What to Do with Old Computer Parts

When an old computer stops functioning, there are often many usable parts which can still be removed from it. While some people simply discard them, there are often many beneficial things you can do with these parts...

1. SELL THEM ONLINE: Some types of old computer parts are easy to sell on internet auction web sites, especially eBay.com. I recently sold a 486 CPU chip from a broken laptop on eBay for about $7, and some time ago I was able to sell an old 5.25" disk drive for approximately $10. Some items which are more scarce can go for more; a 512K memory board (for the TRS-80 Color Computer III) recently sold for $24, and a Tektronix 8" disk drive went for about $50. Finding a message board or user group specific to the computer(s) the parts were designed for may help with locating someone who will purchase them. Using an anti-static bag helps protect sensitive computer parts (like memory or CPU chips) when mailing them after they are sold.

2. SELL THEM LOCALLY: If you live in a major city, there may be people willing to purchase your old computer parts locally, especially if you are offering a number of them. Consider placing an ad in a local newspaper or the CraigsList.org section for your city/state. You also might have a chance of selling them at a flea market, especially if they are compatible with recent computers (such as ISA or PCI expansion cards) or are for a popular vintage computer like the Commodore 64 or Atari 400/800.

3. KEEP FOR REPAIRS: Although this can generally be ruled out for parts which are at least fifteen years old, a number of computer parts can be used for replacements when those in newer computers fail. Older disk, Zip, CD-ROM, and hard drives, as well as modems and network cards, can often be installed in newer computers, with equivalent performance in some cases. On the other hand, old CPUs, memory chips, and many laptop parts are not likely to be useful for repairing newer computers.

4. BUILD ANOTHER COMPUTER: If you have experience repairing or putting together computers, you might be able to use some of the old parts (in conjunction with a new motherboard, CPU, and power supply) to build another computer at reduced cost, especially if the parts include a fairly large housing/case, and the motherboard has ISA expansion slots (to connect old video, modem, network, and sound cards).

The best suggestion on what to do with old computer parts depends upon the type, age, and condition of the parts in question, as well as your geographic location and computer repair skills.