How much does it really cost to refurbish an old computer?
• It costs between $335-$520 to refurbish computer hardware alone. • To properly refurbish a computer, all new software and an operating system must be re-purchased by either the refurbisher or the entity donating/selling the system. Otherwise the original owner is in breach of copyright and has committed software piracy. Of note, the fine for software piracy is $150,000 per application, per machine, per the Business Software Alliance. • In addition, you must factor the cost of time/labor and the software required to cleanse a machine. According to analysts at the Gartner Group, the minimum number of overwrites that will cleanse a system is a 35-time overwrite, and that is still not the recommended method.
