Now Is the Time to Reclaim the Platinum from Older Computer Hard Drives
Have you noticed a big change in computers over the last few years?
We’re not talking about the fact that DVD/CD drives have disappeared from most of them – even though that is true. Nor are we talking about the fact that there is no longer a place to plug in an ethernet cable.
No, we are talking about the fact that on most computers, solid-state hard drives have replaced those old hard drives that stored data on spinning disks. There are many advantages to storing data on solid-state drives, including . . .
Solid state drives are much less likely to fail because they have no motors, turntables, or metal disks that can stop working.
Solid state drives can store an immense amount of data in a drive that is physically small, making them great for use in laptops.
Solid state drives make no noise, making them a great choice for computers that will be used in libraries or other quiet places. Also, solid state drives do not vibrate.
Why Was Platinum Used in those Old Hard Drives?
Because platinum is a non-ferrous, non-magnetic metal, it was not used to make up most of the material in the disks that stored data. Often, those disks were made of a light aluminum alloy that was coated with a magnetizable medium. Later, aluminum was sometimes replaced by a ceramic disk that was coated with that ferrous material to receive the data that was stored.
In some disks however, a small outer layer of platinum was used to protect the data that was stored beneath it from loss. In addition, casings and other parts were sometimes plated with platinum to protect the drives from becoming magnetized and losing data.
How Can You Harvest Platinum?
First, you need a large quantity of old hard drives for it to be worthwhile to harvest platinum – on the order of 50, 100 or more drives. To do that, you need to find a place to buy a large number of older computers.
You can break open the hard cases of the drives and extract the bright, shiny disk where data was stored. You can then send those disks to Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners so we can reclaim the platinum they contain.
However, this “do it yourself” process can cause you to overlook the gold that the drives contain – gold that is, of course, worth recycling. We therefore recommend that before you break open the hard drives you have collected, give our precious metal refiners a call at 800-426-2344 to discuss the best approach to retrieving all the gold and platinum from the kind of drives you have.
Is It Worth the Time and Effort?
Let’s face it – the amount of platinum in one hard drive will only be worth a few cents at most. So, to make your effort worthwhile, you will need to collect and process many old hard drives.
Do remember, however, that old computers contain more than just hard drives. They contain several other components – modems, graphics cards and motherboards – that contain gold that is well worth reclaiming.
If you are interested in investing the time to make money reclaiming the gold, silver, platinum and other metals that old computers contain, call Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners at 800-426-2344 or email us at sales@specialtymetals.com.