So, on average, a Computer along with its accessories will have 0.310 grams of Gold. On specific high performance processors/ computers like Intel 386 and 486, Pentum 4 CPU, AMD Ryzen CPUs, Intel 80286 microprocessor have higher Gold content. The total amount of Gold from a single computer can go upto 0.500 grams.
Motherboards and Circuit Boards
Motherboards – the biggest circuit boards inside both laptops and desktops – often contain the “mother lode” of gold in used computers. Their edges have gold contacts and connectors where wires slide on. You will also find thin layers of gold applied to motherboards' surfaces.
This is because the gold content in rams is about 0.155%, which means that there is 15.5 milligrams of gold in every gram of rams. So, if you have 1 kilogram of rams, which is equal to 1000 grams, you will have 15.5 grams of gold.
Computer CPUs contain as much as 0.2 to 0.5 grams, making them an excellent choice for gold extraction. Retrieving gold from 200 laptops can give you around 5 troy ounces of gold. A ton of PC circuit boards has approximately 5 troy ounces of gold. Smartphones typically have around 0.034 grams of gold.
Sell your scrap Gold
We buy gold from nearly any source ranging from old jewlery and gold coins, to electronic and computer scrap, to gold plated pins and connectors. We refine carat scrap for cash and provide world class services for large quantities of E-scrap.
Low Yield: The yield of gold from electronics is relatively low compared to other gold extraction methods, and it may not be worth it for individuals who are only looking to extract a small amount of gold.
How much gold is in a computer hard drive? It is possible to find gold plating in small traces, not only in hard drives, RAM memory sticks, but in many other components of desktop or laptop computers. The exact amount can vary around 0.3 gram of gold worth around $20.
So, on average, a Computer along with its accessories will have 0.310 grams of Gold. On specific high performance processors/ computers like Intel 386 and 486, Pentum 4 CPU, AMD Ryzen CPUs, Intel 80286 microprocessor have higher Gold content. The total amount of Gold from a single computer can go upto 0.500 grams.
Among all home devices, computers and televisions typically contain the most gold. Gold is also found in the circuit boards of earlier generations of cameras, radios, and media players. Traces of gold can be found in other electronics like game consoles, tablets, and phones.
the largest 72kg gold nugget ever found (called the Welcome Stranger), today this nugget would be worth approximately $4.5M USD, discovered by two miners John Deason and Richard Oates on February 5, 1869, near Moliagul, in the state of Victoria, Australia.
What is the size of a 1 kg gold bar ? The gold bar of one kilo is very small, due to the high density of gold. The size and dimensions of the new Royal Mint 1 kilo gold bar are : 11.8 cm long, 5.3 cm wide and 0.8 cm thick. This corresponds approximately to the size of an iPhone 5 !
CPUs have a high content of gold – it could be as much as 0.2 g to 0.5 g! Melting and processing of parts from several devices yield up to 1–2 g of gold.
It's estimated that the average desktop CPU contains around 1/5th of a gram of Gold or 200mg. Today's gold prices make the total amount of Gold in a desktop CPU worth about $12.
Magann: A PC circuit board, where the gold is, weighs about a pound. If you had a ton of those boards, you should have 5 troy ounces of gold.
Australia is estimated to have the world's largest gold reserves, with 9,500 tonnes or 17 per cent of the total world estimated gold reserves of 57,000 tonnes.
Gold is used in the manufacturing of SIM cards due to it being a very excellent conductor of electricity. Other than this, it is also very durable. However, each SIM card contains very little amount of gold, and you need thousands of SIM cards to be able to extract a few grams of gold.
The United States holds the largest stockpile of gold reserves in the world by a considerable margin at over 8,100 tons. The U.S. government has almost as many reserves as the next three largest gold-holding countries combined (Germany, Italy, and France).
Removing Gold Using Fire
Use steel tongs to turn over the burning circuit boards. Get a metal bin or tray, and put the circuit boards into it. Break the boards into smaller pieces so they burn faster. Light the boards on fire.
The processors and connectors in computers, tablets, and smartphones use gold. You can also find gold in televisions, gaming consoles, printers, or essentially anything electronic.
Pour nitric acid into the glass container over the circuit boards. Stir the mixture with the glass or metal rod until the contents become a uniform fluid. Once the gold has separated from the plates — it may take some time — strain the nitric acid from the mix using the filter. Take out the pieces that aren't melted.
Scrap metal dealers will often pay good money for hard drive platters because they contain precious metals like gold and silver. However, it's important to note that not all hard drive platters contain precious metals — some are made from cheaper materials like aluminum.
Valuable & Precious metals – where they are in Computers:
Gold – Printed Circuit Boards, Computer Chips (CPU), connectors / fingers. Silver – Printed Circuit Boards, Computer Chips, keyboard membranes, some capacitors. Platinum – Hard Drives, Circuit board components.
Gold is an important element in the design of printed circuit boards, and looking closely at most PCBs will reveal that the 'fingers' on the board include metal contacts fabricated from gold.