Yes, extracting gold from electronics can be profitable and is a form of "urban mining," but it requires significant effort, a large volume of e-waste, proper equipment, and chemical knowledge, making it worthwhile mainly as a large-scale operation or a dedicated side hustle, not for a few discarded devices. While the potential value is high (billions annually), small-scale attempts often yield low returns due to the minuscule amounts in single items, and the process involves hazardous chemicals, necessitating safety precautions or specialized, cleaner technologies.
The grade of electronic waste is generally between 800 and 1500 g/t, and 0.8-1.5 g of gold can be extracted per kg of waste.
The gold content considerably varies across electronics: Desktop computers: About 0.2 grams ($12 worth) of gold. Laptops: Roughly 0.1 grams ($6 worth) of gold. Smartphones: Around 0.034 grams of gold.
Here are some “golden age” items that have large printed circuit boards and therefore, comparatively large quantities of gold.
Each metal has different traits and can serve a different purpose inside electronics. Gold and silver are great conductors of electricity. Gold doesn't corrode, which ensures a long-lasting connection. There is about 1/40th of a gram of gold ($1.41) in a cell phone and 1/5th of a gram of gold ($11.30) in a computer.
According to my knowledge, you can get 15.5 grams of gold from 1 kilogram of rams. 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.
Some other sources estimate that your average computer contains about 1/5th of a gram, or about $12 worth, of gold in them. On the other hand, laptops typically contain about 1/10th of a gram of gold, or around $6 worth. However, the actual value will depend entirely on the type of e-waste you are looking at.
Focus on high-value components first. Microcontrollers, specialty ICs, and high-power transistors typically offer better value than basic resistors or small capacitors. Transformers, relays, and quality connectors are also worthwhile salvage targets. Avoid components showing physical damage or corrosion.
Remotes contain only a few cents' worth of gold that can be found on the edges of the printed circuit boards they contain. But if you do the math, you'll see that a few hundred remotes can be worth more money than you suspect.
Gold has maintained a high financial value, reaching over $2,000 an ounce. At these prices, a skilled recycler extracting gold from electronics can expect to receive over $10,000 worth of gold from just one ton of computer circuit boards.
An adult human body contains approximately 5 liters of blood, which contains different metals such as iron, chromium, and zinc, as well as about 0.2 milligrams of gold [1]!
Scrap gold prices per gram vary significantly by purity (karat) and current market rates, but generally range from around $50-$80 USD for 10K/12K, $80-$110 USD for 14K, to $100-$130+ USD for 18K, with 22K and 24K being higher; you must check current spot prices and specific buyer rates for your karat to get an exact value, as these are just examples based on recent data.
If you invested $1,000 in gold 10 years ago (around late 2015/early 2016), your investment would likely be worth significantly more today (late 2025), potentially in the range of $2,000 to over $3,000, reflecting substantial price appreciation, though less than the S&P 500 but outperforming during certain periods of market stress, acting as a hedge against uncertainty, with returns varying based on exact entry/exit points and premiums/spreads.
Cable manufacturers do not generally advertise how pure the gold used in their connectors are, but there's a good chance they are using gold that's at least 99% pure if they are advertising that their Ethernet cables have 50 micro-inches of gold plating.
Gold is coaxed from e-waste with a protein amyloid nanofibril (AF) aerogel derived from whey, a by-product of cheese making. The aerogel acts like a gold sponge, and the researchers were able to extract a nearly pure, 22-karat, gold nugget weighing almost half a gram from 20 discarded computer motherboards.
It's true there's often silver, platinum, palladium and gold in our damaged or outmoded electronics, not to mention plastic, glass and other materials that have some scrap value. The primary reason is that precious metals conduct electricity much better than alloys.
Many electronic devices and computers contain precious metals like gold. Some electronics contain high levels of gold, which can be found on circuit boards, processors and other components. The main PC components that contain gold are: Gold is found in motherboards and printed circuit board.
Trade in your electricals for cash
Many companies will trade in your old phone, laptop, headphones and other electricals for cash or money off your next purchase. Your old tech will be refurbished for resale or responsibly recycled, saving precious materials from going to waste.
Other processors have no pins, but small gold contacts (like the p4). And even if they are golden they are not completely out of gold, but they only contain a layer of gold which is a few atoms thin. It's the same with the contacts on PCI cards, they have a thin layer of gold on the contacts.
Gold in TVs: Purpose and Typical Quantities
The amount of gold in a TV varies by model and age, but on average, a standard television contains between 0.001 to 0.02 grams of gold.
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.
Gold appeared in greater quantities in consumer electronics when printed circuit boards arrived in roughly the mid-1960s. That explains why you will find quantities of recyclable gold in radios, remotes, stereo components and televisions made since then – and hardly any in older electronic equipment.
Gold is not magnetic; pure gold (24 carat) will not be attracted to a magnet. However, lower carat gold alloys, such as 9ct, 10ct or 14ct may contain other metals that can exhibit magnetic properties, which can sometimes lead to confusion when determining the authenticity of gold jewellery.