# Gold content of different RAM types



## ahmadbayoumi (Aug 14, 2014)

Hello ALL,

Hope you are all doing well.

I'm about to buy memory sticks (RAMs) for gold refining and I need your help about different RAM types and associated gold content of each type so that I would be able to buy the RAMs for a good price.

Also what is the difference between ECC and Non-ECC RAMs in terms of gold content.

Appreciate your reply.

Ahmad Bayoumi


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## alexxx (Aug 14, 2014)

ahmadbayoumi said:


> Hello ALL,
> 
> Hope you are all doing well.
> 
> ...




Ahmad,

nobody has compiled such data I believe.
And I doubt anybody will. There's just too many different kinds and it's a useless exercise since everything is usually processed in big batches all together.

Carefull with your purchase, it sounds like you are going just in the right direction to lose money according to your post...

Alex


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## Anonymous (Aug 14, 2014)

There's no difference really between ECC and non ECC with regards to gold content apart from the fact that ECC has an extra chip on the dimm.

Buy RAM with the most chips on it.


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## Claudie (Aug 14, 2014)

Tin fingered memory has no Gold in the finger contacts. Just something to keep in mind if you are buying larger lots. :|


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## dannlee (Aug 14, 2014)

Yeah, make sure you USE a tin finger discount if you find it mixed in, large value loss - 

boardsort lists buy prices (Aug 14 2014)

Gold ONLY Fingered Memory RAM $14.00 per pound
Silver/Tin ONLY Fingered Memory RAM $5.75 per pound
Fingerless (trimmed) Memory RAM $5.50 per pound


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## ahmadbayoumi (Aug 15, 2014)

Thanks a lot ALL for your valuable replies  

Thanks a lot Alex for the advise .. I don't want to lose my money, and that why I preferred to ask before going to buy anything 8) 

i knew, that the difference between ECC and Non-ECC is one more chip for the ECC but I though there may be differences in the gold content but now and after your reply spaceships, I know that there's no difference except the extra one chip .. thanks a lot spaceships  

Now, for the prices mentioned by dannlee, does it make any difference if they are SDRAM, DDR1, DDR2, or DDR3 ?

Also is there any difference between laptop and desktop RAMs ?


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## Anonymous (Aug 15, 2014)

Heck yeah. Laptop memory refines to a higher return by Kg. It's thinner board and more densely packed. It's very logical. 8)


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## ahmadbayoumi (Aug 16, 2014)

Thanks a lot spaceships .. I was thinking about more difference than just the shape and density .. but seems not 8) 

Now, what is the difference between SDRAM, DDR1, DDR2, and DDR3 RAM ?


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## ahmadbayoumi (Aug 19, 2014)

Hello ALL,

Still need your help dears :roll:


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## Claudie (Aug 19, 2014)

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=what+is+the+difference+between+SDRAM%2C+DDR1%2C+DDR2%2C+and+DDR3+RAM+%3F


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## solar_plasma (Aug 19, 2014)

In Claudies search I read this one: http://de.transcend-info.com/Support/FAQ-296

I will try to extrapolate some conclusions regarding the expected differences in yield data:

The yield depends on areal of plated gold and number as well as the thickness of the gold bondings. So, my conclusion is, the newer rams have depended on more memory space, more bondings, but lower voltage allows thinner and closer bondings without thermal and capacitive disadvantages. That means, that there is not necessarily a difference between the yields from the chips.

The yield per gram depends mostly on the form of the package, SOJ (lowest, 0,5g/kg of chips), TSOP (medium, 1g/kg of chips) or BGA kindred (high). and of course the area and thickness of goldplating, - older ram has less surface, but probably thicker plating. Which again levels any greater differences.

So, still your best guess is to go for thin chips and double sided RAM PCBs for highest yield.

Those are assumptions based on the link above and "Testing black chips and SMD Packages on their Raw
Gold Content", by Roy Eugster, Switzerland, April 2013


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## ahmadbayoumi (Aug 19, 2014)

Thanks a lot Claudie for your link 

And thanks a lot solar_plasma ..  

This is really what I was looking for .. useful links with great information.

Will start my 1st RAM test experiment with few RAM sticks just to check and test the AP process recipe and steps.

