e-skills UK Guide
Recycling your computer hardware
Upgrading: is it worth it?
For many small businesses it is important to save as much money as possible - after all any expenditure will have an affect on your profits. With computer hardware it is very tempting to buy the latest products each year as they look really good in the office. But is this a wise course of action? In reality a lot of computer hardware can be effectively recycled and its life extended by clever upgrading and redeployment.
Upgrading and reusing your current computer hardware
As PCs become more and more powerful many people find the computer they use is more than capable of running their day to day software. This means that PCs can quite easily be cascaded down an organisation so that as much value can be squeezed out as possible. For example if you need to have the newest high end PC to run engineering software each year why not cascade your old PC to someone else that you are working with that does not need such a high specification?
Some small companies may keep a pool of old equipment safely locked away for use in emergencies. For instance if a laptop is stolen or lost why not reissue an old laptop to enable the person to carry on working?
The use of good backup systems (maybe using a central server) will enable someone using a temporary PC to download their files and carry on working - hopefully without much data loss.
What can be upgraded?
One obvious candidate for an upgrade is computer memory or RAM (Random Access Memory). New operating system software consumes a lot of this memory when it is running, often leading to poor performance on PCs with low amounts of memory. Many PCs have got the capacity for you to add additional memory quite simply. In practice it is very straightforward and can take the matter of minutes to upgrade a computer’s memory as the new RAM is slotted into place.
In some PCs it is possible to upgrade the central processing unit of the PC (called the CPU). This is the brain of the PC and can be a bottle neck if the CPU is unable to run the latest computer software.
Likewise it is possible to upgrade hard disk drives in a computer to add additional storage space for files and documents.
These upgrades are simple and can be done in a few minutes, possibly saving you considerable expense in buying a new computer. The cost is not that great either. For example 1GB of RAM will cost about £150, 256 MB RAM will cost about £25.
Suppliers of PC upgrade components include:
When not to upgrade
There are many instances when it is not cost effective to upgrade your computers. If they are more than 5 years old the chances are that the technology they use is more or less obsolete. In this case you are better off cascading the PC to someone else in the organisation or arranging for the safe disposal of the PC.
If an upgrade is going to take more than an acceptable time then you may be better off disposing of the computer and purchasing a new one.
How to dispose of your old PCs
There are a number of PC recycling projects that will take your old PCs and refurbish them for use in charity projects. It is good to support such activities but you MUST ensure that all data has been removed from your hard disk drive and the drive reformatted before releasing the PC. If you are in any doubt get the help of a trusted friend or colleague who can reformat your disk for you. This process will destroy the data on the hard drive – using a delete function will not remove the data.
Do not be tempted to throw away old computer equipment in your rubbish bin. In fact many local authorities will not take old computers as part of general waste as they contain so many harmful materials. The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive, which came into force in July 2007, places the onus onto the equipment supplier to ensure that it is collected at the end of its life. The full impact of this legislation for businesses is still being assessed, but it is important that we are all aware of our responsibilities and avoid IT equipment ending up in general land fill.
For further details on the WEEE directive and the latest disposal advice visit this website:
Organisations that undertake PC recycling include:
Commercial suppliers
We do not recommend specific products or suppliers; instead we provide you with a representative sample which covers the range of suppliers/products available. You may choose to look at these suppliers or products but this is entirely at your discretion.
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