Scrapping Question

[mj74]

So I recently got about 6 computer towers,and I have taken everything out. I know that if you leave the hard drives whole,that they are worth more than if they were dismantled,but does this also go for the other items in the tower (CD drive,floppy,power supply) as well?

[messymessy]

Pull the processor from the mother board. Leave all the other components whole. Save the cables too. Silver Saddle is the real expert on this stuff. Check his posts on this matter on the old site.

[Dr. Cadmium]

Prices for electronic/computer vary greatly. The biggest issues are usually finding a place nearby that will buy certain materials and then gathering enough of the material together that they will deal with you (most have high weight minimums).

In general:

Hard drives: not worth the time to dismantle unless your labor is really cheap.

CD and floppy drives: keep intact. Exception: the larger 5 1/4" floppy drives have a decent board and most of their weight is cast aluminum; these are worth separating as they come apart quickly (also note that working 5 1/4" drives are worth far more as a useable part). Many yards, even special electronic scrap facilities, will not buy CD/floppies as a separate material because they have such a low value. However, many will take them as light iron/shredder scrap.

Motherboards/expansion boards: preparation and classification varies greatly from buyer to the next. Some want more of the sinks and brackets removed than others.

Power supplies: keep intact for best prices, as these can be a real project to open up and separate. Whether or not to clip the wires off varies from one facility to the next. Usually the rate for clipped power supplies is much lower than unclipped ones.