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Comment by amatecha | Hacker News Reader

Ohh.. I've always wondered how to get my hands on this "garbage". The machine I use every day is from like 2013... the fastest PC I own has a processor that was launched in 2014. It's partly because I'm frugal and partly because I don't believe in constantly replacing hardware that works just fine. But it sounds like by this point companies are throwing away stuff far newer than what I use! haha

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Depending on where you are, there'll either be local auctions of surplus tech, or eBay / refurbishing stores selling these kinds of things. I always went for Dell Optiplex, but there are HP and Lenovo equivalents too

Yeah, we used to have Free Geek Vancouver here, but they unfortunately shut down recently.

Still, my intent is moreso, well, companies are literally throwing these systems into the trash, so paying for them feels like I am getting ripped off. I'm always hoping for the opportunity to snag a system or two that is being tossed. It has happened before, or I've paid like $5-10 for something that is destined for the dumpster. It definitely seems like a "have to be in the right place at the right time" kind of thing, though.

In Germany, https://www.afbshop.de/ provides PC disposal services, and then sells the reconditioned machines with new hard drives/SSDs. They also have retail shops in some German cities; I bought an HP Prodesk micro PC from the one in Nürnberg.

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