Used Computer Value

The size/weight of computers has been shrinking. The amount of precious metals (gold) has also been reduced. With the relentless cost reductions that allow a PC to be sold for $349 from Dell and with computers doubling in capacity every two years for the same price, how much is that 5 year old computer worth? Not much.

Ask, who would buy a 5 year old computer when they can get a new one for a little bit more? With the computer size weighing less and less, the amount of scrap value for a PC has been going down. PII Desktop per this article is worth under $50. And how many people want to pay shipping for a used computer, that is more than the computer is worth?

So it sits in a closet, gets donated, or hopefully recycled as it's E-Waste/eWaste. Hopefully, the hard drive in there has been scrubbed so no personal data is passed on. A ball pin hammer is a great way of permanently erasing a hard drive, but it reduces the value of the computer. If an old computer is only worth $50, who can afford to work on it in the US? For business, nobody since just to look at a computer with overhead costs $50. Much less removing a hard drive, wiping it, and then reinstalling a new OS.