Why and How to Sell your Used CPUs: A Step by Step Guide

When it is time to upgrade make sure to consider how to sell your used CPUs, as they are one of the most valuable parts of a server or computer.

We’ve put together a step by step guide to help you determine when the right time to sell your CPUs is and how to do it. What makes the most sense for you or your company is going to depend on a number of different factors about your company and your CPU usage.

While this article is going to use the plural when addressing CPUs and processors since here at exIT we normally deal with bulk, we have also included guidelines for people who may only be selling one processor.

If you are simply looking for a quote from us to sell your CPUs, servers, drives, memory, or other IT equipment, you can simply click here to jump to the bottom of the page to our form.

Without further adieu, let’s jump in to the guide.

Step 1: Make Sure It’s the Right Time to Sell Your CPUs

The processor is at the core (or hopefully cores!) of what your computer or server does, so you want to make sure that you are making the right decision when you decide to sell your processors.

Why Sell your Used CPUs (Processors)

Here’s some of the reasons that you might consider selling your CPUs or processors:

• Workloads for your computer or server are constantly being bottlenecked with a CPU running at 100%
• Could benefit substantially from increased virtualization
• Older CPUs don’t support virtualization as well
• Want greater power efficiency on a per unit basis
• Want to save space by consolidating older servers into new ones
• Have already replaced your old equipment and are no longer using the processors

Make sure to examine the details of what an upgrade in processing power will actually do for your machines. Just because a new generation of processors came out that doesn’t necessarily mean that there are going to be large performance gains. However, the jump from 7th to 8th generation Kaby Lake processors was one of those jumps, as you can see here:

Source: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/kaby-lake-refresh-8th-gen-vs-7th-gen

Whereas this was not the case when going up from the 6th generation Intels to the 7th generation:

Source: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/intel-7th-gen-core

These numbers are for processors that typically end up in laptops and other computers, and not servers. Servers that are in constant use are generally going to be where these differences make the biggest impact.

For individual use, unless you are an intense gamer, cryptocurrency miner, or content creator, most people do not max out their computers, and even if they do it, is important that they know if they are maxing out their CPU or their GPU, as in many, if not most cases, the GPU will be the limiting factor.

You can still get performance gains even if you haven’t been maxing out your CPU, but make sure that it wouldn’t be more beneficial to upgrade somewhere else first.

Step 2: Figure out Who to Sell Your Used CPUs (Processors) to

When it comes to selling used CPUs there’s only a few options, and your situation will determine most about where it’s most appropriate for you to sell them.

The main determining factors for where you will sell your CPU(s) are:

1. Are they functioning?
2. How old are they?
3. How many do you have?

Your CPUs are obviously going to be most valuable when they are still functioning and newer, but this needs to be balanced with how much use you got out of them, what you’ll be able to recoup in resale, and how much the newer CPUs will cost (assuming you’re replacing them).

Functioning Processors

Full disclosure: exIT Technologies is an ITAD vendor that buys used computer parts in bulk, but we recognize that we are not going to be the right fit for everyone. This article is made to guide you towards what is the best fit for your particular situation.

Small Amounts of Processors or Individual CPUs

If you only have one or a few processors your options are generally limited to:

• eBay
• Hardware Swap

We do not recommend trying to sell CPUs on Craigslist or other similar sites. You can do it and sometimes it will work out well and you will get a higher margin out of it, but most of the time you will have to deal with a lot more not so serious buyers or inquiries and have a much higher potential of getting scammed one way or another, even when trying to use something like Paypal. Just keep in mind that there are people that make a living scamming people off these sites and convincing them they are a real buyer for something, so some of them are quite good at it.

Here’s the warning from Reddit’s Hardware Swap (click to enlarge):

Selling Larger Quantities of CPUs or Processors

If you have a large quantity to sell intel processors that are 6th generation Skylake processors or newer then you can contact an ITAD company (such as exIT) that will buy your whole lot of processors from you. Our minimum is about $1,000 or more in resale value; we are not sure about our competitors. That being said, if you have servers, workstations, or components such as hard drives, GPUs, RAM, you can add that into a quote to hit the minimum.

Generally the more processors you have the better for selling to an ITAD company. If you have a lot of CPUs or processors that are 4 or 5 generations back, they might be considered, but it depends on the ITAD company, the amount of processors, their model and their condition. At that point their resale value is very limited due to the vast differences between their capabilities and the current versions.

If you would like to find out about what processors exIT buys you can take a look at i-series processors we buy or xeon processors we buy.

Who to Sell Damaged CPUs or Processors to

How old and damaged your processors are will have a large effect on what you can do with them. The number of processors will also clearly be a factor.

Repairing Damaged Processors

Generally speaking a processor becomes scrap metal once it is broken. If something very minor happened to it then you can take your chances with following some YouTube videos or finding a specialist, but usually this is not going to be worth spending much of any money on if you want to make any kind of ROI (return on investment).

