Okay, so I'm moving up to Seattle in a week to attend UW. I'm planning on bringing my massive and very expensive gaming rig with me. Obviously, this poses a big problem.
It comes down to two options, really.
1. UPS
2. Plane check-in (Alaska airlines)
Which do you guys think offers the best safety for my rig? I will be removing the GPU and Heatsink which are the two largest and most wiggly parts. I might also take out the hard drives. This stuff I will carry on in my backpack.
How should I pack it? I have my case's box, which is some very sturdy cardboard with these nice foam insets. But should I jam some peanuts in there too or what?
It depends on how much you're willing to pay for it's saftey.
If you UPS it and pack it well, the guarantees that it'll not be banged up are low. That is why I would recommend you apply a declared value to your package of at least $1000 if you do ship it. This guarantees that it'll get treated like a VIP and, in the worst case, you get a claims check in case it got damaged or lost. Doing that will add anywhere from $15-20 on top of the shipping costs.
I used to be the mail clerk at my job and I would regularly send computers to our other branches using this method along with cramming a ton of packing bubbles into the box and taping the fuck out of it.
I've heard a lot of horror stories about lost and delayed luggage so I wouldn't even recommend it.
EDIT: The computers I sent out weighed around 35lbs total and cost around $40-60 bucks (from CA to the East coast) with insurance via UPS Ground. The price escalates dramatically if you use any other rate. You could easily check on the UPS website.
Specifically it's weighing in at about 50 pounds, declared value probably about $1500 after I remove the GPU and the dimensions are going to be about 24x9x21
UPS is definitely sounding like the best option at this point, although it is rather pricey.
Specifically it's weighing in at about 50 pounds, declared value probably about $1500 after I remove the GPU and the dimensions are going to be about 24x9x21
UPS is definitely sounding like the best option at this point, although it is rather pricey.
I had my parents fit some old styrofoam cases around my desktop, then ship it in a bicycle box that was slightly re-shaped to fit the computer... I think they used UPS or FedEx, worked well (at least no obvious issues that were due to the shipping)
I would definitely recommend UPS/etc over airplane checked baggage though. Make sure the insurance covers electronics (I have a vague memory that shipping via USPS electronics couldn't be insured, though I could be mis-remembering)
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If you UPS it and pack it well, the guarantees that it'll not be banged up are low. That is why I would recommend you apply a declared value to your package of at least $1000 if you do ship it. This guarantees that it'll get treated like a VIP and, in the worst case, you get a claims check in case it got damaged or lost. Doing that will add anywhere from $15-20 on top of the shipping costs.
I used to be the mail clerk at my job and I would regularly send computers to our other branches using this method along with cramming a ton of packing bubbles into the box and taping the fuck out of it.
I've heard a lot of horror stories about lost and delayed luggage so I wouldn't even recommend it.
EDIT: The computers I sent out weighed around 35lbs total and cost around $40-60 bucks (from CA to the East coast) with insurance via UPS Ground. The price escalates dramatically if you use any other rate. You could easily check on the UPS website.
UPS is definitely sounding like the best option at this point, although it is rather pricey.
I had my parents fit some old styrofoam cases around my desktop, then ship it in a bicycle box that was slightly re-shaped to fit the computer... I think they used UPS or FedEx, worked well (at least no obvious issues that were due to the shipping)
I would definitely recommend UPS/etc over airplane checked baggage though. Make sure the insurance covers electronics (I have a vague memory that shipping via USPS electronics couldn't be insured, though I could be mis-remembering)
PSN: TheScrublet