# Gold Content List in CPU Chips



## pgm (Apr 13, 2012)

Hi i am back....i have a question on CPU's does anyone process CPU's here? and if you do does this information on the link below sound true..

http://www.scribd.com/doc/28911037/Gold-Content-List-in-CPU-Chips

I have been offered some CPU'S Pentium PRO and the fella thinks they have 1g of gold and is using the information on the link to justify his answer.

what should i be paying for each unit in £?

Thanks for any help in advance...


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## Lou (Apr 13, 2012)

More like half a gram at best.


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## pgm (Apr 13, 2012)

thanks Lou this should help with the buying price


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## pgm (Apr 14, 2012)

would you then say the content of this cpu is higher as it is not on the list or should i say lower

21164 - P7 500

KKB E56

GOLD PLATED FRONT ON CERAMIC BASE WITH LARGE GOLD PLATE ON REAR

what is the maximum it should be worth?


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## glondor (Apr 14, 2012)

I believe those are lower yield, also i believe they are somewhat collectible. I may be wrong on both counts. Big help huh....


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## NobleMetalWorks (Apr 14, 2012)

First take the CPU list and throw it away. The only way you are going to know what your yield is going to be is to run the CPU's yourself and keep detailed records of the process, and your yields. Dependent upon so many factors such as the process you are using, the purity of the chemicals, the PH, the temp, the equipment that is used, how good your process is, you will have varying yields. The list that you are basing everything on might be right for you, or might be way off. It really shouldn't even be used as a guide. I have compared the exact same CPU's and come out with totally different yields.

And then too, 10 CPU's that are all the same, may have been manufactured in 3 different places. You might have the same CPU's made in Malaysia, the US and Japan, all look the same but there is some variance in the PM content. Even between CPU to CPU.

I just spent a lot of time running CPU's, and still have a lot more to do. I am only trying to get a ballpark figure on the yield of mixed CPU's on average. I buy them bulk, and have split up my tests like so. All CPU's are ceramic. So I have no gold plate ceramic, single gold plate, double gold plate, the plates being those large square gold plated surfaces that may be on the top, and bottom. I am not saying to do what I am, but in splitting up my lots this way I can tell which will be more profitable (double gold caps so far as I have experienced).

I also write down what I believe my estimate should be before a run, then I compare my end result with my guess. In this way I am learning how much this type of scrap is worth, generally, on average. If I take that amount and cut my average expected yield and minus 10% for error, then take 50% of that value I know the price to pay for the CPU's or whatever scrap it is. So long as you have good records, and pay no more than 50% of the expected yield at spot prices, you will not loose money.

But honestly, you need to take this list and throw it away. It probably does the guy who created it good, but it's not going to do you any good. The 1 gram number for Pentium Pro's is way off. I have run over 120+ Pentium Pro's. The first ones I pushed through the AR process, and came out with yields right around .9 grams. But that was before I processed it a second time, removing the base metals because the first time I didn't do it correctly. My end result was half as much gold as I thought I had the first time. So between 4-5 grams is what I yielded from the rest. In my opinion the double gold cap older CPU's are better yield per lb than the Pentium Pro's.

Think about this on the Pentium Pro's. They are selling on eBay for a lot more than what they have in gold content. But if you pay attention, you see the same lots of Pentium Pro's being sold over and over and over. This is what I think is happening. As gold prices go up and down, people are purchasing gold bearing material, as they would gold bullion. Gold bullion can be faked and is more risky to buy off eBay. If you are buying Pentium Pro's, those would be very very difficult to fake. So you can think about it like this, it's a safer way to invest in gold, and if you are profit taking by buying low, and selling when high, it works as a commodity. So the crazy prices you see for Pentium Pro's has nothing to do with how much gold they will bear, it has to do with what the perceived gold content of the CPU's is.

I will never process another Pentium Pro again so long as eBay prices remain crazy. I make more selling them on eBay at 40+ per chip than I do processing them.


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## pgm (Apr 14, 2012)

SBrown that was really good to read

i have pm'd you for more information

Thank you for all the help

I have done Catalytic Converters and had trouble getting the quantity to process now i am doing CPU's as i can get hold of them in quantity. I think they are at a good price too...but time will tell


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## Marcel (Apr 15, 2012)

SBrown has said most about this matter. Just want to report from a visit at a large refinery here. The labatory guy told me Pentium Pro vary from 0.3g to 3,6g (!).
Technically, the Pentium Pro chips come in several variations. The cache has some gold, so depoending on hhow much cache the CPU has the content varies. In addition I was told that some of those ebay sellers, *deplate the CPUs* a bit before reselleing them again (for the same price or higher) !


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## NobleMetalWorks (Apr 15, 2012)

Marcel said:


> I was told that some of those ebay sellers, *deplate the CPUs* a bit before reselleing them again (for the same price or higher) !



It's ironic you say that, I just saw a Pentium Pro a little earlier that someone had deplated, and you could tell they painted something on that looks like gold, but Pentium Pro wasn't spelled correctly. I also saw one on eBay that someone claimed was skipped during printing and that it was a collectors item because the words "Pentium Pro" were missing from the top. I have even seen them with the top caps removed.