If you get to the point you have 10-15 damaged (or just really old) processors you might be able to make money off of the scrap metal (gold, silver or copper) in the CPU. We’ve seen recommendations that it is generally good to have 10-15 processors to cash in at once.

If you have bulk amounts (50+) broken processors you can either look to sell them to recyclers for the precious metal value or you can contact exIT to see if we might be able to fix them and get you more money. We are not aware of any other ITAD companies that currently repair CPUs in bulk.

Step 3: How to Sell your CPUs or Processors

If you are selling smaller quantities and doing it on eBay or Hardware Swap you can follow the process of making a regular post. Here’s some tips:

• Do some research on similar equipment to figure out your price point. If you are going to try and sell it for the most you can get it will cost you more time, so this is a trade-off of how valuable your time is to you
• Make sure you know what you need to make to make it worthwhile. Ebay will take a cut of your sale, but it also offers extra security so you don’t get scammed.
• It will be harder to sell on Ebay if you haven’t sold anything before, so consider pricing lower if it is one of your first few sales
• If you do decide to go with Craigslist make sure to sell in a public place and only use cash. Paypal and other means of payment can be manipulated.
• Always include a picture. A picture from your cell phone is fine, even if it is not a great phone. Just make sure there’s enough light.
• If you want to get the most for your product it helps to inform people about what you have, regardless of whether you are doing it in small or large quantities.
• NEVER USE VENMO FOR A TRANSACTION WITH SOMEONE YOU DO NOT ALREADY KNOW WELL OR TRUST. Venmo is ONLY meant for transactions between friends and lacks certain user protections.

Information to publish in your post or send to your potential ITAD company:

• Model number
• Quantity
• Use state (new, original packaging, used, functional, broken, etc.)
• If processor is non-functional any details are potentially helpful

If you want more detail on selling on eBay, Hardware Swap or other similar options take a look at our post on the best places to sell computer parts.

Step 4: How to Pack a CPU or Processor so it’s Safe in Transport

We have a lot of issues with people not packing their computer parts properly, which means that it was working when they packed it but when it arrives it is damaged or broken. To avoid this watch this video and follow the instructions to make sure to pack your processor properly:

Packing Instructions

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CPU Packing Instructions

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For individual or high value units:

• Can potentially use a jeweler’s box or other small and relatively form fitting box
• Best to wrap the CPUs in a box and put that box into a bigger one with bubble wrap or some other type of padding
• They shouldn’t have space to move around
• Plan on the box being thrown and kicked before it gets to its destination
• For larger amounts you can get trays that will fit numerous CPUs at once
• If you go this route make sure to use another one as the top!
• When you put it in the larger box make sure to bubble wrap it or ensure that it can’t move around

People lose a lot of value by shipping their CPUs and other used computer parts improperly, so make sure to take care when doing this part. Otherwise it will complicate your transaction and compromise what you make on your used CPU.

Happy selling!

If you have bulk CPUs you’d like to get a quote on fill out the form below, or if you’re not sure if an ITAD company is right for you feel free to reach out and get in touch!

Especially Valuable AMD CPUs

2nd Gen AMD EPYC Processor

Model	OPN
AMD EPYC 7742	100-0000000053
AMD EPYC 7702	100-0000000038
AMD EPYC 7702P	100-000000047
AMD EPYC 7642	100-000000074
AMD EPYC 7552	100-0000000076
AMD EPYC 7542	100-0000000075
AMD EPYC 7502	100-0000000054
AMD EPYC 7502P	100-000000045
AMD EPYC 7452	100-0000000057
AMD EPYC 7402	100-0000000046
AMD EPYC 7402P	100-000000048
AMD EPYC 7352	100-0000000077
AMD EPYC 7302	100-0000000043
AMD EPYC 7302P	100-000000049
AMD EPYC 7282	100-000000078
AMD EPYC 7272	100-000000079
AMD EPYC 7262	100-000000041
AMD EPYC 7252	100-000000080
AMD EPYC 7232P	100-000000081
AMD EPYC 7F32	100-000000139
AMD EPYC 7F52	100-000000140
AMD EPYC 7F72	100-000000141

