what it would of been like to have such badluck, and helping another person out is always rewarding, well thats just my opinion


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## LifeOnMars (Dec 15, 2009)

CHAOS_KILLA said:


> Im sorry for your loss, it must of been really hard, I can't even imagine how it felt, but anyways I hope you achieve a better life, a life that you deserve man, and as for the rig goodluck with it, I wish I could help you.
> 
> PS. It would be nice if everyone had some spare cash lying around in their paypal account to help this dude out, I mean $5 or $10 can be really helpful if a lot of ppl pitched in, might sound weird to some ppl but who cares, i cant imagine what it would of been like to have such badluck, and helping another person out is always rewarding, well thats just my opinion



Hey Chaos thanks for your kind words mate. Luckily I've got a great girlfriend who has been an absolute rock but to be honest, death is part of life and its how we deal with it that matters. I'm not afraid to say I dealt with it badly but I'm seriously coming out of the other side. On a plus note, I have now been forcing myself to get out more and tackle things, even if it's just going out for a walk or whatever. I have a possible interview lined up for early January so things are looking up already 

In regard to your PS note buddy, thats really lovely of you to say but I have to sort myself out and that would be cheating  There are far more deserving people out there who could do with a couple of dollars/pounds whatever but thanks again.


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## LifeOnMars (Dec 15, 2009)

DrPepper said:


> How much would you pay for an antec p180 ?



Nice cases I think but probably well out of my price range for this challenge. I like the look of the P180 mini but I'm probably gonna keep my eye out for an el cheapo Antec 300 and hope I get a bargain


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## Lionheart (Dec 15, 2009)

LifeOnMars said:


> Hey Chaos thanks for your kind words mate. Luckily I've got a great girlfriend who has been an absolute rock but to be honest, death is part of life and its how we deal with it that matters. I'm not afraid to say I dealt with it badly but I'm seriously coming out of the other side. On a plus note, I have now been forcing myself to get out more and tackle things, even if it's just going out for a walk or whatever. I have a possible interview lined up for early January so things are looking up already
> 
> In regard to your PS note buddy, thats really lovely of you to say but I have to sort myself out and that would be cheating  There are far more deserving people out there who could do with a couple of dollars/pounds whatever but thanks again.





No worries man, I wish all the best for ya, cheers


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## DrPepper (Dec 15, 2009)

LifeOnMars said:


> Nice cases I think but probably well out of my price range for this challenge. I like the look of the P180 mini but I'm probably gonna keep my eye out for an el cheapo Antec 300 and hope I get a bargain



I've got a spare one I'm not using at all ? How much would you like it to cost ?


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## LifeOnMars (Dec 15, 2009)

Respect the Dr.Pepper people, he may be misunderstood but he the man


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## DrPepper (Dec 15, 2009)

LifeOnMars said:


> Respect the Dr.Pepper people, he may be misunderstood but he the man



(pinochio voice) I'm a real doctor.


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## El_Mayo (Dec 17, 2009)

i know it's not well known... but i hear this is a good  case

and a good CPU


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## Chryonn (Dec 17, 2009)

i've only just stumbled on this thread and i'd like to say to you, LifeOn Mars, thank you for opening and sharing with us.  i think it's a sign of the maturity of the people on this forum that you can share intimate details without having to be embarrassed and know that we'll help and support you. 

as for your eBay challenge, good luck to you! there are many wonderful deals to be had if you persevere.  though i think 3 months is a little optimistic (this just me) but if you can get trading quickly, you'll pull it off.  
it's a shame you've restricted yourself to just eBay as i know of great deals to be had in computer fairs (if there are any near you); cases costing £15 and 500W PSUs for a tenner!


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## El_Mayo (Dec 17, 2009)

Chryonn said:


> i've only just stumbled on this thread and i'd like to say to you, LifeOn Mars, thank you for opening and sharing with us.  i think it's a sign of the maturity of the people on this forum that you can share intimate details without having to be embarrassed and know that we'll help and support you.
> 
> as for your eBay challenge, good luck to you! there are many wonderful deals to be had if you persevere.  though i think 3 months is a little optimistic (this just me) but if you can get trading quickly, you'll pull it off.
> it's a shame you've restricted yourself to just eBay as i know of great deals to be had in computer fairs (if there are any near you); cases costing £15 and 500W PSUs for a tenner!



