I have around six Dell PowerEdge servers that I've been holding onto and was planning to scrap. Each one has eight 16GB ECC DDR3 modules, model M393B2G70CB0-YH9, for a total of about 128GB per server. Is this memory still worth selling second-hand, or would I be better off selling the servers whole or scrapping them?
3 Answers
The memory probably has some resale value, especially if it’s genuine 16GB ECC registered DIMMs, but don’t expect a huge return. DDR3 is mainly useful for people upgrading older workstations, home labs, or inexpensive Xeon builds. Selling the sticks individually or in matched sets of four may make them easier to move than selling all of them together.
DDR3 is much less desirable than DDR4, but it isn’t completely useless. These modules can work in some X99-era systems with Haswell Xeons, and a quad-channel setup with a high-core-count Xeon can still handle many home-server, workstation, and virtualization workloads. The buyer pool is smaller, though, so check recent completed listings and factor in shipping and seller fees before deciding.
There is still some demand for older server hardware, but DDR3 systems are getting harder to sell because newer DDR4 equipment is more efficient and often inexpensive. It may be worth listing the servers complete first rather than immediately parting them out. If there’s no interest after a reasonable listing period, then sell the RAM separately.
That makes sense. I’ll probably try listing a complete server first, then sell the RAM in matched kits if the systems don’t attract buyers.