Especially Valuable Intel® Xeon® Processors

Model	S-Spec	Manufacturer Part Number
Xeon Platinum 9282
Xeon Platinum 9242
Xeon Platinum 9222
Xeon Platinum 9221
Xeon Platinum 8280M	SRF9Q	CD8069504228101
Xeon Platinum 8280L	SRF9R	CD8069504228201
Xeon Platinum 8280	SRF9P	CD8069504228001
Xeon Platinum 8276L	SRF97	CD8069504195301
Xeon Platinum 8276	SRF99	CD8069504195501
Xeon Platinum 8270	SRF96	CD8069504195201
Xeon Platinum 8268	SRF95	CD8069504195101
Xeon Platinum 8260Y	SRF9F	CD8069504200902
Xeon Platinum 8260L	SRF9G	CD8069504201001
Xeon Platinum 8260M	SRF9J	CD8069504201201
Xeon Platinum 8260	SRF9H	CD8069504201101
Xeon Platinum 8256	SRF94	CD8069504194701
Xeon Platinum 8253	SRF93	CD8069504194601
Xeon Gold 6262V	SRFQ4	CD8069504285004
Xeon Gold 6258R	SRGZF	CD8069504449301
Xeon Gold 6256	SRGTQ	CD8069504425301
Xeon Gold 6254	SRF92	CD8069504194501
Xeon Gold 6252N	SRFPQ	CD8069504283503
Xeon Gold 6252	SRF91	CD8069504194401
Xeon Gold 6250L	SRH5D	CD8069504497400
Xeon Gold 6250	SRGTR	CD8069504425402
Xeon Gold 6248R	SRGZG	CD8069504449401
Xeon Gold 6248	SRF90	CD8069504194301
Xeon Gold 6246R	SRGZL	CD8069504449801
Xeon Gold 6246	SRFPJ	CD8069504282905
Xeon Gold 6244	SRF8Z	CD8069504194202
Xeon Gold 6242R	SRGZJ	CD8069504449601
Xeon Gold 6242	SRF8Y	CD8069504194101
Xeon Gold 6240Y	SRF9D	CD8069504200501
Xeon Gold 6240R	SRGZ8	CD8069504448600
Xeon Gold 6240L	SRFQ0	CD8069504284503
Xeon Gold 6240	SRF8W	CD8069504194001
Xeon Gold 6238T	SRF9C	CD8069504200401
Xeon Gold 6238R	SRGZ9	CD8069504448701
Xeon Gold 6238L	SRFQ2	CD8069504284704
Xeon Gold 6238	SRFPL	CD8069504283104
Xeon Gold 6234	SRFPN	CD8069504283304
Xeon Gold 6230T	SRFPS	CD8069504283704
Xeon Gold 6230N	SRFPR	CD8069504202700
Xeon Gold 6230R	SRGZA	CD8069504448800
Xeon Gold 6230	SRF81	CD8069504193701
Xeon Gold 6226R	SRGZC	CD8069504449000
Xeon Gold 6226	SRFPP	CD8069504283404
Xeon Gold 6222V	SRFQ5	CD8069504285204
Xeon Gold 6212U
Xeon Gold 6210U
Xeon Gold 6209U
Xeon Gold 6208U	SRGZD	CD8069504449101
Xeon Gold 5222	SRF8V	CD8069504193501
Xeon Gold 5220T	SRFPK	CD8069504283006
Xeon Gold 5220S	SRFPT	CD8069504283804
Xeon Gold 5220R	SRGZP	CD8069504451301
Xeon Gold 5220	SRFBJ	CD8069504214601
Xeon Gold 5218T	SRFPM	CD8069504283204
Xeon Gold 5218R	SRGZ7	CD8069504446300
Xeon Gold 5218N	SRFD9	CD8069504289900
Xeon Gold 5218B	SRFDJ	CD8069504295701
Xeon Gold 5218	SRF8T	CD8069504193301
Xeon Gold 5217	SRFBF	CD8069504214302
Xeon Gold 5215L	SRFBE	CD8069504214202
Xeon Gold 5215	SRFBC	CD8069504214002
Xeon Silver 4216	SRFBB	CD8069504213901
Xeon Silver 4215	SRFBA	CD8069504212701
Xeon Silver 4214	SRFB9	CD8069504212601
Xeon Silver 4210	SRFBL	CD8069503956302
Xeon Silver 4209T
Xeon Silver 4208	SRFBM	CD8069503956401
Xeon Bronze 3206R
Xeon Bronze 3204

Valuable 3nd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors

Model	S-Spec	Manufacturer Part Number
Xeon Platinum 8380HL	SRJXR	CD8070604480401
Xeon Platinum 8380H	SRJXQ	CD8070604480301
Xeon Platinum 8376HL	SRJXT	CD8070604480601
Xeon Platinum 8376H	SRJXS	CD8070604480501
Xeon Platinum 8354H
Xeon Platinum 8353H	SRJY2	CD8070604481601
Xeon Gold 6348H	SRJXX	CD8070604481101
Xeon Gold 6328HL	SRJXZ	CD8070604481301
Xeon Gold 6328H	SRJXY	CD8070604481201
Xeon Gold 5320H	SRJY1	CD8070604481501
Xeon Gold 5318H	SRJY3	CD8070604481600

Have something to add? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!