How many of you have started hoarding your old parts?

I still have a slot-cpu mobo with slocket converters from when I heard that was a hack around the CPU limit for Celeron vs Pentium trying to do dual core on the cheap.

I also have cases that I kept from before airflow was a well solved problem (or even a concern) that I probably wouldn't ever want to use on a modern system.

And a boneyard of failed power supplies.

"I'll properly do electronics recycling one of these days..."

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LivingComfortable210@reddit

Can't throw it out, and the 5 bucks being offered isn't enough.

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Cvxcvgg@reddit

I have an old GPU sitting on my desk from the before times. Some sort of GeForce from 20+ years ago, and it’s just so funny to look at how small it is and remember simpler times.

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Woodie2992@reddit

I feel that so bad XD If anyone has an old mainboard that needs a few AGP graphics cards I can hook them up

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Symphonic7@reddit

Thats exactly what I was thinking. I've got boxes of cables, screws of all sizes, old fans, old coolers, basically anything in working or semi-working condition. I never stopped hording parts.

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j_schmotzenberg@reddit

Same. I’ve been wanting to mount some of them on boards and hang them on the wall as art.

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I've been doing this hobby for over 30 years. I have totes upon totes full of used parts. Throughout the years, I e gone through the oldest stuff and eBayed them. I can't tell how many times I've seen people sell components to afford new ones then the new ones go out and they have to then buy new stuff again.

Just for reference, my current oldest stuff is Intel z390 stuff and AM4 stuff. Both are still completely usable for modern day gaming/productivity. My own stuff is bleeding edge but 99% of people don't need that. I don't even need any of it and it's mostly just because I like to knock down goofballs who make wild claims like how scores don't ever actually consistently matter with everyday usage.

I think the oldest gpus I have are 970s and I think a couple older AMD cards. My oldest memory is ddr3. I also keep a few optical drives, 3.5" drives and there's an Iomega down there somewhere.

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AnubianWolf@reddit

I hear u. Still have a i7-4790 and some DDR3 lying around with a 750 ti... just in case

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Steelfury013@reddit

I have an Athlon X3 and a Radeon 4770 around here somewhere

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Ultimatesims@reddit

I keep mine next to a box of mystery cables that have no value or use but that I hold dear.

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Uhmattbravo@reddit

Pretty much. I keep them around until I either find a use for them, or my wife complains they're taking up too much space and I get rid of some of the oldest ones.

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CizreK@reddit

I've been holding onto things for forever. I have two main PC builds with new tech, a new laptop, 4 other laptops, 4-6 older PC's. I honestly can't remember all the ones I have. You can never have too many PCs.

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Trick_Image@reddit

Yes i hoard parts, most of the useable ones just happen to be in pc #2,3 and 4

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tamarockstar@reddit

I have an old HD 4770 just hanging around for troubleshooting purposes. If it was something like a 3070, I'd sell it.

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SirTrinium@reddit

hoarding feels like the right term. I still have 7 12900k in box never opened lol.

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greggm2000@reddit

Given what those go for now, new, you could keep one as a backup, sell the other 6, and use that money to buy a 5080 GPU, with money to spare! Sell them now while they still hold a lot of value. That won’t always be the case.

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SirTrinium@reddit

I make and sell systems on the side. They will get used in builds.

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kester76a@reddit

They're toasty but still pretty good CPUs for multitasking/multicore setups. I bought an i7 13700k due to the fact they're were dirt cheap and I needed those extra cores :)

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mappythewondermouse@reddit

Been doing it since i started. I only just recently got rid of my pre athlon64 core2duo shit

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5zalot@reddit

A better question would be “how many of you finally stopped hoarding your parts?”

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Ryukenwulf@reddit

Still have my 2080 in case my current GPU dies, current prices are filthy

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GlitchTheFox@reddit

Always best to keep old parts around so you can swap in components for troubleshooting.

