Computer boards

[tyoon21]

Quick question,

How can you tell the difference between "high grade boards" and "low grade boards"?

I figure that the motherboard and video cards are considered high grade.

What about boards from power supplies or battery backups?

Cheers!
Tom

[Dr. Cadmium]

Boards very greatly in return type and percentage. You could separate them out into 1,000 different categories and still come across one that won't fit neatly into any of those sub-grades.

It is not worth the time for most hobbyist/small time scrappers to deal with separating them out that exactly.

"High grade" and "low grade" are therfore very broad generalizations.

High grade - contains precious metals. Example: computer motherboards and expansion boards.

Low grade - contain base metals only. Example: power supply boards.

Even with low grade boards there is a huge variation in return. VCR and TV boards return much less than computer power supply boards.

As for how to tell what is high and what is low grade, pay attention to what the boards are from. Generally, euipment that is more expensive initially will have better quality boards for scrap. Expensive stereo and telecom equipment will often yield high grade boards (assuming they weren't repairable or good for parts).

Most companies that buy high grade boards directly have high minimum load requirements, such as 1,000 lbs or more. Also, they'll often want them prepared a certain way.