Should you dismantle computers before selling them by the kilo?
Dismantling a computer before selling it by the kilo pays off clearly when it contains recent components: as at 14/11/2026, a complete PC is bought at €0.50/kg, whereas a single 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor is worth €20 on its own. On a fleet more than ten years old, however, dismantling often costs more time than it earns. Here is how to run the numbers for your equipment.
How much is a computer worth sold whole by the kilo?
Sold whole, a computer is paid by weight, according to its category. The price covers everything inside (motherboard, processor, memory, drive, power supply, chassis), but at material value, without taking into account whether the parts still work.
Public buyback prices as at 14/11/2026 (base tier, before any uplift for your profile and volumes):
| Whole equipment | Buyback price |
|---|---|
| Complete computer | €0.50/kg |
| Incomplete computer | €0.30/kg |
| Complete server | €0.70/kg |
| Complete laptop without battery | €1.05/kg |
| Complete laptop with battery | €0.98/kg |
| Incomplete laptop without battery | €0.95/kg |
| Thin client computer | €0.35/kg |
Two lessons. First, an "incomplete" computer (no processor, memory or drive) loses 40% of its value per kilo: if you remove parts, you have to sell them separately, otherwise you lose out. Second, the battery lowers a laptop's price: removing it is the one form of dismantling that is almost always worthwhile.
The full price list is on the complete IT equipment buyback prices page.
Which parts are really worth removing?
What you gain by dismantling are the components that go back into reuse and are bought per unit. Examples as at 14/11/2026:
- Processors: Intel Core i7 9000 or 10000 series at €30.00, i5 10000 series at €20.00, i5 8000 series at €10.00; but an i5 3000 series is worth only €0.75 and an i3 3000 series €0.20.
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4 PC module at €7.50, 8 GB DDR4 PC at €3.25; a 4 GB DDR3 PC module is worth €1.00.
- Drives: 1 TB 2.5-inch SSD at €22.50, 512 GB at €11.50; a 500 GB 3.5-inch SATA hard drive is worth €1.25.
- Servers: 32 GB DDR4 server module at €15.00, 64 GB at €30.00.
By contrast, "material" parts are worth little once separated: internal power supply with cable at €0.56/kg, CD/DVD drive at €0.43/kg, mixed recent motherboards at €2.08/kg, mixed old motherboards at €4.50/kg. For processors, see the processor unit buyback prices.
How much does dismantling a tower actually earn?
Take an illustrative example: an 8 kg desktop tower. The configurations and weights are assumptions, to be adapted to your own equipment.
| Scenario | Recent tower (10th-gen i5, 2 × 8 GB DDR4, 512 GB SSD) | Old tower (3rd-gen i3, 2 × 4 GB DDR3, 500 GB HDD) |
|---|---|---|
| Sold whole (8 kg × €0.50/kg) | €4.00 | €4.00 |
| Processor, per unit | €20.00 | €0.20 |
| RAM, per unit | €6.50 | €2.00 |
| Drive, per unit | €11.50 (SSD) | €1.25 (3.5" HDD) |
| Subtotal for removed parts | €38.00 | €3.45 |
| Rest of the PC (sold as "incomplete", here 7.5 kg × €0.30/kg) | €2.25 | €2.25 |
| Total after dismantling | €40.25 | €5.70 |
On the recent tower, dismantling multiplies the value by ten. On the old tower, it earns less than €2 per machine, for the dismantling time, tools and handling. Beyond a few dozen machines, it is often a net loss.
Note: unit prices apply to parts that are working and identifiable (legible reference, no bent pins). A part damaged during removal falls back to material value.
What do you lose by dismantling yourself?
- Time and space: you have to sort, label and store the empty chassis, then get rid of them.
- Value on fragile parts: a badly removed processor, a bent memory module or a dropped SSD goes from reuse to smelting.
- Traceability: a batch of whole PCs is easy to weigh and document. Scattered parts complicate the inventory, particularly for companies that must prove their WEEE has been disposed of properly.
- The right to do it for others: dismantling your own equipment is fine; dismantling other people's is a regulated waste management activity. Under the French classified installations nomenclature (heading 2711, INERIS AIDA database), the transit, grouping, sorting or preparation for reuse of WEEE are regulated activities.
What about batteries, drives and data?
Two kinds of dismantling are worthwhile whatever the age of the equipment.
The battery. The European WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU (Annex VII) requires batteries to be removed from separately collected waste, along with printed circuit boards larger than 10 cm². On safety, FEDEREC reported in February 2025, based on the 2024 BARPI inventory, that a fire breaks out roughly every two weeks in collection, sorting and recycling centres in France, and that more than 60% of them are linked to lithium batteries and gas cylinders. Removing a detachable battery therefore protects the chain and improves your price.
The drives. Removing the drives keeps you in control of your data. If you leave them in the machines, RECYNEW wipes them securely or destroys them physically, and a data erasure certificate can be provided to businesses on request. Details in our article on data security and computer recycling.
Which strategy suits your fleet?
| Your situation | Our advice |
|---|---|
| A few recent PCs (DDR4, 8th-gen Core and later) | Remove processor, RAM and SSD and sell them per unit; sell the rest by the kilo |
| Old fleet (DDR3, 2nd to 4th-gen Core) | Sell whole by the kilo, batteries removed |
| Large mixed volume (pallets) | Send whole and ask for a quote: we do the sorting |
| Servers | Sell whole, or remove DDR4 RAM and high-capacity drives if you have the staff |
RECYNEW, a WEEELABEX-certified centre in Millonfosse (Nord, France), sorts on arrival: working components go back into reuse, the rest into material recovery. If you send whole equipment, you therefore do not lose the value of recent parts, provided you ask for a detailed quote rather than a simple price per kilo. Quotes are issued within 48 working hours, and the firm price is confirmed after weighing and inspection. To get started: create a buyback request.
In short
- As at 14/11/2026, a complete PC is bought at €0.50/kg and an incomplete PC at €0.30/kg: only remove parts if you sell them separately.
- Dismantling pays on recent hardware: processors, DDR4 RAM and SSDs are bought per unit (€20 for a 10th-gen i5, €22.50 for a 1 TB SSD).
- On an old fleet, the gain is around €1 to €2 per machine: sell it whole.
- Always remove detachable batteries and keep control of your drives.
- For large volumes, ask for a detailed quote: sorting for reuse happens on arrival.