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Best way to transport gaming pc

PurpleCodes

Just bought a BYOC ticket and was looking for advice from seasoned veterans on what is the best way to transport my gaming tower and monitor. I have a mid-atx and a 24" monitor. I will be flying in from cali and don't know the best way to send my tower there first. My backup plan is to bring my gaming laptop and just use that but if someone has done this before let me know the best way. Also I'm concerned about customs. There and back.

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Don't bring your desktop on a plane.  There are too many horror stories about how the TSA handles computers.  I've done Quakecon and other LANs and your best best is to either drive or have a laptop.  You might consider driving if you're in northern Kalifornia.  I'm driving from the middle of Montana - a 12 hour drive through Seattle.  You don't want to land, get your bag, and find a destroyed system.

 

For this one I'm driving because my son doesn't have a gaming capable laptop.  So we will bring his desktop and monitor and a wagon or large luggage bag to carry them in.  Since he is stuck with his desktop that gives me an excuse to bring a couple of decent monitors for my grandsons laptop and my laptop.

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2 minutes ago, brianschoenrock said:

Don't bring your desktop on a plane.  There are too many horror stories about how the TSA handles computers.  I've done Quakecon and other LANs and your best best is to either drive or have a laptop.  You might consider driving if you're in northern Kalifornia.  I'm driving from the middle of Montana - a 12 hour drive through Seattle.  You don't want to land, get your bag, and find a destroyed system.

 

For this one I'm driving because my son doesn't have a gaming capable laptop.  So we will bring his desktop and monitor and a wagon or large luggage bag to carry them in.  Since he is stuck with his desktop that gives me an excuse to bring a couple of decent monitors for my grandsons laptop and my laptop.

I'm in san diego so a 22 hour drive does not sound fun but thanks for the advice.

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20 hours ago, PurpleCodes said:

I'm in san diego so a 22 hour drive does not sound fun but thanks for the advice.

I'm coming from Colorado, so I'm looking at 29 hours but I think it'll be worth it to have a nice monitor and PC there. Also I plan on exploring canada and have planned a longer trip to allow me to see more of Canada. I'd definitely recommend finding a travel buddy, it'll help the drive go faster. Good luck!

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Best way to pack a PC for a lan?

 

Partially disassemble it.

 

Remove CPU heatsink, videocard, drives.  Heatsink goes in bubble wrap, video card and drives go in static bags, and bubblewrap.  Line the inside of the PC with a large static bag and place all components inside on top.  Use packing tape to seal up everything.

 

Been to two international lans before this one and I've always done it this way.  And the hardware is always intact.

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So what about tools then? I would assume there would be a screw driver somewhere around, right? Also, what about the monitor?

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On 3/4/2019 at 1:59 PM, awibb said:

So what about tools then? I would assume there would be a screw driver somewhere around, right? Also, what about the monitor?

I can almost guarantee that somebody will have a screwdriver, but really just pack one to bring. It will save you the trouble of finding one and waiting for it to be available. You could also just pick up a ~$1 screwdriver from a dollar store in canada and give it to somebody else when you leave.

Please "Quote" me if you want me to see your response.

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So what i plan on doing is packing both monitor and pc in my check in bag, going to separate them using memory foam i have lying around, im also leaving my tempered glass side panel at home. Going to remove gpu, cooler, hard drive. Possible power supply just for weight saving on the check in bag for a flight  

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2 hours ago, awibb said:

So what i plan on doing is packing both monitor and pc in my check in bag, going to separate them using memory foam i have lying around, im also leaving my tempered glass side panel at home. Going to remove gpu, cooler, hard drive. Possible power supply just for weight saving on the check in bag for a flight  

Just make sure that you pack everything well enough that your checked bag could be dropped from 3 feet monitor side down without receiving damage. A lot of people underestimate baggage handlers. It might be worth putting something like a sheet of plywood between your computer and the front of your monitor (of course with foam or bubble wrap around it) so that any force is applied to the frame of your monitor and not the display itself

Please "Quote" me if you want me to see your response.

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Buy a razer gaming laptop. It's light and compact, easy to fly with.

"And I'll be damned if I let myself trip from a lesser man's ledge"

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1 hour ago, Velcade said:

Buy a razer gaming laptop. It's light and compact, easy to fly with.

not everybody can buy a new laptop?

