Where Can You Find Scrap Platinum in Old Computers?

We have written on this blog before about retrieving gold scrap from old computers. It is actually pretty easy to do, since you can see the gold, which is mostly found on the little pins that are on the edges of motherboards, printed circuit boards, memory chips - in the little pins that are used to plug those devices into surrounding contact blocks.

How do you extract that gold? You snip off those little pins and send them to us to be recycled. Or if you prefer, you can collect a batch of circuit boards, memory chips, etc., and send them to us to be tested and processed.  It’s a straightforward, convenient way to get money by scrapping old computers. Call us at 800-426-2344 to learn more.

Okay, that’s the story with gold. But what about platinum?

The One Fact to Remember about Platinum in Computers

There isn’t an awful lot of platinum in old computers. The platinum they contain is found in their hard drives - but not in the newer solid-state hard drives that are gaining favor, which do not contain platinum. We are talking about older hard drives, the kind that contain a spinning disk inside and a little arm that reads the data stored on them.

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.

Do you remember the days when a VHS tape or an audiocassette would be ruined if it came into contact with a strong magnet, which removed some of the electrons the tape contained? A similar loss of electrons can occur if an older hard drive is exposed to a magnetic field. And remember, magnetic fields are generated by a lot of computer components, like the motherboard, peripherals, and even those giant old CPU monitors that were once the standard for displays.

The Good News about Harvesting Hard Drives

Hard drives are among the most easily identified of all computer components. They are encased in metal and look fatter than circuit boards. They look, in fact, kind of like miniature automotive catalytic converters, which also contain platinum.

Another good piece of news about hard drives is that they were used in tens of thousands of older computers, if not more. You can get your hands on lots of old computers by buying them from local town recycling facilities, businesses, school systems, and hospitals. And every single one of those computers will contain a hard drive that has a small amount of platinum.

The Less Happy News about Harvesting Hard Drives

Yes, they are easy to collect in large quantities. The negative news is that each hard drive you get will contain a minuscule amount of platinum, worth a few cents at most.

So profiting depends on your ability to obtain lots of them at the lowest price you can and then using our service to extract the platinum they contain.

Want to know more? Call Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners at 800-426-2344 and say, “Tell me about making money by recycling platinum scrap from old computer hard drives.” We have the information you need to turn old computers into bright new cash.  

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