Pretty soon i should be traveling From New York to Seattle. I was wondering the best possible way i can travel with my new computer? Is it better to travel by plain or train? I am also concerned on weight limitations. I have a Lain li V1000 with a Huge 110mm heatsink. So my computer is pretty heavy. Should i put it in a box or try to fit in in my suitcase. I thought about bringing it as my carry on. I just dont know. I am sure some of you have had experience with this. Please help me! Thank You.
I would use the original box but maybe remove the gcard, hsf and any other bit that may move then maybe even stick some bubble wrap inside the case
I'd pay to ship it seperately if I were you. No way I'd take it on me - one spilt drink and it's all over and you may have security problems. If you want to put in your suitcase and go by plane then you're taking an incredibly high risk. I had a friend who worked in baggage control and the bags aren't treated at all well. They just get thrown about all over the place. You've got two sensible choices. Drive it yourself and wrap some cushioning around it, or have it shipped. If you must use public transport then I'd go with train. If there's sensitive stuff in there then I'd take your HDD out and carry it seperately.
Yeah i don't have the original box. I threw it away 2 weeks ago. The cost to ship my computer via UPS or USPS would be insane. I dont know how much it weighs but its heavy.
this is a tough one. I threw out my old case (which I assume you aren't going to do) and then wrapped all the components in ant-static bags and then wrapped them in bubble wrap inside cardboard boxes. The boxes went in the middle of my checked bag and had clothing all around them. you could try that and just pay to have the case shipped. or, how many bags are you allowed? maybe put the parts in one and the case in another.
Well i have not yet decided if i am going to be traveling by plane or train. For plane you are allowed to check in 2 bags and have 2 carry on. There is a weight limitation though. For each bag you check in, it has to be less than 75lbs. There is no size limit though. Now for the train. I looked on the Amtrak website and You are allowed to have 2 carry-ons witch may not exceed 28x22x14 inches in size and they must be less than 50lbs. You are also allowed 3 bags to check in, but they also must weigh less than 50lbs and they must be smaller than 36x36x36. Each additional bag cost $10. I just email Amtrak telling them my problem. I think if i have to take the train i might just be able to have my tower sitting right next to me. If that is true i might consider buy one of thoughs LAN Gear harnesses for your tower. So my case will have a handle and it will be easier to maneuver. Thanks bit-tech!
Should i buy one of these If i can bring on case on the train. I think it will be the right size for my case witch is 19.25"x19.25"x8.25". Are there other better products similar to this one?
You can buy one, but personally I'd find a bag of my own that was a close fit and then stuff bubble wrap in there to pad it. You aren't LANing, so you don't need crappy pockets and quick access to your PC. You're travelling across the nation and may be taking different stops and changes, so you want protection more than anything else. Those strap things are great for taking your PC a few miles, but awful if you have an expensive case that you need to take on a train and don't want to get it scratched. Take out your GPU, RAM, CPU and HDD as these are the most important elements. Have them shipped to your new address (shouldn't be too much if you pack it tight and small). Take everything else out of your case except the motherboard and pack it all up safely. Put the case and secured mobo in a bag, pad it safely and carry that with you. When the package arrives, rebuild your system.
CardJoe is on the right track (no pun intended). I work for a custom computer company, we ship fully assembled systems across the US several times a day. We put the computer in the original case box (nothing beats the original box... never throw it away, ever ever ever), and then put that inside a larger box with custom styrofoam padding. Even with all that, we still have a horrible time of it. The usual culprits are CPU heatsinks or video cards coming loose, and sometimes taking other parts with them. I've never seen an empty case get damaged, though. Follow CardJoe's advice about taking out the key components, make sure everything else is firmly screwed in place, put at least one inch of padding and preferably two on EVERY side of the case, and ship it with a clear conscience. I would not put the case in your luggage - you'll need the space for other stuff, shipping it shouldn't cost much more than $40, and there's much less chance of it being lost and/or damaged. I live in Seattle and went to college in NY, and destroyed a couple of suitcases in the process. I'd never trust baggage handling with my V1000. *shudder* Double and triple check the PSU screws - we once saw an entire computer destroyed when a customer shipped it back to us with the PSU installed, but not screwed in. Even though the case (a smaller Antec) made it seem like it was pretty tightly wedged in there, it was having a nice chat with the hard drives by the time it arrived. As you can imagine, it had destroyed the motherboard, CPU, RAM, and video card in the process of getting there. Also, with the newer V1000s, the hard drive mounting systems are pretty worthless. I'd recommend that you take it out entirely, but if you don't, make sure it's firmly screwed in place, not just slipped in on their little guide rails. I'm also serious about padding EVERY side of the case. Someone sent us a V1000 for repairs, and their idea of packaging was to put it in a close-fitting cardboard box. The poor case was smashed out of shape by the time it arrived, we had to replace it for them. It wasn't even physically possible to remount all the components. It's also not uncommon for a box to get a 'puncture wound' in transit. A couple inches of padding will save the content's life, every time. Good luck with your move/traveling. NY to Seattle with stuff is not a fun trip.
