What is better for a repentant thief who stole computer devices from an academic institution a long time ago: should he return computer devices or money equal to their value?

If computers are damaged, they are guaranteed by their like, if they have one; otherwise, their value is guaranteed. A fungible item is anything that has a like, and this is what Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah chose. So, if it is not possible to bring similar computers, the thief guarantees them by their value on the day he stole them.