Desktop Transport cases?

Mechcondrid

hey anyone got any good recommendations for transport cases for desktop pcs?
i know pelican would be top-of-line ideal but that shits expensive like you wouldn't believe for even a mid-tower pc case!
preferable features would be some sort of sealable gasket or dust seal that is at least somewhat water proof (not like drop it in a pool waterproof but you get the idea) and preferably wheels or a handle or carry strap.

my budget if it meets all criterion is some where around a couple hundred tops

a fraking toaster

what about a big plastic bin with a cover...get some pillows for padding and there ya go.cheap and doesnt look suspicious.also water proof.

Corley

I built a case for my son from a hard shell carry-on suitcase. I glued foam in to line the inside. It's basically a pelican case on the cheap. I used closed cell insulation foam from Home Depot. It has survived many trips between Seattle and Boston. On some flights he was required to gate check it due to the plane being too full. The computer made it with out any issues.

If the case is small enough there can be room for the keyboard, mouse, and other peripherals. I think we even jammed a 17" LCD in it also, but that was only once.
This is the case that we used for his computer, just for size perspective. Rosewill FBM-01- Dual-Fan Micro ATX Mini Tower Computer Case

You can always get a bigger suitcase to fit a bigger case.

Mechcondrid

well as for the plastic bin; no, just no, i can foresee a multitude of possible points of failure in that.....
as for the hard shell suit case; that would work i can get pick and pluck foam rather easily, but i dont have the actual suitcase so i'd still need to buy one any ideas?

Corley

I really couldn't give a recommendation. The one I used I bought at a local discount store that sells overstock stuff from other stores. It cost about $30. I would think any hard shell suitcase would work. They sell them in just about any big box store, Walmart, Target, etc. I would just find one that meets your requirements and is in your price range.

Mechcondrid

actually i'll probably be going with an SKB case, its a SKB 3I-2424-14BE; it's fully submersion proof up to 1 hour, so its IP67 rated at worst can be fitted with TSA latches and has in-line wheels for transport their basically pelican but no where near as expensive for the most part B&H has them for $229 with free ground shipping and $49 2 day shipping
the only caveat is it doesn't come with cube foam at the price (but i already have a place i can source from for reasonable prices)

jdixon1972

I have never done the bring your own computer thing, but I have had other friends that have had theirs shipped in. Of course, outer packing material covering the whole unit is imperative, but don't forget about the inner workings of a desktop unit. Large units will almost always have some parts loosen or even disconnect completely during shipping (kind of a contents may shift while shipping type of thing). I've had some friends put plastic air packets or bubble wrap in the unit to prevent this. If not, before you open the packages and start reconnecting the desktop, open it and check every installed part to make sure everything is snug (memory, video card, processor/heatsink/fan, any kind of liquid cooling). Is there any kind of BYOC transportation FAQ?

Mechcondrid

ya i would never trust a shipping company with something of that intricacy or value; 1 because if they do fuck something up the so-called "insurance" is a damn nightmare to file a claim for and in the meantime of the 2 to 3 weeks for it to be "investigated" (yea right, BS) your, depending on the item, out the use of your computer/monitor/etc unless you want to spend the money to by a new one pre-emptively.
and 2 i know from experience that unless your paying the ridiculous overnight or 2nd day that they will not only HOLD the package at the destination facility if it's not the last business day of the shipping timeline but if it's late they essentially say "oh well sorry, but deal with it. "
the whole point of getting a semi-dry box like this is so i can transport it myself (which is both easier and more reliable)
and to be honest if asked i would strongly recommend NEVER relying on a shipper for pc transport, EVER...
your better off paying the $15-30 fee for the extra baggage check than the (possibly) thousand(s) of a broken or damaged pc
or sacrificing the cargo room if your driving

hobbseltoff

My advice for you is to go Mini ITX. I have an NCase M1 (previously had a Cooler Master Elite 130) and I can just stick it in an overhead bin.

Mechcondrid

ya not going to rebuild a pc that's not even 3 months old from the build date, and besides if i go mini-itx a lot of those cases have issues with full length GPUs fitting well enough to cool efficiently (or at all); as it is i have yet break even 60C on my gpu at full utilization and at an ~180mhz overclock, all on air cooling.
and i must say (coming from a razer blade laptop and before that a monstrosity BTX case and board) it is rather nice not having a computer double as a space heater
my old original desktop could bring my room form about 65F up to about 74F in about an hour and a half of serious gaming.
also i usually take a greyhound bus as i'm only (straight shot) just under 2 hours from the convention center and the ticket is only $15 each way (it'd cost me more than that in gas to go up in a car and back) and i've yet so see them use a bus with a proper overhead (they're more like little cubbys for very small bags and purses at best)

btw found a different shop thats even cheaper for the cases, caseclub.com for everyone's reference, and they seem to carry all hard case brands the SKB case i ordered was only $195.40 so i was even able to break below my price point! and they are actually a little cheaper than my source for pick & pluck foam when you bundle it with a case! pick and pluck for a 24x24x14 case for me would have been about $65 to $70 and they bundle it for about $42 bucks.
they do charge shipping but it is at least reasonable for the case i got it was about 28lbs for shipping and it charged me $60 and change for normal ups ground, every other store i looked at if they charged shipping was a lot closer to $100 or more for the same weight and carrier.

hobbseltoff

I'm sure that there are some Mini-ITX cases that do have issues with full-sized cards but I have not experienced that with the two cases I mentioned (they also both dissipate heat quite well given their size) and I think you can generally avoid that issue if you do your research. And when you mentioned checked baggage, I assumed airline (I fly to 4-5 LANs a year). I don't know how baggage on buses works but if you get to load it yourself, you can probably get away with just using a good suitcase. If you don't get to load/unload yoursef, I personally wouldn't trust it no matter how you pack it.

Mechcondrid

greyhounds a little weird if its not carry on size (think large backpack or good size briefcase) you have to check it, but it depends on the drivers mood if you get to load it yourself.
and i totally agree with you, thats why i wanted a pelican like box, so i can put in pick n pluck and basically make a form fitting insert space for the tower and monitor, the foam is high-density polyurethane so it keeps things in place quite well if in a cubed case (which this is) so i'm not too worried about shock damage as it will have a layer of at least 3 inches of foam on all sides completely flush with the case