3 Ways to Dispose of an Old Desktop

September 24, 2014

How to dispose of old desktopSo you’ve taken the plunge and put your hard earned money toward a shiny new custom PC. Awesome! But now you’ve come to a new dilemma – what to do with that dusty old, outdated box? Here are 3 ways to safely dispose of an old desktop in an environmentally friendly and economical manner.

*Tip – Before transferring ownership or disposing of a PC in any way, make sure you’ve first taken care to remove personal data from the hard drive(s). Follow these steps to wipe your drive.

Upgrade – If your desktop is simply running slower than it used to and unable to handle the latest games and applications, a hardware upgrade may be what’s in order. Extra RAM, a new GPU, a solid state drive, or a Windows reinstall can do wonders to laggy hardware and give it a few more years of life. If you’re not comfortable doing that work on your own, Velocity Micro offers a lifetime upgrade plan on all desktops we sell. Learn more about what this program entails here.

Donate – Most charitable organizations like the Goodwill and Salvation Army will accept used but working desktops as donation and some will even come to you to pick up the old hardware. Check your local organization of choice for any rules or restrictions. If you go this route, make sure you get a receipt for that handy tax deduction!

Recycle – If your desktop is so far past the point of being usable that it’s destined for the garbage, your best option is to recycle rather than trash. Most states and local communities have e-cycle programs which will help direct you to nearby facilities that will accept desktops and other electronics for recycling, free of charge. Additionally, many big box retailers like Best Buy will accept used electronics for recycling free of charge. Learn more about Best Buy’s recycling program here.

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Josh Covington

Josh has been with Velocity Micro since 2007 in various Marketing, PR, and Sales related roles. As the Director of Sales & Marketing, he is responsible for all Direct and Retail sales as well as Marketing activities. He enjoys Seinfeld reruns, the Atlanta Braves, and Beatles songs written by John, Paul, or George. Sorry, Ringo.