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Yebi@reddit

I don't just throw things away, but nah, nothing is just sitting in a shelf. Old Kaby Lake system is now my NAS, the Zen 2 system that I used after that became a hand-me-down primary system for a family member. Dad's a retired engineer, so two of my old power supplies are doing god knows what, afraid to ask tbh, probably powering a temperature-activated greenhouse door or something like that

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BitRunner64@reddit

All my parts are in use, it's not like I have a spare 32 GB of DDR4 or RTX 3090 just laying around.

That said, I plan to continue using my current AM4 system until this slop bobble pops.

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milutza1@reddit

Hoarding ? I call that long therm storage, you never know when you will need that old floppy disk reader, am i right?

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makoblade@reddit

I invested in a usb floppy drive for peace of mind. Haven't used it once, but I have it. Same for dvds at this point.

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milutza1@reddit

Same here, all i'm missing is a disk ide adapter and a board that can read it. Apart from that i'm covered :)

There's an episode of Cowboy Bebop that has Jet and Spike look for a VHS player and that might have been what triggered my hoarding issues :)

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Mateorabi@reddit

You don't put a floppy drive into your modern builds "just in case"?

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milutza1@reddit

While i have some archaic equimpent that still uses them, at work, no, i keep the usb readers just as a backup for that really, really old customer that comes in once a decade and wants to replace his/hers vintage 286 :)

Strange enough, i had customers turning up with machines still using disks so there's a bit of thruth.

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frederikABN@reddit

People pay a lot for a good record player so they can listen to vinyls for the vibe 🤷🏼 who’s to say floppy discs aren’t next? Lol

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milutza1@reddit

Hear hear ! (Joke aside, while i still use them at work, i don't really think the media had future plans and it was always considered just a stopgap solution)

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L00nka@reddit

I do have 2 older mobos and a couple sets of DDR3 / DDR4 ram as well as 2 spare GPU's and I almost got into the hoarding phase but imo it's not worth the hassle of wasting storage space for all of that. I got over my obsession :P Rn I'd rather sell that and have 1 set for backup / nostalgia gaming and have money from the rest for something else. I don't want my family to have to go through my junk and throw it out / bother to sell it when I kick the bucket.

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Insidious_Ursine@reddit

Still have the components from my first PC (an iBuyPower mid-range prebuilt) from back in 2013 sitting in my closet. Probably not worth much as they're fairly low value parts but it holds sentimental value for me.

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zarco92@reddit

If I wasn't already hoarding old parts, why would I start now? Selling them for a profit makes a lot more sense. I do hoard them because I don't need the cash and can't be bothered but your argument:

another part is worried that I if I need a replacement it will be better to slot in an older part

doesn't make much sense, monetarily speaking.

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Richard_Thickens@reddit

I have, but it's nothing too wild. Lots of odds and ends like fans, a spare PSU, a handful of SATA SSDs, and a couple of GPUs. I'll probably sell the GPUs, so I could recoup \~$150-200 if I really wanted to, but everything else is spare parts. I have some of my stuff listed right now, like 16 GB DDR4, which will sell in a couple of days.

Basically, it's kind of a pain in the ass to sell parts, and I do like being able to dig through and grab something if the corresponding part in my build fails (until I can replace it).

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formosan1986@reddit

Guilty

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LumberZach69@reddit

Always have

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gilrstein@reddit

Yup, started about 25 years ago

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pdz85@reddit

I saved my old 12700k and 32gb of ddr4 (and a few other things) for my oldest's first PC build. Definitely saved a few pennies.

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Crazy_Energy3735@reddit

I put the old i386 mobo with full RAM, video card on my benchtop to remind me of the ancient good time.

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BigBananaBerries@reddit

I've got parts from 20 years ago. I've still got a DFI board that I keep for posterity & all manner of chips & memory sticks. Most of the higher end stuff has been sold. That DFI Mobo has a bit of sentimental value as I broke with my Mrs & went nuts haha

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captainstormy@reddit

I don't and I still won't. But honestly that has a lot to do with family issues.

My grandparents grew up during the great depression and would never ever throw anything away. They raised my mother that way too. So my family's houses have always been full a busting with useless junk.

