What to salvage off 3 old computer towers

As the title states I have 3 old computer towers that were given to me with the intention of making a desktop I could use once my laptop died. Knock on wood my 7 year old laptop is still working. So now that I'm moving I am ready to get rid of these towers. With how old they are it is pointless to piece together a tower, so I sacrifice them to the beer gods so I can do some good. I need a stir plate so fans and HD magnets are coming out, is there anything else worth trying to save for any future DIY projects?

are they completely shot ?? If they are Pentium 4 or better, You cld maybe make a Linux box as a SAMBA/NAS box .. or maybe Vortexbox ..

If not, then ewaste !

kappclark said:

are they completely shot ?? If they are Pentium 4 or better, You cld maybe make a Linux box as a SAMBA/NAS box .. or maybe Vortexbox ..

If not, then ewaste !

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One has a fried motherboard, another has a shot HD and no RAM at all and possibly other problems and the other I have no idea what is wrong besides being told it didn't work. I'm not the most knowledgeable with computers so piecing together something crazy is out of the realm of my expertise. Though one is a pentium 4, another a pentium 3 and another an AMD athalon X2. Like I said though I'd rather just buy a cheap computer to do what little computing I do away from work (design engineering so I'm on the computer a good bit at work already).

FYI-

When you're done taking parts; you can take them into any Best Buy (no hard drives) and they'll take them for recycling. Better than putting them in the trash.

I put together a sweet computer for under $300 so I wouldn't bother keeping any parts except

I would take all the fans and a few wires for a future e-brewery build or to use for air circulation on any kind of fermentation chamber.

I would take apart the hard drives and take out the metal platters/disks. They are shiny like a mirror and make awesome coasters.

The rest would go to Best buy.

External powersupplies (12V) from speakers/usb hub/etc to power fans for stirplate...

Power Supplies, Fans and speakers. If you're into building your own stuff like stir plates, control panels, etc. save the internal power cables and even the power switch from the front.

Power supplies. Why build one stir plate when you can build several and have them all run off one power supply I actually did this but in the end probably wouldn't do it again. But the power supply is useful for all sorts of DIY projects brewing or non-brewing.

That X2 is worth some money. Honestly, I would throw them on Craigslist. The whole lot of them for $175 OBO and take the first offer you get. They will sell. Use that cash for a stirplate build and any other odds and ends.

JoshuaW said:

That X2 is worth some money. Honestly, I would throw them on Craigslist. The whole lot of them for $175 OBO and take the first offer you get. They will sell. Use that cash for a stirplate build and any other odds and ends.

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Ehh I don't know if it even works. Also after a quick search on craigslist I found one going for $30. I might throw it up there, but I don't want to screw anyone over so I might just go the best buy route (didn't know they did that) with everything but the hd, power supplies and fans.

In case you should think to make an automated system in the future, you could save also the best tower case you have, to enclose components/powerage/relays and to plug connectors for burners/valves/pumps.

cheers

gm

The cases themselves would make a nice heat shield material if you use a propane burner.

Case fans for circulating air in a keezer or fermentation chamber.

Rare earth magnets from the hard drives for mounting drip trays and / or bottle cap catchers onto a keezer or kegerator.