ohh he's only buying off ebay?
damn i shoulda read this thread fully


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## LifeOnMars (Dec 17, 2009)

*Massive Update *

Hi guys I have fantastic news I now own a gaming PC (well, end of January) I recieved Xmas money from my family early as I'm not seeing them this year and have obviously been looking on eBay so decided to have a look at any gaming rigs going in my area. I found one that I felt had solid components and tried my arm at bidding (all the while asking him loads of questions lol). I won it for £450 and here's what it's got inside it -

Q6600 GO 2.4Ghz quad-core processor which he runs @3.6 but says it has more in it
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 motherboard 
Inno3D GTX 260(216) OC 896 MB Nvidia graphics card 
4GB (2x2GB) OCZ Titanium DDR2 (PC2-6400) 800MHz memory 
500GB Seagate 7200.10 SATA2 Hard Drive 
Creative Extreme Gamer X-fi soundcard 
Scythe Ninja Plus CPU Cooler 
Antec P182 black metal case 
Corsair HX620W 620W Modular Power Supply 
Samsung DVD-RW 
Multi-card reader 
5xAkasa 120mm fans (very quiet) 
9 USB + 1 Firewire port 

Now don't get me wrong I know it's somewhat dated by TPU standards but you have to understand that I have a massive backlot of games that I want to get through dating back from basically 2002 to now so I'm thinking 1920x1200 gaming for all the older titles and then dropping that somewhat for more modern titles. I think for £450 I'm going to get more than my money's worth  And the components give a solid base for a swapout of the motherboard and processor when I want to upgrade at which point I'll go for a full on DX 11 setup. He's agreed I can pay £300 this month and the remaining £150 next month at which point I should be able to also purchase a 1920x1200 monitor and a keyboard to complete it

I also have a job and it starts beginning of January so I can't keep the smile off my face. 

Just want to say thankyou so much to people for their kind words and generosity. You are all stars and I'll be sure to let you know how it performs when I get it.

Cheers

Big shout out to Dr.Pepper who had offered me his spare Antec P180 case for £30. Top Man


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## El_Mayo (Dec 17, 2009)

good to hear man


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## Chryonn (Dec 18, 2009)

Congrats on the job and the rig, friend. i think for £450 that's one hell of a PC. a couple of years ago i'd have spent close to £1500 for something comparable. you've done well there.


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## 3volvedcombat (Dec 18, 2009)

That PC you are getting, will max all games at 1920x1080, i run a GTX 260 on crysis and get 25fps which is dead smooth on my rig, so i hope the best for ya.  

Im acctualy shocked at the price you got that rig for thats pretty amazing.  644 Us dollars, for 160 dollar processor, 130 dollar case, 170 dollar video card, which alone adds to 400+ bucks and that dosnt even add to how much ddr2 ram cost which would be 100 bucks for 4gb now LOL!. You got in euro to which is ussauly overpriced, GOOD JOB!!!!


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## (FIH) The Don (Dec 18, 2009)

LifeOnMars said:


> Hi guys I have fantastic news I now own a gaming PC (well, end of January) I recieved Xmas money from my family early as I'm not seeing them this year and have obviously been looking on eBay so decided to have a look at any gaming rigs going in my area. I found one that I felt had solid components and tried my arm at bidding (all the while asking him loads of questions lol). I won it for £450 and here's what it's got inside it -
> 
> Q6600 GO 2.4Ghz quad-core processor which he runs @3.6 but says it has more in it
> Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 motherboard
> ...



gratz with the new machine, and when you've worked for some months you can do the p55/x58 depending on your economy, it isnt that expensive.


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## LifeOnMars (Dec 18, 2009)

Chryonn said:


> Congrats on the job and the rig, friend. i think for £450 that's one hell of a PC. a couple of years ago i'd have spent close to £1500 for something comparable. you've done well there.



Cheers and thankyou for your kind words earlier. I'm pretty stoked really and I'm very sure I'll get the most out of it



3volvedcombat said:


> That PC you are getting, will max all games at 1920x1080, i run a GTX 260 on crysis and get 25fps which is dead smooth on my rig, so i hope the best for ya.
> 
> Im acctualy shocked at the price you got that rig for thats pretty amazing.  644 Us dollars, for 160 dollar processor, 130 dollar case, 170 dollar video card, which alone adds to 400+ bucks and that dosnt even add to how much ddr2 ram cost which would be 100 bucks for 4gb now LOL!. You got in euro to which is ussauly overpriced, GOOD JOB!!!!