So I go the other way. If I don't have an actual active use for something I don't keep it. I prefer clutter free space.

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Scrogdor@reddit

It’s one mode of thought to hoard. But if you’ve already upgraded, you likely won’t find a better premium for old tech than you have now.

I sold my old computer in separate parts. New comp = 5090, 4TB M.2, 128GB ram, 1200PSU, entire rig was 4500$ish. Got some good Newegg deals and bought the 5090 around Black Friday for MSRP.

Old Comp parted out. 5800x3D, 64GB ram, 7900xtx, 1000PSU, 3TB M.2 SSD =1800$. I sold literally everything, the case, AIO. Sold some old GPUs I had been hoarding too for like 50$ a pop.

Ultimately if something goes out you could probably buy something on the used market close to what you sold yours for. But the odds of your stuff breaking are low, and your old equipment will lose value over time.

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dedsmiley@reddit

I still have DDR2. First time? 😎

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makoblade@reddit

Started? I never stopped. By the time I'm done with a pc it's value isn't worth the time it takes to part and sell it.

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Thornfist22@reddit

Honestly I purchased a LeGo2 and a Thor right before all this went down and I'm thrilled I lacked the self control to wait now.

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arrestinbias@reddit

Yep I can confirm. I have DDR3 parts all over the place. Most of them are complete builds and I still use them. They work great I see no need of getting rip of my copious amounts of computer equipment

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2raysdiver@reddit

Started? I've been hoarding old parts for 30 years. I just discovered my three voodoo2s are worth a small fortune.

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theangryintern@reddit

I WAS going to try to build a micro-atx or mini-itx to take up to my cabin, now that we have decent internet there. I should have done it last fall, but kept pushing it off. Now I had to repurpose my old PC, which admittedly is still a decent rig (3800X, RTX3080, 16GB DDR4)

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Niet_de_AIVD@reddit

I have 16gb DDR4 RAM and a RTX 3070 laying around. I may use the RAM to make a NAS, but am unsure about what to do with the 3070.

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jarow_@reddit

I have a bunch of old stuff but most of it would be useless for my current PC. I am a gen behind on RAM and still running a GTX GPU and 2nd Ryzen but my old stuff is like 3rd gen i5 mobo, and DDR3 RAM. I am considering using it for a server build though.

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AchtungZboom@reddit

You can pry my DDR3 from my cold dead hands!

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Destructo-Bear@reddit

hoarding makes no sense to me. I sell the old parts to fund my new parts!

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Organized-Konfusion@reddit

Lucky you, you can sell old parts, my last old part was pentium 4, that was 8 years ago, thats how old my new pc is.

Graphic card with 4gb ram, ryzen 1600, who would buy that now?

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Trekkie200@reddit

Yeah, I use my last PC as a side table, it should be functional (the only thing missing is a hard drive). The entire set up is probably worth 50$, if I sell the parts individually...

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Destructo-Bear@reddit

Yeah that stuff isn't worth much maybe $20-30 each.

I like upgrading often so my old parts are always worth a good amount. Your strategy is definitely cheaper than mine in the long run though

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Interesting-Yellow-4@reddit

I have every machine still hooked up from my Athlon 64 X2 onwards. Right now that's 7 PC towers.

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GDog507@reddit

I’ve been hoarding my electronic parts since my old laptop broke, a year before I ever got my first desktop PC. Some may call it hoarding but i find crazy uses for everything. Plus with the cost of everything you can never have too many spare parts.

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Matte_Box@reddit

I took it one step further and started buying up components in January for projects I plan to build this year. Easily saved me $1000+

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Chef_Hef@reddit

Dude I still have a board and some CPU’s that are 773/775. I know it’s crazy. I have it cause there are still some legacy systems at a place I help at, that are using Windows ‘95 to run certain systems. It works, and the company doesn’t want to pay to update it since it still works. (It’s a manufacturing factory)

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Poetically-Lucky@reddit

Me… pulling out the AS400 that I found several years ago

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kylecrazyawsome@reddit

I've always just given my old parts to friends in need.