In Europe, even as far back as metal has been used as currency, people used to trim the outside of coins to take a little bit off but not so much so that it could be noticed. That's why in older films you see people checking their money to make sure it's real and not fake.

Ever since metals have been used as commodities, people have been cheating people in some way or another by shaving a bit off the top so to speak. Some ways are easier than others, some not even worth it, if you understand this, and know what to look for, you should be fairly okay.

Another thing, whenever you send CPU's or anything else to a big refiner, you are always going to have a large percentage lost in the process. Someone told me just today, I purchased 18 lbs of pins from hom, and he told me it's better for him to sell to me for the price I paid, rather than send them to a refiner because the refiner told him up to 50% could be lost in the process, and he had to pay something like $1000 dollars to refine it. A refiners yield can in no way be any kind of indicator on what your yield is processing yourself, at home. You cannot even get the same numbers from people who have known each other for years, who use the same process, at the same elevation, at the same temperature, same equipment, you get the picture. They will not have the same results, there are too many variables that affect yields. Personality, the ability to stick to your process, check for PM so no values are lost, it goes on and on and on. That's why there is so much discussion on yield, that is why there is no magical equation or method of calculation, that's why people who purchase scrap don't pay over 50% spot. Sending your stuff to a refiner = loosing values = less material = less money. Why would anyone do this dangerous procedure at home if they were not making more doing so, than just simply sending it to a magical refiner.

I have to measure what I have said, and be fair to refiners. I can only report my own personal experiences with refiners, and what people I know have experienced. Why do you think they are willing to pay such amazing amounts against spot for your business? Seriously, think about this for a min. How can a refinery that spends so much money in energy costs alone, afford to process your precious metal bearing scrap, and give you 98% of spot? Why do you think so many people become so upset when their material assay's at a specific amount, so then they are counting on it and are upset when the amount reported is far less than expected. It's because so much is lost in the processing.

Sorry, but you cannot compare how much gold content a refinery reports against an individual.

I hope if I have said something that is not true, or isn't the norm, that someone would correct me. I know there are people who have owned, or worked in refineries. I hope I didn't offend you, and if I said something incorrect, please call me out on it. I also have to say that I believe there are refineries that do things in such a way that very little is lost during the process, and that there are still others who do it even better still. I just have not found one as of yet, that I feel comfortable with, or trust enough, to do business with on the recovery/refining side, to nor have I found a good refinery to have my gold assayed, then to sell to. So if anyone reading this knows of anyplace in Northern California, or even in Central California, please let me know.


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## chrisdoff (Oct 6, 2012)

pgm said:


> Hi i am back....i have a question on CPU's does anyone process CPU's here? and if you do does this information on the link below sound true..
> 
> http://www.scribd.com/doc/28911037/Gold-Content-List-in-CPU-Chips
> 
> ...


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## larryb (Dec 15, 2012)

SBrown said:


> First take the CPU list and throw it away. The only way you are going to know what your yield is going to be is to run the CPU's yourself and keep detailed records of the process, and your yields. Dependent upon so many factors such as the process you are using, the purity of the chemicals, the PH, the temp, the equipment that is used, how good your process is, you will have varying yields. The list that you are basing everything on might be right for you, or might be way off. It really shouldn't even be used as a guide. I have compared the exact same CPU's and come out with totally different yields.
> 
> And then too, 10 CPU's that are all the same, may have been manufactured in 3 different places. You might have the same CPU's made in Malaysia, the US and Japan, all look the same but there is some variance in the PM content. Even between CPU to CPU.
> 
> ...



A great and very informative post here. Nice to be able to learn from your experience sir.  lb


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## ilikesilver (Mar 25, 2013)

dont mean to hack into this post, i was wondering also are the pins on the cpu themselves SOLID gold, or is there a base metal to them?

tim


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## srlaulis (Mar 25, 2013)

Not solid gold. Then inner core is made up of various base metals. I wish they were solid gold, along with every other member on this forum.


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## Barren Realms 007 (Mar 25, 2013)

ilikesilver said:


> dont mean to hack into this post, i was wondering also are the pins on the cpu themselves SOLID gold, or is there a base metal to them?
> 
> tim



The pins are plated.


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## Claudie (May 2, 2013)

srlaulis said:


> Not solid gold. Then inner core is made up of various base metals. I wish they were solid gold, along with every other member on this forum.



WHAT? Not solid Gold? So that is just a rumor about there being $2500.00 worth of Gold in a $399.00 computer? I wondered how companies could afford to use all that Gold and then sell the computer for $400.00 :shock: 
Somehow people have gotten the idea that there is quite a bit of Gold in computers & other electronics, but if you think about the selling price of the items and the value of Gold, it just doesn't pan out. I know many people don't like to hear that but that is the way it is. :|

Edit: Think about why the Gold is used. That will help you understand where it may be found. Not everything that is golden in color is real Gold. Gold has a purpose in electronics, understand what that purpose is and you will be able to find it easier. Also, don't be blinded by the Gold, there are many other PMs in electronics that may get overlooked. Don't kick away a $10 bill trying to get to a shiny roll of Nickels. :|


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