Old Computers?

Shadow · #1 08-28-2007, 11:56 PM

What do you do with old computers? Can you donate them to schools or maybe third world contries? Or are you just stuck trashing them? I

have a bunch of old computers and since I am currently thinking of building a new system and am unable to until i make enough space....any suggestions?

Mia · #2 08-29-2007, 12:37 AM

We have this in Connecticut - but I have no idea how you would get computers to them as it's a local thing: http://www.carecircle.net/programs-carecircles-info.php?id=100

EvilAerosolCan · #3 08-29-2007, 12:45 AM

Ebay? Unless it's really old, I'm sure someone will buy the parts.

Mia · #4 08-29-2007, 12:46 AM

Found an interesting article about mandated computer recycling - I threw it up over in Favorites. Still doesn't help you out though Shadow, sorry

Delmar · #5 08-29-2007, 01:48 AM

Sorry, Shadow. Unfortunately, I have always been forced to bring them to the dump as I've held on to them so long that no one wanted them as they were so out of date.

Eurydice · #6 08-29-2007, 01:56 AM

My friend's office just put a bunch of old computers and monitors up on Craigslist and Freecycle, and they were gone within days. Then they become someone else's problem!

Dem · #7 08-29-2007, 02:42 AM

Donate them to schools

I hated using old computers at school...... It's a friendly gesture but... No. Maybe a school for really young children though. Like.. 4-5 or something. They shouldn't really be into PC gaming anyway, should be playing Sega Genesis.

or maybe third world contries?

Provided there's a way to actually get your computer there... What are they gonna do with it? Is there internet there? Is there even electricity?

Or are you just stuck trashing them?

Yes, viable option. But make sure to put it on youtube.

Sell it....

I know there's sometimes fairs or something where people sell them. Or you can just rip them apart, see what parts are still usuable and perhaps use the best parts of them to create a little oldschool freak computer... A server, a robot slave, or perhaps just art to decorate your room with. Nothing attracts the females more than a shrine dedicated to a motherboard stating: "I remember".

Shadow · #8 08-29-2007, 03:31 AM

see i was thinking about this today and there really is no great way of getting rid of your computers. Old ones no one wants.... new ones its a pain in arse to sell stuff... the thing is you can donate really old computers to technical school for engineering students to learn sodering and basics of electrical engineering.... you can also take the old cases and sell the metal/plastics to steel or chemical companies.... you can take the decent parts and make a freak computer and sell for pennies to people who might not be able to afford a computer otherwise....internationally send computers to schools in latin america (both central and south) to the mideast would greatly increase the ability to educate children or at the very least give them skills to get a job dealing with computers....I am shocked that there is no business out there that doesn't do something about this....it would decrease the trash in land fills, increase education (and youth gamers

)) and could really be a humanitarian idea.....not a bad idea maybe i will work on this more

KILLERCOD · #9 08-29-2007, 04:32 AM

Not to get off topic, but the "computers for the third world" thing really rubs me a bit, when children here in the US have a hard time getting access to one sometimes...and we have the infrastructure to support them (computers). What is a half starving child with no education, healthcare, internet, or electricity; living in some self appointed warlords violent village in the African desert going to do with a laptop? Assuming you could get them through to them via the red cross, UNICEF, or some other organization?

The rest of the ideas above were great though! And no matter what you decide to do, the local landfill will always take them for recycling (the metal parts anyway).

Abdo · #10 08-29-2007, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadow

see i was thinking about this today and there really is no great way of getting rid of your computers. Old ones no one wants.... new ones its a pain in arse to sell stuff... the thing is you can donate really old computers to technical school for engineering students to learn sodering and basics of electrical engineering.... you can also take the old cases and sell the metal/plastics to steel or chemical companies.... you can take the decent parts and make a freak computer and sell for pennies to people who might not be able to afford a computer otherwise....internationally send computers to schools in latin america (both central and south) to the mideast would greatly increase the ability to educate children or at the very least give them skills to get a job dealing with computers....I am shocked that there is no business out there that doesn't do something about this....it would decrease the trash in land fills, increase education (and youth gamers

)) and could really be a humanitarian idea.....not a bad idea maybe i will work on this more

I think that the reason that there is no service that brings computers to schools that need them is because just having a computer doesn't help, you need programs, and people who know how to set up everything, and then if you want internet theres a ton more stuff, all of which would cost more money. Unfortunately that means that there are few opportunities to donate your computers to a worthy cause. So if you need to get rid of some old computers then your better off selling them (trust me you will find a buyer, it may just take a while) if you wanna help you community then just donate the money you make selling it.