taking built pc on a plane.

[ambrosesainsbury]

Hi, I recently built a desktop pc and I am planning on putting it on a plane, however I have a few questions first. Firstly, have any of you done this, how did it go.

Secondly, what parts should I dismantle, I kept most of the original packaging to put it in. I will take any dismantled parts with me in hand luggage and I will place the rest and the case in the hold.

 

[10tacle]

Everyone takes laptops and gaming consoles onboard just fine. But I've never taken an entire computer on a flight. Are you talking about checking the PC like luggage that will be put in the cargo hold? I don't see that being much of a problem. But at bare minimum you need to remove the CPU cooler and put that in its original box.

 

[Tech-Brandon]

Hi,

I have never attempted this before however I believe the GPU & CPU Cooler should be dismantled and inside should be padded with appropriate material. Padding is not required, but an extra step to ensure safety. Also, you may want to pack it in a box with fragile labeled on it.

Regards,
Brandon

 

[g-unit1111]

Hi,

I have never attempted this before however I believe the GPU & CPU Cooler should be dismantled and inside should be padded with appropriate material. Padding is not required, but an extra step to ensure safety. Also, you may want to pack it in a box with fragile labeled on it.

Regards,
Brandon

That last part is definitely true (although I had a UPS driver tell me that handlers don't really pay much attention to those labels though :lol: ), though I don't think you need to completely disassemble the computer. Plenty of systems have been shipped through UPS planes with no problems. What you should do instead is save the box and all original packaging that comes with your case including styrofoam and when you ship your PC, be sure to pack the box with as much extra material as possible to ensure it doesn't move around.

 

[little_me]

I've not shipped computers on planes so no first hand experience.

Anything that is prone to being broken if given few small bumps. (shouldn't happen but you never know)
so.. hard disks..
attached cards, especially GPU
processor itself could sit on MB, the cooler probably not.
possibly ram.
DVD drive could survive it, I think.

Of course, reseating all cables, connectors and such is likely best course of action after the trip.

The issue is not so much parts being in cargo hold but the bumps that might break things.
If you have space inside the case, you could unplug GPU/stuff, put them in their own packaging and put packages inside the case and add extra news paper or anything else "soft" around/between them to prevent two items from bumping against each other.
and.. of course possibly try to avoid "It's a bomb" leaps of logic.

 

[g-unit1111]

I've not shipped computers on planes so no first hand experience.

Anything that is prone to being broken if given few small bumps. (shouldn't happen but you never know)
so.. hard disks..
attached cards, especially GPU
processor itself could sit on MB, the cooler probably not.
possibly ram.
DVD drive could survive it, I think.

Of course, reseating all cables, connectors and such is likely best course of action after the trip.

The issue is not so much parts being in cargo hold but the bumps that might break things.
If you have space inside the case, you could unplug GPU/stuff, put them in their own packaging and put packages inside the case and add extra news paper or anything else "soft" around/between them to prevent two items from bumping against each other.
and.. of course possibly try to avoid "It's a bomb" leaps of logic.

Hundreds of companies like Cyberpower, Falcon Northwest and Origin ship PCs on planes every single day without shipping them in hundreds of boxes. Hard drives and SSDs are much better manufactured today than they were even six years ago, you should be able to ship fine without having to completely disassemble your PC.

 

[ambrosesainsbury]

I've not shipped computers on planes so no first hand experience.

Anything that is prone to being broken if given few small bumps. (shouldn't happen but you never know)
so.. hard disks..
attached cards, especially GPU
processor itself could sit on MB, the cooler probably not.
possibly ram.
DVD drive could survive it, I think.

Of course, reseating all cables, connectors and such is likely best course of action after the trip.

The issue is not so much parts being in cargo hold but the bumps that might break things.
If you have space inside the case, you could unplug GPU/stuff, put them in their own packaging and put packages inside the case and add extra news paper or anything else "soft" around/between them to prevent two items from bumping against each other.
and.. of course possibly try to avoid "It's a bomb" leaps of logic.

do you think I need to take the MOBO out. Also, should I take out the cpu?

 

[little_me]

Motherboard is usually quite securely fastened to the case. CPU itself also sits quite well in it's socket as is.

The main reason for GPU/CPU cooler take out is that they tend to be heavier and if case is bumped, said bump can break things. (socket for CPU's) and either PCI-E slot or card itself for GPU's. As noted by g-unit1111, Hard disks are pretty sturdy as of late so they will most likely survive.
Paranoid people and those with important data should take the disks with them though.

I myself would most likely just take out the cooler and GPU and then pack the case in it's package with the styrofoam stuff case came with.
This usually gives pretty decent protection against smaller bumps that might happen.
If the case is physically battered in transit despite being in it's original packaging, well.. that goes more towards the insurance policies airline would have.

 

[g-unit1111]

Motherboard is usually quite securely fastened to the case. CPU itself also sits quite well in it's socket as is.

The main reason for GPU/CPU cooler take out is that they tend to be heavier and if case is bumped, said bump can break things. (socket for CPU's) and either PCI-E slot or card itself for GPU's. As noted by g-unit1111, Hard disks are pretty sturdy as of late so they will most likely survive.
Paranoid people and those with important data should take the disks with them though.

Or you could buy a BD-R drive / external hard drive and back up your data, that would prevent that from happening!

 

[USAFRet]

My standard comment on this:
-----------------------------------
The life of a PC, from construction to your living room:
Factory -> conveyor belt -> forklift -> warehouse -> forklift -> truck -> forklift -> shipping container -> ship -> ocean -> big giant forklift thing to grab the shipping container -> ground -> forklift -> truck - warehouse -> forklift -> truck -> Newegg warehouse -> forklift -> truck -> distro warehouse -> forklift -> truck -> local UPS center -> forklift -> truck all day in the summer heat (or winter cold) -> USP guy drops it (literally) on your porch.