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jamesholden@reddit

I finally sold some voodoo2's and a Pentium overdrive last year

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justmydumbluck@reddit

I dont think i have ever got rid of a piece of functioning hardware lol. I have donated to friends, put a setup in my garage, built a homelab, you name it. Everything is useful, now more than ever!

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Firmteacher@reddit

I got two AM5 systems sitting in my closet since I went to a laptop+oculink setup. DDR5 and SSDs included lol

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xRuck@reddit

I dont hoard. If its not being used, i give it away or try to sell it at a loss to put it towards something I want.

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IWillAssFuckYou@reddit

I have 32 GB of DDR4 3200 MHz Cl16 memory just sitting around that I put in two builds (got 6 years ago). Took it out when I upgraded to 64 GB 3600 Cl18 RAM a year ago (and that only costed me $129 at the time)

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donut4ever21@reddit

I use old stuff from as far as 10 years ago still. Works fine, why change it. Even my main PC is still all AM4

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Lucky____Ducky@reddit

I’m holding 100 2013-2015 256GB MacBook Pro SSDs for some reason and enough cables to climb to the moon if needed to escape earth some day :)

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_lefthook@reddit

I have never sold a single thing ever in my life. Pc parts or otherwise

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PotentialAnywhere779@reddit

Just the opposite. Tried to unload all of my ddr3 ram knocking around. 88 GB to be exact. Ebay auction got a whopping $55 for it.

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RabidTurtl@reddit

Heh yeah, started...

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ThePensiveE@reddit

I still have several working old LGA 775 working computers and spare parts. I'll part way with them when I do another build after the nonsense pricing ends.

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ChronoZaga@reddit

I helped a buddy build a PC for himself, and then another for his son. I donated DDR 5 to both projects.

Pay it forward and just hoard cash for your eventual next upgrade. Parts sitting around unused are just depreciating, unused assets.

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FireDragonMonkey@reddit

Used to sell old parts or reuse them in other machines. However when Covid disrupted things and prices of components skyrocketed I started keeping some just in case something died and I wasn't able to replace it. It started with a GPU, then a PSU, and I eventually ended up with enough components for a full build.

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BeingSad9300@reddit

I have trouble actually getting rid of my old parts. I figure maybe someday I'll turn them into something. Now that I have a kid & he always wants to help & learn...and I just upgraded...maybe my latest parts will be saved to have my kid help build one (for no reason other than just because, since it's so old).

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Caddy666@reddit

in the 30 years i've been buying and building pcs, i think i've only ever sold 2 graphics cards. one of which was absolute shite, and i couldn't wait to get rid of, and the other because i was skint, and needed a new gpu, and they were selling for silly prices at the time

nvidia4200ti vega 64.

currently upgrading one of my computers with an emulated cpu built from a raspberry pi. its only a 16k x increase in cpu power....

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Viking2151@reddit

I already do, my brothers rig is also mine, ever part has it aside from his ram and PSU is my hand me downs, 5900x, rtx4060, his 1tb m.2, his HDD, case, b550 board. He was supposed to pay me for it years ago and never did.

I'd just give it to him if he didn't try to screw me on a car I was helping him out with and his girl out, car was worn, vary high milage but ran and drove, they had nothing, figured I'd let them use it and sign the title back when it dies or they get another one, he tried to sell it to someone before I even gave to him. I ripped it apart for the aluminum wheels, battery, radiator, cat, and drug it up on my trailer and told him to talk to the scrap yard if he wants it, so f*** being nice about it lol.

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WillieM96@reddit

I still have my 3400g and a 1660 Super laying around somewhere.

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zozoetc@reddit

Cold dead fingers, baby

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pythonic_dude@reddit

I'm not hoarding, I'm just anxious about selling old stuff. That's why I have two old laptops (which are probably almost as bad as a modern chromebook by this point), a big box of fans, a 2070, and a fully assembled build from older parts (now that one I actually might get to sell…).

I've old ram and SSDs, too, in case I'm in dire need of a replacement there.

