Ram question

Whoo boy ... lots of questions.

There's quite a bit of detail when it comes to Ewaste. It's a steep learning curve. You won't learn it all overnight.

Another thing that complicates it is that new technology is emerging at a very fast pace. For example: A processor -or- RAM stick that sold for ten dollars six months ago might have become obsolete. It might only be worth 25 cents today as scrap.

Let's try something simple to get you started.

Sort your memory sticks into two piles.

The first pile will be " Better than Scrap " Look on the label of the memory stick. These ones will say PC 3 -or- DDR 3. They might even say PC 4 -or- DDR 4 if you're lucky. You want to set these ones aside and be gentle with them.

The second pile will be " Scrap Memory ". That's everything else.

Get those two piles made and then we can work it from there ?

BTW ... you're not over thinking it. We just need to take it a step at a time till you get the hang of it and can do it for yourself.

ETA: Sorry JJ. Looks like we posted at about the same time. Can you take the lead on this one ? I've got a couple of long work days ahead and won't have time to post for awhile.

More than Scrap buyers generally pay less than market value on scrap RAM. The reason is simple: As a buyer who does more than scrap, I really can't do anything with scrap RAM other than send it on to a scrap processor. But, $1 per pound is terrible. I calculate failures off a base price, and then modify it upwards if you're sending in RAM that's really heavy. Older RAM has a lot more chips on it, so it's worth more in scrap. Here's the way I figure it:

You do lose some on the scrap RAM. But, you more than make it up on the stuff that passes testing. Your best bet is to upload a picture somewhere, or if you can't upload it elsewhere, let me know and I'll give you my E-Mail. No matter who you send it to, I can look at your pictures and in a couple minutes give you a good idea of what you have, and how to tell.

If you choose to send to a more than scrap buyer, make sure to package it carefully! If your RAM is damaged in shipping, it's just scrap at that point. I wrote a guide a few years ago about shipping MTSV items, and there's a section in there on computer memory. You'll see the link at the bottom of my posts. I strongly recommend reading it- a little bubble wrap and a few minutes is the best investment you can make for your lot.

If you have any questions, just let us know. We're all more than glad to help you make the most of whatever you've got

JJ - That's what I wanted was a cutoff threshold. When I'm ready to ship I'm sure the buyer will let me know if he is interested in the 1gb sticks but good to know for my own curiosity, thank you!

Hills - I already have it sorted and labeled in pictures, working on trying to get them uploaded. I have sold all my ewaste to one buyer in the past as scrap, just thought I would look into ways to maximize my profit margin opposed to having all my eggs in one basket. I never even paid attention to ram size in the past since I was paid the same amount per pound for all gold ram.

Not a problem- it's the least I can do!

I have the pictures, and am working on a breakdown of what she has. I'll post here, along with some basic identification tips to help others

Alright, so I've done some looking at the images. I can't tell what all of the RAM is, but I have a pretty good idea for most of it. Scrappygirl marked two of her images with model numbers, so we'll start with the third unmarked one. I put notes on this image:

https://i.imgur.com/RcXRDXr.jpg

So, on the left side of that, you have a bunch of older PC-100 or PC-133 RAM. This stuff goes back to the late 1990s. It's not worth anything for refurbishers, but older RAM often has heavier chips. It's good scrap. Moving down, we have a stick of E-Code RAM. This is ECC server RAM, which is worth less than desktop RAM, but it's a DDR3 stick, so it has some value. The stick below it is 1GB DDR2- that's scrap RAM. Moving lright, we have another stick of PC100, and a mystery stick next to that. Sorry Scrappygirl, but I can't make out the label.

Next to that, you have something that isn't actually RAM. That is an old slot CPU (Like a Pentium II). Those have scrap value, but they're not RAM. Let's keep moving right. The first thing you see are two large, green colored sticks. Those are 2GB DDR3 desktop RAM. Those have value. The heatsinks on them don't add value, but they signify that they were gaming RAM. Patriot RAM tests kinda spotty- some of their models are a lot more reliable than others.

Moving right again, you have some scrap RAM. DDR RAM won't have value. The server RAM next to it doesn't either. The sticks on the end look like 1GB DDR2, but I can't tell for sure. If in doubt, you can send them with your lot- 4 sticks won't cost you much anyways, but you won't gain much on them if they're 2GB DDR2.

Let's move on to the next picture!