Will share my results with you for knowledge transfer in the proper section.

Thanks all of you for the great help I'm always getting from this great forum with great members


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## raunaq jain (Aug 21, 2014)

Hi friends, first of all its a great forum for the amature people like us. I badly need your suggestion friends that I have being offered 12.5$/ lb for memory rams . is it a good bet to buy


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## ahmadbayoumi (Sep 6, 2014)

Dears,

Some one is offering me 34 laptop sticks as in the below pic

The price is 0.35 US$ per one stick.

So is this a good price ?



spaceships said:


> Heck yeah. Laptop memory refines to a higher return by Kg. It's thinner board and more densely packed. It's very logical. 8)



As said above by spaceships, laptop RAMs have high yield results than desktop RAMs due to the compacted density of the laptop RAMs.

So PLS need your help here again.


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## MarcoP (Sep 6, 2014)

Just to test my understanding and my guess ability, from the above pictured ram I believe you'll get at most 0.2gr when mastered the art.


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## solar_plasma (Sep 7, 2014)

0,25g is also, what I would guess (chips+fingers)


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## ahmadbayoumi (Sep 7, 2014)

Thanks all 

The total weight of this 34laptop RAMs is 280g, so if the expected yield would be at most 0.25g then seems there is no difference between laptop and desktop RAMs.

Thanks to correct me if I'm wrong.


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## kurtak (Sep 7, 2014)

The current "scrap" price for "gold fingered" RAM is running between $14 & $15 (U.S) --- That is what the large board buying companies are paying - so base the price you will pay on that

What I do when I buy from the general public is I pay 30% under the current market on boards under $5 in value & 20% under current market value on boards over $5 in value

That 20 - 30% is my profit margin when I go to sell to the big buyers - along with the benefit of being able to cherry pick the stuff I want to process myself (like RAM)

So if I was buying RAM today I would look at boardsort pricing (today) & I would buy it at 20% under their pricing 

Kurt


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## Anonymous (Sep 7, 2014)

ahmadbayoumi said:


> Thanks all
> 
> The total weight of this 34laptop RAMs is 280g, so if the expected yield would be at most 0.25g then seems there is no difference between laptop and desktop RAMs.
> 
> Thanks to correct me if I'm wrong.



It depends what quantities you are dealing in. The weight per Kg of laptop RAM in board is less than the weight per Kg of PC RAM. On a batch averaging out with multiple memory configs the gold content is higher. 

It makes much more of a difference if you are dealing with large quantities.


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## solar_plasma (Sep 7, 2014)

I didn't want to say Jon isn't right. I am sure in his setting with his material he is right. I had only wanted to say, what I in my setting would expect from a batch like yours. Small quantities will cause greater losses and will have a greater spreading regarding the yield results.


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## ahmadbayoumi (Sep 9, 2014)

Thanks a lot all 


Sorry spaceships, but I didn't understand what do you mean by "The weight per Kg of laptop RAM in board is less than the weight per Kg of PC RAM"

However, Now I do understand that good results depend on the the quantity processed.

And for larger batches, the yields is better than that for small ones.

But now assume we have the same quantity of laptop RAMs and PC RAMs and let's say 2kgs per each type.

So should I expect more gold out of laptop RAMs or PC RAMs or both will give almost the same results.

This would help me for quotation


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## MarcoP (Sep 9, 2014)

spaceships said:


> Heck yeah. Laptop memory refines to a higher return by Kg. It's thinner board and more densely packed. It's very logical. 8)


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## Anonymous (Sep 10, 2014)

solar_plasma said:


> I didn't want to say Jon isn't right. I am sure in his setting with his material he is right. I had only wanted to say, what I in my setting would expect from a batch like yours. Small quantities will cause greater losses and will have a greater spreading regarding the yield results.



I do mostly agree Solar, however if you have the same percentage loss from 2Kg of PC RAM as from 2Kg of laptop RAM your yield overall should be higher from the laptop memory.


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## ahmadbayoumi (Sep 11, 2014)

Great .. thanks a lot ALL .. it's really a great forum with great members :lol: 

So now, it's confirmed that assuming same losses and same quantity, then laptop RAMs yield should be higher than PC RAMs 8)

But do any one have an estimate % for the difference assuming same conditions ?


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