Need help finding a way to transport desktop across country

[hedshotx]

Hey guys, firstly I apologize if this is not the appropriate area for this thread, I honestly looked through the forums and couldn't decide which would be the most appropriate. If it is better in a different sub-forum then please move it there, I appreciate it mods.

To my issue at hand, I am going to moving across the country from the east coast to the west coast, specifically VA to CA if that matters, to finish my education. As anyone here knows, having a personal computer is almost a necessity nowadays for college. There are computers on campus, but for school work as well as other work of mine, I would like to keep my desktop. Is it even possible to transport it from my house here to my apartment in california? What are my options and how truly viable are they, as well as how much do they cost?

I did some researching and some people advised to pack every component individually in its original box, and then pack them in my suitcase surrounded by clothes or in a backpack as my carry on, and then to ship the mobo and the case in the suitcase or ship it via usps or something? I guess I'm just concerned about this seeing how ridiculously luggage is thrown about and dropped on the shipping belts etc.

Would it just be better for me to sell the computer and built another one when I get there or just get a laptop and bring it with me? I have about two months to resolve this step before the semester starts, and it's one of the last hurdles of moving that I have to get over. Has anyone transported their desktop like this before? Any help or advice would be great you guys

 

[USAFRet]

PC's are not nearly as fragile as people seem to think. They are shipped all over the world, every single day.

Maybe remove a large air cooler, or a very large GPU.
Other than that...securely mounted in the case, all the other parts are fine. If you don't have the original carton for the case, take it down to the local UPS store. They will pack it securely, and have done exactly this hundreds of times.

 

[hedshotx]

I have a hyper 212 for my cooler, and a strix gtx 970. You think those should be taken out or are they ok in the box? I'm just worried I'll get the pc and something will have moved and cracked most of the chips / boards ):

 

[USAFRet]

I have a hyper 212 for my cooler, and a strix gtx 970. You think those should be taken out or are they ok in the box? I'm just worried I'll get the pc and something will have moved and cracked most of the chips / boards ):

I'd take the 212 off and put that in its own box. If you're really worried, the same with the GPU.
Other than that...it should be fine.

 

[hedshotx]

Gotcha, gonna need to get some new thermal paste then as well as figure out how to get that 212 off. Have you ever shipped your desktop off to transport it long distance USAFret? Where do you get your info from? I appreciate the assistance, but I just wanna make sure this is a good idea before I do it because I don't have the funds to buy a new PC in the event that it gets damaged on the way.

Also is there anything else I should do in regards to shipping it such as packing it a specific way or insurance or should I just have them pack it? Just nervous about sending my baby off in someone elses hands

 

[USAFRet]

Gotcha, gonna need to get some new thermal paste then as well as figure out how to get that 212 off. Have you ever shipped your desktop off to transport it long distance USAFret? Where do you get your info from? I appreciate the assistance, but I just wanna make sure this is a good idea before I do it because I don't have the funds to buy a new PC in the event that it gets damaged on the way.

Also is there anything else I should do in regards to shipping it such as packing it a specific way or insurance or should I just have them pack it? Just nervous about sending my baby off in someone elses hands

I've personally shipped and received PC's to and from all over the US.

When you go into BestBuy or Walmart, and see those PC's on the shelf...how do you think they got there?
If you order an uber Alienware from Dell, how does it get to your house?

 

[USAFRet]

Gotcha, gonna need to get some new thermal paste then as well as figure out how to get that 212 off.

When you say "figure out how to get it off"...Who put it on there?

 

[hedshotx]

Haha, I did, but mounting a 212 and taking it off are two separate things since it uses those arrowhead plastic fasteners to the board. And yeah i guess I never thought of that. I assumed those places typically sent things like the gpu and cards separate and in carefully packed boxes with specifically designed foam cut outs with insurance. When you have shipped pcs did you use foam cut outs or something like that to pack the box? Is there a specific type of insurance I need for shipping it?

 

[USAFRet]

Either the original case box, or just a big box with a lot of padding.

 

[hedshotx]

This is a very delayed response, but im getting ready to ship my pc off, and really do not want to remove the hyper 212 fan. For whatever reason it was a pain installing and I feel like uninstalling it will be even worse. Do you think that leaving it attached while I ship it will be okay? I'm sending via FedEx, they had the most reasonable prices around a hundred dollars.

 

[USAFRet]

This is a very delayed response, but im getting ready to ship my pc off, and really do not want to remove the hyper 212 fan. For whatever reason it was a pain installing and I feel like uninstalling it will be even worse. Do you think that leaving it attached while I ship it will be okay? I'm sending via FedEx, they had the most reasonable prices around a hundred dollars.

Well, it's rather large and heavy. Long lever arm.

Personally, I'd probably take it off. But it will probably be OK.
(ifitbreaksdontblameme)

 

[hedshotx]

Word. Ill see if I can get it off then. Last few questions ( thanks again for all the help ), if I take out the gpu and fan as well as shipping my monitor and keyboard, what would you say is the best way to take those with me through the airline? It's a 19" monitor so its a bit big for carry on. Could I just pack everything in their original packaging and put it in my suitcase and fill it with clothes? Or does that get flagged or something?