How Do You Scrap A Computer?

Many homeowners have a desktop computer in their house. Finding a place to recycle your old computer can be difficult if you want to upgrade to a laptop. After you have found a local scrap yard that accepts electronic waste or e-waste, you can bring your computer to be scrapped. Scrap yards will usually NOT accept monitors, mice, keyboards, or printers, though they will accept desktop towers as a whole unit. You can also take time to take them apart for more money.

Suggested Reading: What You Need & What Metals You’ll Find In A Computer

11 Steps To Scrapping A Computer

  1. Once you have a desktop tower you want to scrap, take a screwdriver and remove the steel case from the outside. The screws may be on the bottom or side of the tower.
  2. Once you have successfully removed the steel case, begin to take the screws out of the back of the unit that hold things like the power supply in. This will be a large rectangular box on the bottom of the desktop tower. You can also remove the screws that hold the disc drives in. Put the screws in your steel pile.
  3. Once you have removed the screws that are holding units in place, you can begin to cut out the insulated copper wires from the various parts inside. You will find bunches of wires from the power supply, disc drives, and more that you can clip out and place in your wire pile.
  4. Once you have removed the wires, begin to remove the units inside. You can pull out the power supply, disc drives, and plastic fans.
  5. The disc drives will be the CD or floppy disc drive. Those can be added to your low-grade board pile. The hard drive and the power supply should be placed in separate piles.
  6. Once you have removed the above items, you will see the motherboard will be left screwed to the case of the desktop. Find the screws that are holding it down and remove those to pull the motherboard out.
  7. Once you have the motherboard removed, begin to find the RAM boards, AL heatsinks, and CPU chips.
  8. some-see-someone-fixing-it-scrappers-see-someone-making-money-eatsleepscrap-ed4eaFind the RAM boards; at least 2 of them are skinny boards standing on the motherboard. Remove them by lifting the latch and holding them down into the motherboard. You can add them to their own pile.
  9. Next, look for a few AL heat sinks; they will be silver and look like standing-up grills. There will be at least 2 or 3 of them on the motherboard. You can usually find a release latch next to them to pull them off, or you may have to unscrew them.
  10. You can sometimes find an AL heat sink underneath one of the plastic fans. Remove that, and then there should be a CPU chip underneath. The CPU chip will be a smaller square board attached to the motherboard. You can usually remove it by releasing the latch.
  11. Once you have all the components separated from the desktop computer tower, you will be ready to bring it to a scrap yard and get paid.