Question Keeping Computer off for 15 months

[JCano]

Hi everyone. I would love to hear your advise on the following. I am a grad student who built my own computer about six months ago. I am taking a year off to do an internship and I have two options for my computer.
1. Store in someones closet nearby in boxes for the next 15 months or 2. ship across country.

I was convinced I would ship it because I assumed turned off and in boxes that long wouldn't be good for it. But my friend told me that shipping a new build computer might break it and that I would need to put padding inside each component so they don't shake and jiggle. One side of my case is also glass.

What is the best option for my computer?

 

[g-unit1111]

Your friend is incorrect. As long as your CPU, CPU cooler and GPU are properly secured then you shouldn't have to worry about them breaking off when you ship your PC. That's a myth that goes back to the X86 days. Even pre-built PCs go through a number of different channels and could be shipped to multiple warehouses before arriving at your doorstep. And if you saved the box and styrofoam that your case was shipped in then that should provide some extra padding.

Believe me, I work next to a warehouse that is affiliated with Cyberpower and they stack glass cases on top of each other and use less than the bare minimum packaging needed for these PCs. Any precautions that you take prior to shipping will be infinitely better than the methods they use.

 

[ConanLock]

As said above it should be fine. Unless... You, like me, run low on screws. You see, DVD drive, hard drive etc should have 4 screws, but if you only use 1 screw it is of course not going to be secure. This is usually fine, but err on the side of caution if you are transporting it, and make sure they are all screwed in, and all things are secured down the way they should be. Of course, you probably have everything screwed in properly anyway. It'll be fine if you do, otherwise, just take the time to get some more, the then ship it away into the sunset.
That being said, if you do decide to leave it for 15 months, make sure to have a pack of CMOS batteries handy. If the battery runs out in that time and you get back to bios errors, it's just that the power to the CMOS ran out, not actually anything bad happening. Recently, I've just got a pc out of the attic that was made in 2004, still works fine, all it needed was a new battery...
Either choice is good, depends if you are happy to spend that much time away from your PC