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How Do I Get Gold Out of an Old Computer?

You can reclaim gold out of an old computer by sending it to a refinery. If you gather enough old computers, you will be able to recover a sufficient amount of gold to make a profit. Most of the gold is located near the connectors, on the fingers and on the integrated circuits. You could extract it yourself, but it involves highly toxic chemicals and can be a dangerous process. By taking the gold out of an old computer, you also recycle it and keep precious metal out of a landfill.

Things You'll Need

Computer with Internet connection
Screwdriver
Pliers

Instructions

- 1
  Remove all the plastic casings from the computer and recycle with your local electronics recycler. Pull out the fingers, the finger connectors, and the integrated circuit boards.
- 2
  Contact precious metals refineries such as Metallix Refining or Global Investment Recovery, Inc. (see Resources below) and ask how much it will cost to extract scrap gold from electronics. Refining companies usually offer to buy the computer gold and take a commission up front.
- 3
  Find out the current price of gold, also called the "spot" price. Determine how much gold you have in your computer. This information will help you determine whether to accept the refinery's offer.

Rocks & Minerals