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AceLamina@reddit

My first PC still has 128gb of RAM but I haven't sold it since idk how to sell things
fun

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avaling89@reddit

Keep only one back up stock, and sell the others. Having a spare GPU or PSU is always helpful during emergencies. Anything beyond that just ends up losing value as time passes. The prices for SSDs and RAM will go down soon anyway. So the best thing to do is to take advantage of current high values.

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Charrbard@reddit

I still have my mid 90s pc in storage, Im sure.

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Boys4Ever@reddit

Have an old Q6600 with Dominator DDR3 and ASUS rampage board I was just about to throw out. Waiting on ddr3 prices to go up again. I’m sure there are some older systems still running them. Should at least get something for the RAM

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Pseudotm@reddit

I just sell my old parts at a reasonable price to genuine people looking to upgrade. Just sold off a 4070 for 300 to some kid looking to upgrade from a 1080ti. Could of asked for more, but why be shitty like everyone else. 250 was enough. If my gpu goes out ill buy a new one, it is what it is.

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Cold-Inside1555@reddit

When I sell my parts I always ask my friends who might need them first, then I ask in my chat groups to find potential buyers, and I give them a good deal, Its nice to help people out and getting rid of parts quick and easy. I also offer support on building if I can physically be there. It’s hard to build a system in the current market and those builds were only possible with deals, recent ones being (value converted to usd for clarity) a 3090($500) a 4090($1500) a 5090 with 64g ddr5 and a seasonic 1000w psu($2900).

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9okm@reddit

I do the same. Plus, I'd so much rather have a quick sale then leave a listing up for ages.

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Pseudotm@reddit

Absolutely. Plus i know what it is to need upgrades in this market, i typically have bought all my pc parts used over the years and have gotten good deals along the way thankfully. Try to pay it forward as much as i can.

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Rayquazy@reddit

Now is the time to sell not hoard

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Drenlin@reddit

Somewhere in my garage is a machine with a Socket 478 Pentium 4 and a GeForce2 MX 400 that used to be my primary gaming setup.

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SaturatedDuck@reddit (OP)

Peak Simcopter setup

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nukacolaguy@reddit

I’ve been doing that for 20yrs 🤣

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Constant-Simple-1234@reddit

Do not hoard. Sell when it has value to finance new parts or recover part of the costs. Sell other things you do not need. Of course you need to have some sort of working config, I usually go 1 gen below in ddr/socket/pcie and stay with it. I buy some things used, except for hdd/sdd and GPU. I invest where I usually feel annoyance. So rn I do not go below 32 gb ram and I have 5 tb ssd. Plus I bought 5060 ti 16 gb - this single purchase defines performance of my setup, so I did not go with the older card. Sure, it is slightly bottlenecked, but it does not matter in games I play and is perfect for my ml needs. It is a Theseus ship upgrade style. Way cheaper than futureproofing. Once I have what I am happy with I sell leftovers.

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Cold-Inside1555@reddit

I don’t really like to keep my old parts but I do have one set of 10900k+ddr4+mobo around in case if I need it. It’s the only thing I keep, other things I would sell after I’m done with them since it’s more reasonable to get the money and use them in my newer build, most of the times keeping valuable stuff around will just end up being a loss. Ik the market is kinda crazy now and some items are worth much more than before but it’s not something I can predict so I never prepare for such thing to happen. I’m only losing potential profit if it happens, but if I keep stuff around then I’m losing value in those product every day. Sold a lot of my older(but newer than 10900k) CPU/Mobo/GPU and no regrets.

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RumbleTheCassette@reddit

Opposite for me. I'm selling all my old parts now. Sell when things are high my dude.

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Beauregard42@reddit

I have a few bits and bobs, mostly ancient graphics cards.

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EnigmaSpore@reddit

I sold them while the market is still hot. Being able to sell old parts for more than i got then for got me this 9850x3d upgrade for “free”.

If you have extra ram, gpu, ssd, now is the time to sell then if they’re just collecting dust.

