MICROSCRAPPINGE-waste field guide

Board teardowns

Pick the board in front of you. Each page maps where the precious metal actually sits, then gives you an ordered strip list with tools and temperatures.

Desktop motherboardATX / mATX · 244 × 200 mm · 0.5–0.9 kg
Mid grade — $3.15–10/lb depending on socket era
Server motherboardMulti-socket · 330 × 244 mm · 1.5–3 kg
High grade — $4.90–10/lb; the best common board you'll meet
Cell phone boardVery dense multilayer · 60 × 30 mm · 15–30 g
High grade — $20.50/lb, the densest gold-per-gram in consumer e-waste
Power supply boardATX / SMPS · 150 × 100 mm
Low grade — $0.60/lb board, but the parts on it beat the board
Telecom line cardRack card · 233 × 160 mm · thick multilayer
High grade — $10/lb, and the harvestable parts are far richer
Consumer board (TV, DVD, appliance)Single or double sided · often phenolic
Low grade — $0.60/lb. Mostly a lesson in what not to bother with.