Bringing a computer overseas.

[juandeag2k]

I am considering moving countries however, I have no idea how I will bring my computer over. Its a mid tower (nzxt s340), nothing special inside but I don't want to sell it and buy a new one there as prices there are a lot higher and I will most likely get a very bad deal overall.

[IntMD]

Unless it isnt very much to post it, take everything you are keeping out of the case, and sell the case. You should be able to fit the rest in luggage without it taking too much space/weight. Then buy the case in the new country.

[SpaceGhostC2C]

My 2 cents as someone who changed continents multiple times:

 

Safest bet is to un-build it, put everything back in its original packaging, and optimize space with soft and light things (I brought some pillows inside partially compressed vacuum bags, inside my empty PC cases; cloth would work as well).

Two things you need to consider: 1) shipped boxes are treated as trash, 2) checked luggage is treated as trash. On one hand, that means everything you ship is at risk; on the other hand, it means that the original packaging is good enough to protect the components as they got shipped across the planet from manufacturer to distributor, from distributor to retailer, and from retailer to you, being treated like trash at every step  (the smallprint in shipping terms of service indicate that you should pack things so they withstand a ~1m fall).

 

Back in the day, we shipped a whole computer and the chassis got slightly deformed. We didn't fully realize until the AGP slot (yes, that long ago ) got burnt due to arcing: the case was bent near the expansion slot area, meaning the GPU was slightly off the slot, causing arcing at some pins. Bottom line: A damage case can be a bigger problem than it may seem. Protect it well or sell it and get a new one at destination.

 

I had a lot of stuff to move last time, so I used both shipping and luggage. Dearest components (a CPU+Mobo+RAM+SSD+GPU+cooler combo) came with me in checked luggage, in their original packaging, surrounded by cloth, etc. (I also used the motherboard's box to store the RAM sticks, M.2 SSDs, etc). I use one of these to store HDDs, also in my checked luggage. Many other components were shipped in large boxes (avoid using too large/too heavy boxes like I did - higher chance of shipping companies destroying them). I used original packaging when available, and anti-static bags, bubble wrap and other fillers inside random boxes (as closed to the bubble-wrapped item(s) size as possible) otherwise. Everything in my suitcase arrived fine, and while UPS manage to destroy a couple of shipped things, none of the PC components seems affected (including liquid coolers, an old mATX server shipped in barebone-like state, a couple GPUs). I also shipped an audio receiver in home-made packing, and it got a dent in the chassis, but no damage inside.

 

Bear in mind that both checked luggage and shipped boxes can spend some time out in the open at airports while in transit, regardless of the weather. Hence, as an extra precaution I wrapped any boxes containing electronics with plastic foil, kind of replicating the plastic film often found in original packaging.

 

Having said all that, make sure that what you pay for shipping / extra luggage allowance, if anything, is less than the excess cost of buying at destination. I did it because a) I had other things to ship anyways, b) prices at destination are outrageous, c) availability is also much lower, so some components I would not get regardless of my willingness to pay for them.

 

[juandeag2k]

17 minutes ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

My 2 cents as someone who changed continents multiple times:

 

Safest bet is to un-build it, put everything back in its original packaging, and optimize space with soft and light things (I brought some pillows inside partially compressed vacuum bags, inside my empty PC cases; cloth would work as well).

Two things you need to consider: 1) shipped boxes are treated as trash, 2) checked luggage is treated as trash. On one hand, that means everything you ship is at risk; on the other hand, it means that the original packaging is good enough to protect the components as they got shipped across the planet from manufacturer to distributor, from distributor to retailer, and from retailer to you, being treated like trash at every step  (the smallprint in shipping terms of service indicate that you should pack things so they withstand a ~1m fall).

 

Back in the day, we shipped a whole computer and the chassis got slightly deformed. We didn't fully realize until the AGP slot (yes, that long ago ) got burnt due to arcing: the case was bent near the expansion slot area, meaning the GPU was slightly off the slot, causing arcing at some pins. Bottom line: A damage case can be a bigger problem than it may seem. Protect it well or sell it and get a new one at destination.

 

I had a lot of stuff to move last time, so I used both shipping and luggage. Dearest components (a CPU+Mobo+RAM+SSD+GPU+cooler combo) came with me in checked luggage, in their original packaging, surrounded by cloth, etc. (I also used the motherboard's box to store the RAM sticks, M.2 SSDs, etc). I use one of these to store HDDs, also in my checked luggage. Many other components were shipped in large boxes (avoid using too large/too heavy boxes like I did - higher chance of shipping companies destroying them). I used original packaging when available, and anti-static bags, bubble wrap and other fillers inside random boxes (as closed to the bubble-wrapped item(s) size as possible) otherwise. Everything in my suitcase arrived fine, and while UPS manage to destroy a couple of shipped things, none of the PC components seems affected (including liquid coolers, an old mATX server shipped in barebone-like state, a couple GPUs). I also shipped an audio receiver in home-made packing, and it got a dent in the chassis, but no damage inside.

 

Bear in mind that both checked luggage and shipped boxes can spend some time out in the open at airports while in transit, regardless of the weather. Hence, as an extra precaution I wrapped any boxes containing electronics with plastic foil, kind of replicating the plastic film often found in original packaging.

 

Having said all that, make sure that what you pay for shipping / extra luggage allowance, if anything, is less than the excess cost of buying at destination. I did it because a) I had other things to ship anyways, b) prices at destination are outrageous, c) availability is also much lower, so some components I would not get regardless of my willingness to pay for them.

 

What if I were to put some components into my carry-on, do you know if there are rules against that?

[Dedayog]

Just now, juandeag2k said:

What if I were to put some components into my carry-on, do you know if there are rules against that?

Nope, no rules against at all.  Even less of an issue than a laptop (battery can be dangerous), for example. 

[SpaceGhostC2C]

Just now, juandeag2k said:

What if I were to put some components into my carry-on, do you know if there are rules against that?

There shouldn't be any specific rule as far as I know, just check against general rules (like a screwdriver being a "sharp object" or an AIO water cooler being "liquid", etc). I'm trying to think of any specific example I may have done, but I think I've shipped/checked anything bigger than an SSD  You may have to take it out for security screening, like laptops.

 

There are rules for checked luggage too, though, so make sure you have enough carry-on room for the things you cannot check (my wife once got a laptop replacement battery removed from her checked luggage, something she only knew once she arrived and found a nice note from the departure airport's security inside her suitcase, telling her she could pick it up there in X time... )