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If you have a large tower cooler (anything over 500 grams, not aios or small coolers like cryorig m9), take it out. A screwdriver will not be hard to find.

Take out the GPU aswell, and then buy a instapack

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BU5W3YE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GTtCCbMB618NQ?tag=linus21-20&th=1

and stuff it in your PC. Transport PC either in original case w/ foam + lots of that saran wrap stuff

or a new box with lots of foam & packing peanuts and lots of that saran wrap stuff

or in a suitcase with packing peanuts and lots of that saran wrap stuff

 

then transport GPU + mabye CPU cooler in og box, with more saran wrap stuff.

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I'm in Michigan. Building a Mini ITX system just for the show, because driving across the continent is not an option. I'll probably buy a monitor once I get there.

Not long ago, in a galaxy relatively nearby...

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I flight with my PC (mini itx inside a Phanteks TG case) I have a DRP3 cooler. all I do it put clothes inside. Cover the tempered glass with some more clothes. And pack my 27 inch monitor in another bag along side lots of clothes in the top of the screen. I have done this maybe 8 times in the past 2 years. I am talking long flights, it is all fine with it never had issues. But a laptop is always easier, recently i just begun to travel with a alienware r5. 

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K @4.9 GHz 6-Core Processor CPU Cooler: be quiet! - Dark Rock Pro 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU CoolerMotherboard: MSI - Z370I GAMING PRO CARBON AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard Memory: PNY - Anarchy 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 @3000 MemoryStorage: 960 evo 500gbVideo Card:place holderCase: Phanteks - Enthoo EVOLV ITX TG (Black) Mini ITX Desktop Case Power Supply:SeaSonic - EVO Edition 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply Case Fan: be quiet! - SilentWings 3 pwm 59.5 CFM  140mm Fan Case Fan: be quiet! - SilentWings 3 PWM High-Speed 73.3 CFM  120mm Fan Case Fan: be quiet! - SilentWings 3 PWM High-Speed 73.3 CFM  120mm Fan Monitor: Dell - S2716DG 27.0" 2560x1440 144Hz Monitor Mouse: Place holder Sony H.ear on Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphone, Charcoal Black (MDR100ABN/B)  LEOBOG K26 Wired RGB Mechanical Keyboard,Gaming Keyboard,RGB Color Backlight,104 Key,Anti-Ghosting For Full Key,Blue Switches,Aluminum Chassis,Detachable wrist rest,PC,Computer, Laptop,BLACK (Black)EZDIY-FAB Sleeved Cable - Cable extension for power supply with extra-sleeved 24 PIN 8PIN 6PIN 4+4 PIN With COMBS- Black Grey

pcpartpicker: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/resdal42/saved/sCW6XL

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 3/4/2019 at 9:59 PM, awibb said:

So what about tools then? I would assume there would be a screw driver somewhere around, right? Also, what about the monitor?

Get a screwdriver kit from iFixit:   Mako Driver Kit - 64 Precision Bits.  It's pretty small and only $30. 

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I'll have my Pro Tech Toolkit with me. I'm sure a lot of other people will have theirs too.

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  • 5 weeks later...

I plan on taking my Ghost S1 on board with me in a backpack. Anyone know if I will have to empty the liquid out of the custom loop. It doesn't have a reservoir just 2 rads.

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I thought travelling will be a little sketchy. Me and my wife will be flying out there for BYOC but I plan to have a mini-ITX build to minimize the size and weight. She really wants to bring her main glass panel rig tho so I'm glad there are good suggestions on insta-pack, static bags, and parts removal. I'll have to see what works

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/23/2019 at 3:52 PM, PurpleCodes said:

I'm in san diego so a 22 hour drive does not sound fun but thanks for the advice.

22 hours with loved ones goes quick. Take breaks stop at diners.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This should honestly be a LTT how-to with Dreamhack keyworded/hashtagged all over.

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Safe = You drive. expensive = you pay some premium shipping company to haul it over there. unsafe pack it up and take it with you on the plane. ( you might wanna disassemble half the important stuff and carry it with you ) and insure it with everything they have to offer. 

 
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  • 4 weeks later...

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