 

[ambrosesainsbury]

My standard comment on this:
-----------------------------------
The life of a PC, from construction to your living room:
Factory -> conveyor belt -> forklift -> warehouse -> forklift -> truck -> forklift -> shipping container -> ship -> ocean -> big giant forklift thing to grab the shipping container -> ground -> forklift -> truck - warehouse -> forklift -> truck -> Newegg warehouse -> forklift -> truck -> distro warehouse -> forklift -> truck -> local UPS center -> forklift -> truck all day in the summer heat (or winter cold) -> USP guy drops it (literally) on your porch.

I built my own pc though?

 

[USAFRet]

My standard comment on this:
-----------------------------------
The life of a PC, from construction to your living room:
Factory -> conveyor belt -> forklift -> warehouse -> forklift -> truck -> forklift -> shipping container -> ship -> ocean -> big giant forklift thing to grab the shipping container -> ground -> forklift -> truck - warehouse -> forklift -> truck -> Newegg warehouse -> forklift -> truck -> distro warehouse -> forklift -> truck -> local UPS center -> forklift -> truck all day in the summer heat (or winter cold) -> USP guy drops it (literally) on your porch.

I built my own pc though?

Are you saying you did a crappier assembly job than CyberPower? Not likely.

 

[10tacle]

Are you saying you did a crappier assembly job than CyberPower? Not likely.

LOL. Not only that, but higher quality components too. BTW: is that F-15C from the tH FW dropping an AIM-9, AIM-7, or AIM-120 Toms Hammer? :lol:

 

[USAFRet]

Are you saying you did a crappier assembly job than CyberPower? Not likely.

LOL. Not only that, but higher quality components too. BTW: is that F-15C from the tH FW dropping an AIM-9, AIM-7, or AIM-120 Toms Hammer? :lol:

That is the AIM-1337 "HammerTime"

 

[Paul4294]

I concur with the "Just box and pack it well" camp.
We order many systems from a major company. They have them assembled in China and they then get air-freighted to here. We have had very few problems with things being damaged enroute.
If you put it in a large box, this may discourage the handlers from going "Phread, Go LONG! This one is marked 'Fragile'!"

 

[OOStriker]

I would just ship the whole thing to where ever your going

 

[Max_x2]

Look, the only part you might worry about is an aftermarket cooler if you have one (I'm talking about a big air cooler tower type). Dismantling anything else would be a waste of time for sure. Even leavig the GPU is ok, since it should be fixed to the case anyway. Just make sure everything is properly mounted in the case (example: loose ssd/hdd in the case. Saw that many times).

Bare in mind that people who will handle it don't give a single fack, so your computer needs to be well packaged. Styrofoam around the corners of the case if you can, then put it in a cardboard box. The package needs to be tight. If you don't have any styrofoam, the next best thing would be to put a lot of wrapping (saran wrap) around the case, before putting it in a cardboard box.

Since the luggage area tends to be cold, you should also unwrap the package as soon as you can, and wait a couple of hours at least before plugging it and start it up. Condensation could ruin your stuff.

 

[g-unit1111]

Look, the only part you might worry about is an aftermarket cooler if you have one (I'm talking about a big air cooler tower type). Dismantling anything else would be a waste of time for sure. Even leavig the GPU is ok, since it should be fixed to the case anyway. Just make sure everything is properly mounted in the case (example: loose ssd/hdd in the case. Saw that many times).

Bare in mind that people who will handle it don't give a single fack, so your computer needs to be well packaged. Styrofoam around the corners of the case if you can, then put it in a cardboard box. The package needs to be tight. If you don't have any styrofoam, the next best thing would be to put a lot of wrapping (saran wrap) around the case, before putting it in a cardboard box.

Since the luggage area tends to be cold, you should also unwrap the package as soon as you can, and wait a couple of hours at least before plugging it and start it up. Condensation could ruin your stuff.

Yes but repeatedly installing and uninstalling an aftermarket cooler could damage your motherboard. I know, I've had this happen to me before. I've transported my PC in my car multiple times and gone over speed bumps and have not had anything damage my system.

 

[Max_x2]

Look, the only part you might worry about is an aftermarket cooler if you have one (I'm talking about a big air cooler tower type). Dismantling anything else would be a waste of time for sure. Even leavig the GPU is ok, since it should be fixed to the case anyway. Just make sure everything is properly mounted in the case (example: loose ssd/hdd in the case. Saw that many times).

Bare in mind that people who will handle it don't give a single fack, so your computer needs to be well packaged. Styrofoam around the corners of the case if you can, then put it in a cardboard box. The package needs to be tight. If you don't have any styrofoam, the next best thing would be to put a lot of wrapping (saran wrap) around the case, before putting it in a cardboard box.

Since the luggage area tends to be cold, you should also unwrap the package as soon as you can, and wait a couple of hours at least before plugging it and start it up. Condensation could ruin your stuff.

Yes but repeatedly installing and uninstalling an aftermarket cooler could damage your motherboard. I know, I've had this happen to me before. I've transported my PC in my car multiple times and gone over speed bumps and have not had anything damage my system.

There's a huge difference between speed bumps, and delivery guys throwing boxes around. People at the airport are careless too.

This part is a bit irrelevant to the plane scenario, but I thought it'd be good for others to know. Even if the delivery guy has all the time in the world (hint: most don't since transportation is so competitive), you can't predict when a car will cut right in front of your bumper and you have to brake hard, and all the boxes get thrown around in the truck. Source: I've been working as a delivery guy.

 

[g-unit1111]

There's a huge difference between speed bumps, and delivery guys throwing boxes around. People at the airport are careless too.

True, not going to dispute that one.