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https://i.imgur.com/6Ne9VY1.jpg

Scrappygirl marked this one, so let's talk about her labels. We'll do the left column, and then the right one. Statying from the top, you have 2 sticks of 2GB DDR3 RAM. Kingston RAM is super hard to identify (I often have people mark it incorrectly on their lots- let's talk about that). The model is KVR1333D3K2/4GR. Breaking that up, the "1333" refers to the speed of the RAM. 1333MHz RAM is DDR3. Most people look at the "/4GR" part and assume it's a 4GB stick. It isn't. Kingston should be slapped in the head for this, but look at the other part of the model: "K2". These RAM sticks were orignally sold in kits of 2 sticks. The "4G" means that the KIT totalled 4GB of RAM. 4 divided by 2 is 2- you have 2GB sticks. Such a stupid naming system....

Moving down, we have more Kingston. The first is "400" speed RAM, which is DDR. That's scrap. The second is 1GB DDR2 (PC2), which is also scrap. But, these have heatsinks that signify it's server RAM. You'll want to pry the covers off and send just the RAM in for scrap, or it may be docked as RAMBUS. Slide a screwdriver under the clips, pop one off, and the heatsinks will slide right off. Wear gloves or you may end up with a nice injured hand. Trust me on that one.

Below the Kingston, we have two sticks of Nanya server RAM, that's the same as the Kingston above it. Now, the lot gets interesting.

You have 8 sticks of 4GB DDR3 server RAM in the two piles. What exactly you have though is "R code RAM". Looking at my pricing list, those are currently $1.30 per stick, so more than scrap. You won't get rich quick on 4GB R code, but it's worth bundling up. Let's move back to the top right.

The first stick is a 1GB stick of Kingston (Remember the K2 thing- it comes back to haunt us). Scrap. The stick below it is a 2GB stick of DDR2- worth more than scrap. The two below that are scrap 1GB sticks. Back to the server RAM!

You have two stacks of DDR2 F-Code. It's scrap. Get your screwdriver out and pry those covers off!

Below that, you have 4 more sticks of 4GB DDR3 R code, so those are more than scrap. The last three are F code DDR2 (The same as the silver stuff you'll be scrapping basically, but with a black heatsink. Screwdriver time!)

Next image.....

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https://i.imgur.com/wUi8Tt4.jpg

The stuff on the top is the last image. We're looking at the stuff on the bubble wrap.

Let's talk about that Kingston RAM. You have really rare stuff there. Normally, 1GB sticks (The top ones and bottom ones) are scrap, and the middle would be 2GB DDR2. That's wrong here. ALL of those sticks are worth sending, and here's why. You have PC2-8500 RAM. You NEVER see that stuff. It was released around the time DDR3 came out. I've been testing parts for users on the forum here since 2014, and I've seen maybe 20 sticks of that stuff total. Some of it is really valuable, and some not so much. I've handled oddity parts like that basically on a commission for what I can sell it for. You'd be looking at a good payout on just that RAM. Nice score! To the right column....

You have DDR2 RAM there (667 MHz is always DDR2). They're 1GB server sticks. Screwdriver time.... It's the same story for the orange and silver RAM below it.

Moving down, your Kingston RAM in the packages is 2GB DDR3 sticks (It says "Kit of 2" on the sticks). Worth sending in.

Below that, you have a DDR stick (333 MHz is always DDR) that's scrap. Finishing your lot out, you have an 8GB kit of Kingston DDR3. Divided by two, you have two 4GB sticks. Definitely worth sending those in!

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I think you have two lots- a small lot of MTSV value RAM, and a slightly larger lot of scrap. I would send the scrap RAM to a scrap processor if you can ship it cheaply (I bet you could cram it into a small flat rate box for about $8). The MTSV RAM should be in a little larger box- NEVER cram MTSV RAM. It's not worth risking it breaking in shipping. Pack it up good and secure, and the extra couple dollars in shipping will more than pay for itself. Test failures suck.

A little tip, now that you know what you have. Keep ONE stick each of DDR, DDR2, and DDR3 when you run across a 1GB stick of that. Mark them with a label and Sharpie. DDR, 2, 3, and 4 RAM all have a slot kinda in the middle of the stick. This is to make sure that you can only install it one way. The slot location will be the same for whatever type of RAM you have, but different across the types (So you can't fit DDR3 into a system designed for DDR for example). Keep one stick of each, and when you're unsure of what you have, just hold it against your "measuring stick". Whatever the slot perfectly lines up to- that's what you've got! Now you know the type, so it's just a matter of finding size (Or if your next mystery stick is DDR, you know not to worry and send it straight to scrap).