Ask LH: What Should I Do With My Old Computer Parts?


Dear Lifehacker, I have built many computers throughout the years, but as they’ve become obsolete, I’ve replaced them with new computers. What should I do with all my old computer parts? I’d hate to just throw them away. Sincerely, Hard Drive Hoarder

Title image remixed from Kris Butler (Shutterstock).

Dear Hoarder,

No matter how obsolete your parts are, you can probably find one or two uses for them — even if they aren’t in a new computer for yourself. Here are some things you can do with them, both from the obvious end of the spectrum and the less obvious.

Build a Low-Powered, Single-Purpose Computer


It isn’t the most original idea, but if you have enough parts to build a new machine — with or without a good case — you can always throw it together and repurpose it like you would an old computer. For example, no matter how old or crappy a computer may be, it can make for an excellent home server that feeds files to the other computers in your house, downloads torrents 24/7 or performs other all-day tasks. It also doesn’t take a lot of power to build a home theatre PC for all your movies and TV shows, so that’s a good option as well.

Note that if you don’t have an old case to use (since cases can pretty much last forever), you can always make a temporary case out of a cardboard box, or build that computer right into your desk for true household integration.

Repurpose the Parts On Their Own


Some parts can be repurposed on their own. For example, you can easily turn an old hard drive into an external hard drive with a simple enclosure, or you can turn a DVD drive into an external DVD drive. If you have some extra NVIDIA graphics cards, you can throw one in your existing computer as a dedicated PhysX card for games that support it (and if your current card isn’t too powerful). If you’ve really got some DIY skills, you could even turn it into an external graphics card for better gaming on your laptop. Not all parts can be repurposed this way, but before you start throwing stuff out, see if any of them have use to your current computers.

Turn Them Into Fun DIY Projects


This one may not be particularly useful, but if you have a lot of parts lying around and want something fun to do, you could always turn them into a fun computer-themed DIY project. For example, you could turn old motherboards and graphics cards into a circuit board coffee table, or one of a million other cool things. Search around to find projects that others have come up with or think of other ways you can decorate your geek cave on your own.

Sell Them


You may not have use for an old Intel Pentium 4 and an AGP graphics card, but someone else might. If you can’t think of anything to do with them at home, put them up on eBay or Gumtree and see if you can make a few bucks. You can either put them up as single parts or build them into a few computers and sell them that way. You may not get a lot of money, but you’ll at least be giving someone else parts they can use. Picture: acloudman/Flickr.

Recycle Them

If all else fails and you just want to get rid of those old parts, don’t throw them in the garbage bin. Those parts could have harmful metals in them you don’t want rotting away in a landfill. Check in with your local council or search online for drop-off and pickup options near you.

Cheers
Lifehacker

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