That's nice to hear as currently its alot of money for me but like I said I have a huge catalogue of games that I want to work through and enjoy 



(FIH) The Don said:


> gratz with the new machine, and when you've worked for some months you can do the p55/x58 depending on your economy, it isnt that expensive.



Thats my thinking. Cheers......roll on January, as thats when my Xmas is


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## Sensi Karate (Dec 18, 2009)

LifeOnMars said:


> Hi guys I have fantastic news I now own a gaming PC (well, end of January) I recieved Xmas money from my family early as I'm not seeing them this year and have obviously been looking on eBay so decided to have a look at any gaming rigs going in my area. I found one that I felt had solid components and tried my arm at bidding (all the while asking him loads of questions lol). I won it for £450 and here's what it's got inside it -
> 
> Q6600 GO 2.4Ghz quad-core processor which he runs @3.6 but says it has more in it
> Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 motherboard
> ...



I'm really happy that you achieved your goal of a gaming rig! You got a pretty good deal out of your money spent and I hope you have a great timing playing some classic and new titles down the line! I'm seriously similing atm because I'm so happy for you achievement, a rare thing on a internet forum.  Hopefully this and your new job interview are your first steps into a new, better life for you and your girlfriend! 

Congratz!


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## MK4512 (Dec 18, 2009)

Good luck! Hope things turn up for you! If I see anything, I'll let you know.

EDIT: Read through, big Congratulations!


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## LifeOnMars (Dec 18, 2009)

Cheers guys, will be nice to actually play the games rather than watching videos on youtube and drooling  Another plus is I'll get to play some online games with my older bro who lives in the US, he's got a kick ass rig by the way. It's his fault I got into PC gaming.


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## LifeOnMars (Jan 23, 2010)

UPDATE- The deal fell through....he needed funds quicker due to financial reasons which I understand totally. He refunded the initial £300 without a problem so it's fine. Since then I've been looking at components on here, ebay and other rigs. I'm now pleased to say I have another rig that I bid on and won for £450 again which I am recieving next Saturday...this time its been paid for in full and its slightly better  Heres the specs -

Q6600 B stepping Revision G0 (the best for overclocking) at stock 2.4Ghz (oc's to 3.4/3.5)
Asus P5N-T Deluxe
4 GB Corair DDR2
BFG GTX 275 OC 896mb DDR3
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme with 120mm fan 
Antec 900 case
Everest 800w PSU
320 gb Sata hdd Western Digital
500 gb ide hdd - Will probably sell/trade this and get a samsung F3 1tb
Sony dvd rw
Card Reader

I'm thinking I will probably get a newer case and power supply at some point but should do everything I want it to do until its swapped out for a more modern setup What are everest power supplies like?

EDIT - Also has Vista Ultimate 32 & 64 bit retail with it. Can you upgrade this to windows 7 for a cheaper price?


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## Fourstaff (Jan 23, 2010)

Still an awesome system, it beats everything I have owned before. You can upgrade to a win7 cheap if I am not wrong


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## Sensi Karate (Jan 23, 2010)

LifeOnMars said:


> UPDATE- The deal fell through....he needed funds quicker due to financial reasons which I understand totally. He refunded the initial £300 without a problem so it's fine. Since then I've been looking at components on here, ebay and other rigs. I'm now pleased to say I have another rig that I bid on and won for £450 again which I am recieving next Saturday...this time its been paid for in full and its slightly better  Heres the specs -
> 
> Q6600 B stepping Revision G0 (the best for overclocking) at stock 2.4Ghz (oc's to 3.4/3.5)
> Asus P5N-T Deluxe
> ...



At least your getting a better rig in the end! That computer is actually better in some points then my own. I feel jealous now.  Also heres a chart that shows your options upgrading from Vista to Windows 7. You can buy the cheaper upgrade pack. 







Best of luck mate.


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## LifeOnMars (Jan 23, 2010)

Cheers Sensi  Do you think I should trade/sell the GTX 275 whilst it still has some value and get a DX11 card ?


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## Reefer86 (Jan 25, 2010)

personally i would say no DX11 is still along way away from mainstream yet.


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