What do you do with your old computers/laptops/tablets after getting new one
GeneralThis forum is for non-technical general discussion which can include both Linux and non-Linux topics. Have fun!
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
Personally, I can do several different things with my old computers. Those that are too old and beat up to use loose all of their good spare parts. If the pc is still useful, I will use it to experiment on, and try out new operating systems.
As for data CDs like old programs I destroy them. I destroyed alot of MS products because they were useless and irrelevant for my computing needs. Hail to linux and opensource.
Depends on the age. If they're REALLY old, I wait for my job to have a technology recycling week where we can take in all our technology stuff and throw it in huge bins without having to pay for it to be recycled. If it's still got plenty of life left in it, then I either give it away or sell it cheap.
heard recently that kilo for kilo, recycled computers produce more gold
than the equivalent dirt out of some working goldmines
I'd like a link to an article or something. Not that I don't believe you, but I'd like a bit of confirmation before I invest in a smelter and start dumpster diving for computer parts.
Distribution: Debian Sid AMD64, Raspbian Wheezy, various VMs
Posts: 7,680
Rep:
Quote:
Originally Posted by metaschima
I'd like a link to an article or something. Not that I don't believe you, but I'd like a bit of confirmation before I invest in a smelter and start dumpster diving for computer parts.
It says "One metric ton of circuit boards can contain between 80 and 1,500 g of gold". Price check on that is between $3000 and $60000. It also says "in an effort to cut costs, manufacturers have gradually reduced the precious metal content in electronic products, and this trend is likely to continue". It would be challenging to collect one metric ton of scrapped boards, and although $60000 would be worth it, $3000 would not. Running a smelter is not cheap, and neither is isolating the gold and other precious metals.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.