250w PSU, any use?

see317

So, I picked up a new pc at a certain retailers going out of business sale.
While I was at it, I picked up a shiny new monitor and a new graphics card.

I get home, and shock and dismay, the PSU in the computer is entirely too weak to hope to feed the graphics card. I go back, and pick up a 650w Antec power supply for around 60 bucks, swap them out install the new graphics card and am now happy with a moderately beefy, somewhat up to date machine.

And I'm left with a fairly weak power supply. Is there any use for it outside of building a second, smaller computer that I won't use (see above note RE: dust collectors)?
The pack-rat in me hates to just throw stuff out because it might be useful some day, but the pragmatist in me points out that it's a pretty weedy little thing and not likely to be useful to me ever and I really don't need another dust collector in my room.

Second concern is if it's safe to just pitch it in the trash. I mean, PSUs aren't exactly biodegradable. If it can be recycled that'd be great. Alternatively, if someone on here has a use for it let me know, I'll look into shipping prices. Note, I don't know the brand, but I doubt it's all that high end since it came in an off the shelf PC.

Aeyther

I have a small computer that has a 250w psu that I use in a linux box to test ip/port scanning and hacking for class, other than that I dunno what else you could do. Maybe build your own proxy server?

mcdermott

250W will power most HTPCs, if you know anybody that wants to build one.

Capt Howdy

250 is useful if you aren't creating a gaming machine. Pretty sure you could sell that.

Ego

I'd save it. Spare parts are handy for testing component failures. PSUs moreso than most, given how many 'my computer won't turn on, what's wrong?' threads exist on the internet.

Tofystedeth

What Ego and McD said. A 250W PSU could cover an older CPU with a HDD and an optical drive and low end or integrated graphics card.

Alternatively, if you know of any local charities or companies that take older systems to refurbish and give to nonprofits and low-income people they'd probably love to take it off your hands.

Gaslight

Yeah dude, I would hold on to that thing. It's not like you'll make that much money selling it, and you never know when having a spare functional PSU laying around could be handy.