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katzengoldgott@reddit

looks at my stash of DDR3 RAM uhhh

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oo7demonkiller@reddit

lol been doing that for years. always keep a backup that's my motto.

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fray_bentos11@reddit

Not a good idea as the old parts devalue so better to sell now for more money and you could buy the same parts for less in the future (or better ones). Also by doing this you are contributing to waste generation, as someone who would have bought and used your parts doesn't before your old parts become obsolete.

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oo7demonkiller@reddit

it's not about the resale value for me. it's for when something breaks or needs repairs and you have to ship it off. it's about having little to no downtime. having a backup system and parts makes me have less future headaches and interruption to my hobbies. also have you seen prices lately they ain't going down. especially if the parts are fairly recent like my spare 4080 and 5800x3d.

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joshguy1425@reddit

I really wish I hoarded more SSDs. I'm good on almost everything else including spinning storage, but the SSD prices are hard to swallow.

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Serberou5@reddit

Ive been hoarding my parts since my Athlon XP 3200+ system.

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Nailedit616@reddit

We weren't supposed to do it before?

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9okm@reddit

I always sell my stuff ASAP after I no longer have any use for it.

That being said, I currently have 7 computers in active use.

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Rude-Wheel470@reddit

I have 16TB worth of SSD's because of recent age verification laws. Next there will be digital ID, internet curfews and internet censorship including the removal of video games (project 2025 wants to get rid of any violent video games). I have every game that I've ever cared for downloaded to be prepared. If they start requiring ID Checks to use an operating system, I will isolate myself from the internet.

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Consistent_Bar_7644@reddit

I have always hoarded my tech stuff. Inflation has always been on my mind lol

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owengaff@reddit

I've had enough old parts for my builds for friends for free quite a few times. I'm not hoarding old parts when someone can use them.

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ArkhamRobber@reddit

Its a great time to buy used gpus right now.

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fray_bentos11@reddit

Never. Hoarding old part is a long term loss of money.

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kaos_inc616@reddit

Started? I didn't know you could get rid of old pc parts. Please do not let my wife know

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heliosfa@reddit

Started? I still have parts from 20+ years ago.

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Jesse0449@reddit

I have been hoarding since I built my first PC 17 years ago. I still have that PC 🤣

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Objective_Try8133@reddit

I have a second PC setup now and rotate new parts through accordingly. And both kids get to play Minecraft together now.

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SignalButterscotch73@reddit

Yet another saying "Started?"

I still have an Amstrad 1512 that's as old as me, every random PC part that I've ever bought since I started building my own PCs in my late teens (that didn't get returned), including broken parts and a collection of 90s parts I found in the bag dumped on the street. Completely skipped the DDR2 generation though because I was poor and couldn't afford to upgrade until DDR3 was a thing.

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Just-Here-to-Judge@reddit

My old computer is probably obsolete regarding parts.

The 286, 386, and 486 at my Moms is well beyond obsolete. Don't know if there is much of a market for that.

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drabgail@reddit

Started?

I have a box with about 20 NVS300 tier cards 'just in case', a box of DDR3 4GB SODIMM's 'just in case', 6 different completely useless old laptops 'just in case'. I could go on...

I did actually have 128gb of DDR4 in 32gb modules from a long time ago 'just in case'. So I guess it did pay off. I have them in a proxmox host now though rather than cashing them in. Those bytes aren't going to remember themselves.

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fliberdygibits@reddit

I have a BTX board still waiting for it's moment in the sun. I've never stopped keeping stuff around:)

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rchiwawa@reddit

Isold off all of my spare RAM and SSDs to my local independent PC shop in February as I have been doing business with the guy off and on for 25+ years and wanted to help them weather this storm. Gave him a killer deal in normal times, let alone this screwy era.

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LazerSpazer@reddit

I built my first PC back in February. I am too new to upgrade, so I don't know if I'll be selling or boarding parts yet. I still have all my boxes, so I can store or sell as "complete in box" if I want to.

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durtmcgurt@reddit

I still have every part I've ever bought.