Are old computer hard drives worth anything?

If you're wondering whether hard drive platters are worth anything, the answer is yes — they can be quite valuable. Scrap metal dealers will often pay good money for hard drive platters because they contain precious metals like gold and silver.

Is there value in old hard drives?

Old hard drives can be sold to raise some cash. Hard drives from old, obsolete computers can be worth money. You can list them on auction sites specializing in computer parts or on generic auction sites like eBay. Just make sure that you securely wipe all your data off the old drive before selling it.

What can you do with old computer hard drives?

How much can you sell used hard drives for?

Sell Western Digital Hard Drives

As such, there's good demand for used western digital hard drives. While most WD hard drives sell for ~$10 to $75, high capacity drives and WD SSDs go for higher.

How much gold is in a hard drive?

How much gold is in a computer hard drive? It is possible to find gold plating in small traces, not only in hard drives, RAM memory sticks, but in many other components of desktop or laptop computers. The exact amount can vary around 0.3 gram of gold worth around $20.

Are Hard Drives Still Worth It?

What parts of a hard drive are valuable?

All hard drives contain precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum and Palladium. While they contain precious metals in very little amount, they still have a value. For most people, hard drives become useless when they cannot store anymore data or contain viruses.

Can you scrap old hard drive?

All hard drives are recyclable, whether they're internal or external. You can separate the hard drive from the device (in some cases) or bring in the entire device for recycling.

Do people still buy hard drives?

HDDs are still a reliable, cheap option for lots of storage. I'd imagine more than half of people still use an HDD if not for games, for other things like media. Besides my SSDs, I have a 2tb HDD for pictures, videos, and some programs.

How do I clean my hard drive before selling it?

The best way to make sure an old-fashioned mechanical hard drive is securely erased is to overwrite it with dummy data multiple times. There's a popular freeware app called DBAN (Darik's Boot and Nuke) that writes to all the sectors using secure sanitization methods.

Do removing a hard drive from a computer mess it up?

Effect on How the Computer Operates

Computers can turn on and display the system BIOS screens without a hard drive, so removing the drive doesn't damage anything -- it just renders the computer useless.

Is a 10 year old hard drive still good?

Unlike film, records, cassettes and CDs, hard drives have a lifespan of only three to five years – maybe 10 at the most – so it's probably time to think about how to preserve that data over the long run.

Why destroy old hard drives?

You should always destroy hard drives or other electronic devices before recycling because there is no way to ensure that equipment sent for recycling will not be accessed by information thieves.

How much platinum is in a hard drive platter?

asp) has all the facts: surface layer of Co-Cr-Pt alloy is 40-50% platinum, and the layer is ~30 nm thick. I don't have a hard drive platter in front of me, so let's just forget about the hole in the middle for a moment, so one platter from a 3.5" disk is 3.14*(3.5/2)^2=10.4 sq inches or 67.2 cm^2 ...

Can I sell a hard drive?

You can sell hard drives on third-party marketplaces or through your own online store, such as your Shopify-powered website.

Are hard disks obsolete?

Are hard disk drives obsolete? No. PCs with hard disk drives are still very much common because other options are quite pricey.

How much do hard drives cost on average?

HDDs are almost always much cheaper than SSDs with the same storage capacity. A Terabyte of HDD storage may run $35, versus $100 per TB for an SSD. The newest, fastest SSDs can go for as much as $150 for a 1TB drive. For external drives, the need for a rugged protective case may also increase the price.

Is there platinum in computer hard drives?

Hard drives could have small amounts of platinum, palladium, and cobalt in them, in addition to the neodymium. Platinum is in the coating of some platters to protect them from wayward magnetic fields. Cobalt helps the hard drive write data onto the platter.

What part of a hard drive is platinum?

The One Fact to Remember about Platinum in Computers

Those older hard drives do contain platinum. Why? Because their spinning disks and (in some cases other internal parts) have been plated with small quantities of platinum to protect the drives from becoming magnetized and losing data.

Can you put hard drives in garbage?

Recycle your hard drive

After you have destroyed your hard drive, you should not throw it in the trash or in the regular recycling bin. Your hard drive contains metals, plastics, and chemicals that can be harmful to the environment and human health if they are not disposed of properly.

How much gold is in a computer?

In brief, a Computer has around 0.310 gram of Gold which is worth around $20. Gold is present in Microprocessor, Wire tip coating and other components in a Computer.

Where is the gold on a hard drive?

The Gold Plating is only on Contacts and on some PCB the Tracks area also Gold Plated. But it is in very very less quantity and very difficult to remove it. Some recyclers do remove it.

Where is the gold in a computer?

Motherboards and Circuit Boards

Motherboards – the biggest circuit boards inside both laptops and desktops – often contain the “mother lode” of gold in used computers. Their edges have gold contacts and connectors where wires slide on. You will also find thin layers of gold applied to motherboards' surfaces.

Is it worth extracting gold from computers?

While extracting gold from electronics is not without its challenges, it can be worth it for individuals looking to recover valuable metals and reduce e-waste. However, following safety precautions and using personal protective equipment when handling hazardous chemicals is essential.

What has the most gold in a computer?

CPUs have a high content of gold – it could be as much as 0.2 g to 0.5 g! Melting and processing of parts from several devices yield up to 1–2 g of gold.