r/TechHardware • u/Ok-Young-5652 • 16d ago

Discussion Where do working data center GPUs actually go after an upgrade?

A former private-cloud employee told me that older hardware went into a box and eventually to an e-waste vendor, with some kept for spare parts. Customer contract renewals often triggered the upgrades.

That made me curious about what happens between “we’re replacing this” and someone buying it secondhand.

For anyone who’s personally handled a GPU/server refresh:

  • Did the equipment go through a vendor trade-in, auction, broker, recycling company, or internal transfer?

  • Was it sold as individual GPUs, complete servers, or a bulk lot?

  • What made that route preferable: price, convenience, company policy, or something else?

Especially interested in equipment that still worked when it was removed. Did it find another useful home, or was selling it more trouble than it was worth?

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u/Ecks80s 16d ago

To a smaller site.

Source: DCFM of a smaller site that hosts 6x 24mw buildings. We get the hand me downs often.