Parts from old PCs - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: woodchips
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2023, 09:49:47 am
content: Old age beckons, minor stroke but recovering, but it means that my work room of 25+ years needs sorting. Found some old 80's, 90's PCs plus laptops and lots of IO cards. I use a 486 running DOS 5 to do all my design work, still runs, but did get some spare computers just in case. I need ISA slots for my custom IO cards so anything newer than mid-90's is of no use.The question is, this stuff was made in its millions, is there really a shortage of any of it that means it does have value? Computers were just no name clones, IO boards are named, floppy and hard discs back to ST506. Spent two days searching for a VGA 640x480 monitor, and the VGA cable, tested a 286 and two P100 computers, don't work, did work, the K6 computer was ok. Couple of years ago tested the laptops and they worked if I had the power adapter, did have funny plugs sometimes.Could just give away but even that leaves a sour taste in the mouth when you see it on ebay, but the effort of testing dozens of boards for money is also not something I am keen on. I can't be the only person trapped in this waste of time and effort or ripped off choice. What do others think?

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2023, 03:15:38 pm
content: Quote from: woodchips on April 07, 2023, 09:49:47 amUnfortunately that seems to be the circle of (electronic equipments) life.Someone keeps it, because it (seemingly) has some value and can be sold on ebay, for some money. They don't have the time and inclination to actually ever sell it or anything.So, sooner or later, it ends up being put into a giant skip.If something sells on ebay for £100 or even a lot more, because it ended up working or the seller, spent the time and effort to clean it up, fix it and patiently sold it on ebay. It doesn't mean that they could viably pay lots of money, to buy stuff up, which might end up working and selling for a bit on ebay.At a realistic price, even unsorted piles of old vintage computer bits, can probably be sold on ebay, I would think. But price it too high and I suspect you won't get many takers.Also old stuff can take up a lot of room, be expensive to ship, and take significant time and effort to test, and fix, ready for sale.As a rule of thumb, old electronics seems to find various reasons to have stopped working, especially because of old capacitors and things.I'm not sure if I have any magical solutions, and prices of things can go up and down, at various times.If it has got rusty, corroded or very dirty, then that can put some or a lot of people off. As that can show it was poorly stored, outside and maybe got damp or wet.Maybe others, have better advice?Be warned that some things you search for on ebay, come back at very, very high prices. But that is NOT the price the stuff sells for, but just the completely unrealistic price, some people think they can sell the stuff for.Using the completed item (advanced) search, is usually better, as it can give you a much more realistic view of what things really sell for and hence are possibly worth.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2023, 04:14:58 pm
content: Prior post says it all (almost). Didn't mention the nuisance and cost of shipping.If you hate to see this old stuff die, sell it on eBay. Don't expect to do a lot more than cover your costs. You aren't doing it for a living, just to keep a bit of history alive for a while longer.Another option is to find a museum and donate it, though most won't want very much of it.I can tell you from personal experience that the dump looks attractive after a bit of this activity.

author: alm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2023, 08:10:46 pm
content: There is a bit of a surge in interest in vintage computers due to people who grew up with them getting nostalgic and having some disposable income, so I'd expect that especially the older stuff like 286 would sell (looking at completed eBay listings for something like $35 for an untested 80286 motherboard). Ideally you'd take pictures and list the different components, or complete systems, separately. Don't expect to get rich, but it may pay enough to be worth the effort, and might give you a better feeling than throwing it away.

author: retiredfeline
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2023, 12:05:48 am
content: It's only if you have a rare model that was notable for something, like being the first XT or whatever, that your PC might be worth something. If it's just mass produced hardware from the far east, sorry, it may be nostalgic to you, but it's just e-waste to everybody else.If you have a paricular card that is for industrial equipment that must use that card, there may be a market for it.Otherwise, do your inheritors a favour and don't make them curse you for making them clean out your workshop after you're gone.

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2023, 01:05:01 am
content: +1 to what @retiredfeline said. That it is old is not much of a guide to value. Not yet anyway. For mass produced items it has to have survived 99.9% of the cleanouts you sound like you're contemplating.Search Ebay using advanced search to find sold and completed items to get a reliable guide to value. I don't fault people listing for high prices since my motto is "Don't die wondering".If the computer is a rare extinct brand or short production run unsuccessful model or a first of some kind then the picture is brighter. It all comes down to why someone would want it. But with mongrels made up of a mixture of parts which we all did 20 years ago then the desire is much less.If you think you can give it away then try. You might find someone but I think you will find it not so easy.I have thrown away some things I now wish I'd kept but even nostalgia is not strong enough for me to reacquire them.But good on you for wanting to save the family from the effort you're contemplating.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2023, 07:25:18 am
content: Quote from: woodchips on April 07, 2023, 09:49:47 amIf testing the boards, finding the documentation, and taking nice photos is not your idea of fun, then I'd say don't do it. The ebay proceeds will not be worth your time overall, even if you miss out on a couple of sales which might command a higher price.You could either offer larger lots as "untested" on ebay, at a low price, to minimize your effort and get at least a bit of money out of it. Or you could find a vintage computer club and ask whether they want to come and pick up the stuff for free -- minimum effort for you, and at least some of the items will get a second life.Museums were mentioned in another post, but I don't think that is realistic. Post-1990 mass-produced hardware is not of interest to them, and they are running low on storage space already... I don't have specific recommendations for the UK. In Germany, this club would be one place to find interested people -- a self-proclaimed group of "electronic waste junkies":https://forum.classic-computing.de/forum/

author: woodchips
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2023, 09:46:47 am
content: Thanks to those who responded, and others who at least read it!Really just confirmed my thoughts, scrap. I have been sorting 50 years of electronics and amazed just how many trailer loads of scrap I have kept. It becomes a real pain just to give it away, let alone sell stuff. Yeah yeah I will be there this weekend to collect goes on for weeks, in the end it just gets scrapped, even items that people seem to be prepared to pay hundreds of pounds for.All I can say is thank goodness for the rise on gold prices, almost anything electronic PCBs is worth £4-8 per kg.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2023, 10:40:11 am
content: There are quite a few groups in Facebook for enthusiasts like you that are selling and buying old PC hardware. I suggest you take a look, as most of the transactions are made directly without the eBay and the need to thoroughly evaluate the working condition of the items. One of the international groups is named "Vintage Computer Sales" and I also participate in a few others that are more local to my area.The usual goods that sell well are the 1990s computing parts and motherboards. Aptivas, Dells and others are so prevalent that they do not have the same appeal - especially if they are Pentium 4 era computers, which are particularly low value.(edit) anything pre-PC era is usually worth more, especially if they are in working condition and have sentimental value (e.g. BBC Micro or Amstrads for the UK folks)Good luck in selling your lot.