I have around six Dell PowerEdge servers that I was planning to scrap. Each one contains eight 16GB ECC DDR3 modules (Samsung M393B2G70CB0-YH9), for a total of roughly 768GB of memory. Is this type of server RAM still worth selling second-hand, or would I be better off selling the servers whole or recycling them?
3 Answers
The RAM is usable in certain older workstation and home-server builds, especially systems based on Xeon E5-2600 v3 or v4 processors and compatible X99-style boards. A 64GB ECC kit can still be attractive to someone building a budget machine, but shipping costs and testing each module will affect whether it is worthwhile.
There is still some demand for working server hardware, but DDR3 is old enough that prices may be disappointing. Before parting everything out, compare the likely value of each complete server against the combined value of the RAM, CPUs, drives, and other components. Selling the machines as tested systems could be less work and potentially bring in more overall.
I would not expect a large premium for it. DDR3 platforms can still handle plenty of home-server, virtualization, and general workloads, and some can even run newer operating systems with the appropriate workarounds. However, buyers generally choose them because they are inexpensive, so price the memory realistically and list the exact part number, capacity, speed, and whether it has been tested.
The strongest buyers are likely to be people looking for specific ECC modules or a complete compatible system, rather than ordinary desktop users. Listing matched sets of four or eight modules may make them easier to sell.
The main issue is oversupply. Newer DDR4 systems are more efficient and often cheap enough that buyers are less interested in older DDR3 equipment.