Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Hamburglar]

Hey there. I'm almost done here and I got a big dual core PC desktop that I want to ship back to the states. I'm not too keen on taking it apart into all the components and would ideally like to ship it or get it through the airport in one piece without someone destroying it.

Does anyone know if the airport offers any service for this on 'special' baggage that won't get thrown around so much?

Or should I just go with FedEx/UPS/DHL and have it shipped and insured that way?

Thanks....

[ttompatz]

[superdave]

ttompatz advice is good ... however, i'd go a step further. i'd remove the hard drive, bubble wrap it and take it in my carry on luggage.

most computer parts will survive a few knocks. your lan card might not, but they're cheap as chips.

hard drives do not survive drops and bumps very well. and being an airport, regardless of the 'fragile' tag, it will get dropped. guaranteed.

carry your hard drive separately, and it'll more likely survive.

if you have a lot of luggage, be careful too, they've recently dropped baggage limits. so a computer might cost you big $$$ if it is deemed excess baggage. in which case you need to weigh the costs of shipping vs the cost of selling it and buying a new one back home.

[dogshed]

The box at the computer store with the foam corners is often just for the shipping of the empty case on a pallet, not good enough for shipping.

When I took computers on airplanes I would put them in their original box with foam corners and then put that box inside another box with about 3 inches of space filled with packing peanuts.

Graphic cards are heavier now which means more bending forces on the cards. Someone on another thread recommended putting some foam blocks around the graphics card.

All hard drives made since the 80's park themselves when turned off and are pretty secure inside the case. What's more important is the data. Of course the harddrives might be more sensitive now than when I was shipping them in the late 90's.

I was always more worried about damage to the outside of the case and the parts inside.

You can make a handle out of tape, and bring some extra tape with you in case you need to make a repair or open the box and reseal it.

[arpeggi]

if i disassemble my pc and bring my 2 hard drives in my carry-on bag, would airport security would be like, "what the heck is this?" or would they understand that it's a hard drive?

[bellum99]

Good queston ...if you are heading to the states. BLOODY FACISTS!

[arpeggi]

actually, i'm heading from the U.S. --> Korea.

thx!

[Snowmeow]

I actually brought my computer back and forth, without a box, and carried it onto the plane myself. it was a big case too. Not adviseable though! A couple of times, when I got onto smaller planes for a connecting flight the stewardesses almost prevented me from boarding. This is inspite of my computer being equal to 45 inches in measurement (height, width, length) which the airlines said to me earlier they allow.

really good advice from Superdave, Dogshed and TomPatz, I may do what they say next time I haul my new computer over, if I don't just sell the PC (minus my video card - onboard is fine for her) to my sister

[Demophobe]

I bought a small carry-on suitcase and cut styrofoam to fit all the parts in like a jigsaw puzzle. Mainboard, hard drives, CPU..everything fit perfectly.

I had to pen the case and show all the parts to the customs guy, but there was no problem. Bought a new computer case when I arrived.

Whatever you do, don't leave all parts intact in a computer case if you ship it. Remove the heatsink and all cards and place them, bubble wrapped, securely inside the case. Stuff the case with towels and it should be good to go.

[teachingld2004]

Snow: I was told that I could not bring my computer on as carry on luggage. It is a flad screne, and a slim CPU.

If Ican not carry it on, I was thiningof either of 2 things" Putting each piece in a seperte suitcase wrapped in all sorts of stuff. Bubble wrap, foam... Or else I was thinking if Icould take 2 boxes back instead of 2 suitcases, and then also putting lots of clthes around each piece.

[Snowmeow]

That's too bad about not being allowed to carry it on, especially since its flat screen and slim build. I had my flat screen in my backpack. Altogether my PC had been on 9 different airplanes and 4 airlines: Korean Air, American, Northwest, and Japan Airlines

When I put together my most recent pc I had considered using MicroATX so that it'd be as possible, decided against it in the end because I wanted more choices and a big video card

Good luck with all your decisions, disassembling is probably the way to go