They decided to cannibalize the old computer to build a new one.

cannibalize 是动词，由名词 cannibal（食人者）加上动词后缀 -ize 构成。原意是"同类相食"，引申为"拆解旧设备的零件用于新设备"的技术术语。这个词形象地比喻了将旧设备"吃掉"来组装新设备的过程。