Extracting Gold From Computer Processors For Money

[dday]

I saw a post on another forum asking for old PCUs and memory to extract the gold. I'm curious as to how much gold you can actually get out of that kind of stuff. I know gold is through the roof now, but seriously, is that cost effective?

[Apoptosis]

A number of companies actually offer processors to those who want to extract gold from them -- link plus people are selling them in lots of 100 on ebay for around $50 -- link It seems that all of the ones being sold for gold recovery are ceramic.

I'm not sure how much gold is in an old P1 or P2 processor, but by the time you buy them, ship them, and pay someone to extract it I'm not sure it would be worth it. A CPU has lots of toxic chemicals in them, so trying to extract it yourself would not be too green of anyone.

[infinitevalence]

you know that the components on most are more valuable than the gold they contain... if desolder and test them they can be sold for quiet a bit more.

[Apoptosis]

you know that the components on most are more valuable than the gold they contain... if desolder and test them they can be sold for quiet a bit more.

I'm lost... what's worth more to extract than the gold on a processor?

[infinitevalence]

from CPUs not much, but from the other IC's on the system... thats a different story. They still have lots of value as long as they work.

[Zelig]

I saw a post on another forum asking for old PCUs and memory to extract the gold. I'm curious as to how much gold you can actually get out of that kind of stuff. I know gold is through the roof now, but seriously, is that cost effective?

You'd be amazed at some of the effort that goes into getting gold. There are some gold mines where over 100 tons of earth are extracted to yield a single ounce of gold.

[dday]

Let me see... gold is $700 an ounce.......move 100 tons of earth to get it....somebody's getting screwed on that deal.

I read an article somewhere that the homeless were falling victim to "gold bandits", who rob them of the gold in their teeth.....

What a world....

[T-Shirt]

At $750 per troy ounce, gold and other percious metal recycling for electroics could be quite profitable........on a large scale, the process requires (to do it in a safe, enviromentally sound way) alot of equipment, manpower, strong acids, and creates it own waste product that must be carefully recycled themselves.
what really makes it profitable for liecened recyclers is the fees they recieve either from end users or soon from an industry fund, esscentially a deposit paid in by the Mfg for each product sold to underwrite the proper disposal when it reach "end of life". then the rare metals recovery is largely profit.
The prices of all metal is near record levels, if the current trend continues the zinc in a penny will be worth more than one cent (including production,material, security, and deliery costs, it already costs the mint 1.4 cents per penny made, all 9 trillionof them a year)

[sparkn]

Considering that it would take about 1000 sheets of gold foil (at .025mm thickness) to be an inch thick, I can't see how fiddling with thousands of processors could yield much of a profit. A job at McDonald's and a trip to Kay Jeweler's would achieve a higher yield (and more zits).

1000 square inches of gold foil at .025mm thickness weighs about one troy ounce.

Link to math calculations

...and this is just gold foil. I can't imagine gold plating being this thick. I believe I read somewhere that one ton of high gold content parts in a very efficient recycling environment can yield about 11 ounces of gold. As a hobbyist, I wouldn't want to dream of the time wasted.

[gus]

Considering that it would take about 1000 sheets of gold foil (at .025mm thickness) to be an inch thick, I can't see how fiddling with thousands of processors could yield much of a profit. A job at McDonald's and a trip to Kay Jeweler's would achieve a higher yield (and more zits).



1000 square inches of gold foil at .025mm thickness weighs about one troy ounce.



Link to math calculations



...and this is just gold foil. I can't imagine gold plating being this thick. I believe I read somewhere that one ton of high gold content parts in a very efficient recycling environment can yield about 11 ounces of gold. As a hobbyist, I wouldn't want to dream of the time wasted.

I know this is an old dead thread, but.... I believe the calculation is off by an order of magnitude. It appears that 100 1"x1" pieces of foil weigh about one troy ounce using the calculator in the link, not 1000.

[DMB2000uk]

Holy thread revival batman!

I presume you found this post via google?

Dan

[smack323]

Its back....

funny but a friend of mine actually collects old computer parts and sells moving boxes full of old crap on ebay for $100-$200 a box. All he has to do is tape it shut and mail it. people buy them for the gold he says...

[DJ Tucker]

Seriously the amount of gold in these parts are small. If you get a good deal on old part then yes you got a good profit but you would need to do alot of things to get the gold and that is costly in it's own way!

All in all not a profitable way of life

[regmanabq]

Let me see... gold is $700 an ounce.......move 100 tons of earth to get it....somebody's getting screwed on that deal.

I read an article somewhere that the homeless were falling victim to "gold bandits", who rob them of the gold in their teeth.....

What a world....

Not really, 100 tons sounds like a lot, but for miners with modern equipment that's what? a couple buckets of those huge scoopers??

[skier]

hmm a thread from before my online existence, infinitevalence posted in it too!

wonder how much gold a stealth II has in it