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Taking a computer on a plane.

GotNoRice

GotNoRice

[H]F Junkie
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I’m going to be traveling to Arizona soon. I’m building a new computer for my uncle. I’m going to be building it here and then, somehow, I need to get it there.

I’m going to be using an Antec Sonata case, and I pack light, so I don’t think it would have any problem fitting it in the overhead compartment. I just don’t know about taking it through the airport security. Basically, whatever I don’t take on the plane with me has to get shipped; not exactly an ideal situation either.

I was thinking of some kind of compromise, like take the Videocard, heatsink, processor, and hard drive out of the computer, taking that stuff on the plane with me, and then having the rest of the computer shipped.

What do you guys think? I’m sure that a powersupply looks an awful lot like a bomb while going through the X-Ray machine.

I know that the last time I put computer stuff in my bag, when I got it, everything inside was all messed up and it had this in it: http://gotnorice.dynu.com/inspection.JPG :rolleyes:
 
I once carried a playstation on a plane with me. They paused to look at it in the X-ray machine but never questioned me about it. I havet been on a plane post 9/11 so I dont know if thats changed now. I think you should be fine though. It is a power supply and not a bomb right?
 
Packed properly, there's no reason to not ship the whole rig. If you decide to yoink those parts out of the box to hand-carry with you, again, you're probably better off shipping them. If you've ever seen how people cram their shit in those overheads, you understand that they don't give a damn what they do to YOUR bag so THEIR bag will also fit up there.

Really, just ship it. If you're feeling a little leery, take off the heatsink so it doesn't come loose with a bump.
 
If I was to ship it, do you think I could get away with putting it back into the same box the Sonata case came in?
 
GotNoRice said:
If I was to ship it, do you think I could get away with putting it back into the same box the Sonata case came in?
Click to expand...
That would be the best bet if you still have your styrofoam. I'd recommend you take off your heatsink though.
 
archevilangel said:
That would be the best bet if you still have your styrofoam. I'd recommend you take off your heatsink though.
Click to expand...
....on the money. Pull the HSF, put it in its original box, insure the crap out of it, and ship it worry free. My $00.02 is that it probably gets there just fine, and you don't have to lug it through the airport..... :cool:

Regards - B.B.S.
 
me personally i wouldnt ship it in the regular box. if it was just the case sure but the whole system NO WAY! have ups or fed package the box or you package it your self. get a box bigger than the case so you can have the penut things around it (atleast 4 inches of penuts) then wrap the case in bubble wrap then put it in the box. my friend shipped a case fully built from california to michigan like that and he said it was safe and sound. nothing was hurt. but thats just me. when it comes to my computer i dont take chances.
 
I had this issue before, and had a terrible experience with UPS. First off, DO NOT HAVE THE COMP AS A "NON-CARRY ON", they will DESTROY that shit (I had a friend that worked for 2 different airlines, and he told me they usually toss high end travel bags/fragile boxes for fun). 2nd, you might get away with bringing the entire system as a carry on, however, as mention aboved, your case may get damaged by the stuarde(s), thus another risk. And if you do get away with it, I can almost gurentee you a hassle, and them screwing with the contents (being out of Anti-Static bags, or moved in unsafe spot within the shipping contents)

What I did was ship it UPS, which was also all bad, and took 3 months of hell to get my insured $ back. This is what I would recommend:

Ship like the EGG! ("Newegg" if you're unfamiliar with the company). Thus: ship all the parts seperate (if you want to be extremely cautious). Break the MAJOR parts of it down. The primary parts you need to ship seperate are: CPU and Heatsink and be sure the CPU & HSF are SEPERATE, Harddrive needs to be removed because although most are durable, they can be damaged by shipping without much effort (due to moving parts). If you want to be even more safe, include the video card and any PCI cards. Otherwise, Cables, RAM, PSU, and CD-RW/ROMS/DVD-ROMS all hold off pretty well.

You can pack it yourself or have a company like FedEx (Which I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend over the UPS Store or UPS) pack it for you. Of course it may cost more to have them do it (never had them do it before). So, use anti-static bags for each part, 2-3 layers of BIG bubble wrap for each part, and foam chips (a shitload). 2 boxes will do it. One for parts, the other for the case and the remaining parts. If you have the original shipping box and foam from the case, thats the best case scenario for the cases safety.

Fedex will cost you:
$15ish to ship, or $20ish w/ insurance (recommended).
2 Boxes + Foam Wrap = $10 - $15. (Price vary depending on where you get it)
All together:
$35 with FedEx.

Trust me, UPS quoted me $80, easy. So it's much better to go with FedEx. But if I were you, I wouldn't want to get involved with the plane and bringing my system on board IMHO. It's a bigger risk then shipping it.

Good Luck!

-Logiks
 
If you do ship your PC - DO NOT USE PACKING PEANUTS!

I'm not sure who invented these things but they suck for shipping large heavy items. As soon as the box moves, everything inside shifts and your precious case is now right next to the box with little to no protection.

2 Suggestions:

Use the original box with supplied styrafoam supports. This will keep thigns where they are supposed to be with extra protection over the corners. If it survived being shipped to you in that box why wouldn't it survive another trip with some other stuff inside?

Make sure nothing moves inside the box. Pack it TIGHT. After you think its good shake the box a few times and if you hear the stuff inside move add more packing material.

Removing the heatsink is an excellent idea cuz if it breaks off its lugs and crashes around inside you won't have much left - but make sure to take pics. ;)
 
I flew from Tulsa to Sea-Tac w/ my tower as a carry-on post 9/11 w/ no problems. They even let me store it under the seat. No problem going through security either. As for the TSA paper you got in your bag, that's just them letting you know they searched your bag.
 
Remove the Heatsink, take out the HD, (shock is the #1 cause of HD errors) and either ship it Fed-EX or carry it on - either should be fine.
 
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