Is it safe to transport Desktop fully assembled? (going to Uni)

[Ramjali]

I going to uni this month, and I am going to take my desktop with me. It's a 4 Hr drive along mainly motorway. (In England)

Do you think I can transport my desktop without breaking anything (Fully assembled)?
I do have quite bulky and expensive components, ie 7870 2gb and the aftermarket cooler (comes to mind)
I am mainly worried about the GPU, as it is basically held in place by its PCB at the x16 PCI-e lane. Also the GPU being big and huge doesn't help.
Is there any other components i should take care of?



Has anyone transported their desktops before? If so please share your experiences.

EDIT: My aftermarket cooler is the Xigmatek Aegir SD128264, which is huge.

EDIT 2: I don't have my component packaging, so im a bit screwed.

 

[chairsgotoschool]

do you have a case? or is it like those benchtest cases. i along with many friends move are pc's all the time to eachothers houses but we all have ordinary cases. would it really hurt to move it in peices. unplug everything and take the mobo with the ram cpu and heatsink in then take the psu and gpu (not connected) as long as you're careful, dont drop it or bang it you should be fine. if you have a case then you could just throw it in the trunk or the back (make sure it wont slide around or fall over)

 

[Ramjali]

do you have a case? or is it like those benchtest cases. i along with many friends move are pc's all the time to eachothers houses but we all have ordinary cases. would it really hurt to move it in peices. unplug everything and take the mobo with the ram cpu and heatsink in then take the psu and gpu (not connected) as long as you're careful, dont drop it or bang it you should be fine. if you have a case then you could just throw it in the trunk or the back (make sure it wont slide around or fall over)

I have a Coolermaster 430 as a case. The only problem is, I dont have the packaging anymore. Nor do i have anti-static plastic to cover the components

 

[tiny voices]

My computer routinely makes 3.5 hours trips to college with me. No problem. Just wedge it somewhere inside the cabin of the car so it doesn't get banged around or get too hot/cold. I have an SLI setup and a large cooler and I have never had any troubles.

 

[chairsgotoschool]

okay for a moment i thought you had some bench test rig (not really a case so you can easily swap components) yeah you should be fine just don't kick it. i've never made an hour trip with mine but frequently have taken it between houses with no problems... well besides leaving a cable behind making my pc a black box of worthlessness.

 

[dave1642]

Im really careful while moving mine as I have 2 7970's and an h100i.

Just be concious of walking with it or it being in the car.
You know the pcb's on the gpu's will want to flex while you walk; so try to step softer.
And you should know that the back seat will provide softer "suspension" than the floor in your car.

 

[tiny voices]

Honestly it will be fine. Just be mindful that it should get slammed around.