Processors
8 components in this category. The highest-value item here is Ceramic CPU — gold lid + gold pins at $500–650 per pound.
Ceramic CPU — gold lid + gold pins
Au 2.0–3.5 g/lbAg 0.5–2 g/lbBase Kovar
S
Pentium Pro
Au 0.25–0.45 g eachAg trace
S
Ceramic CPU — no gold lid (black top)
Au 1.0–1.8 g/lbAg 0.3–1 g/lb
A
AMD ceramic with aluminium top (K6)
Au 0.7–1.2 g/lbBase Al plate
B
IBM Multi-Chip / Thermal Conduction Modules
Au 1–5 g per module ≈ 0.3–0.7 g/lbCu ~48 g/lbBase Mo internal wiring
B
Plastic CPU with gold pins (P4, Athlon, S370/462/478)
Au 0.5–1.0 g/lbAg trace–0.3 g/lbCu IHS on P4
B
Slot 1 / Slot A cartridge CPU
Au 0.3–0.75 g/lb wholeAg trace–0.5 g/lb
B
Modern lidded CPU (LGA775+, Core i, Ryzen)
Au 0.10–0.30 g/lbCu 15–25 g per chip
C
How this category is graded
Tier S is top material worth sorting out and keeping separate. Tier A is high value and worth the labour to harvest. Tier B is solid in volume. Tier C only pays at scale or as part of the board it sits on. Tier D is near zero — knowing what not to spend time on is half the skill.