How to pack a PC (abroad move)

baltazar · 11 May 2021 at 13:26

Hey guys,

Have a question. Me and my Mrs are moving abroad (UK > PL) and are trying to figure out the best way to pack our PCs for the movers (a company is driving our stuff in a van).

We will be packing the van ourselves (so we can be sure its placed safely) but obviously we dont want anything to break.

We dont have the original boxes for our cases, I have the original box for my 3080 and CPU Fan but thats about it.

Was thinking is there a company that makes PC travel boxes, or re-enforced cardboard boxes specifically for PCs or anything along those lines?

Any help would be awesome.

Thanks!

P.S. hopefully this is the right place to post.

mickyflinn · 11 May 2021 at 15:31

You should pack the inside with bubble wrap so nothing moves around inside.

Outside either bubble wrap or a blanket tgen put it on a box.

SheepBeast · 11 May 2021 at 18:07

The graphics card and CPU cooler (if it's an air one) are worth taking out and packing separately. Other components should be ok, just find/buy a large enough box to fit the system in with some polystyrene or several layers of bubble wrap around it on all sides.

hyperseven · 11 May 2021 at 19:05

get one of those Instapak foam bags, activate, pop in case, close the case then find a suitable box and put in some polystyrene separations.

Quartz · 11 May 2021 at 22:14

@SheepBeast speaks true.

Finners · 11 May 2021 at 22:51

SheepBeast said:
The graphics card and CPU cooler (if it's an air one) are worth taking out and packing separately. Other components should be ok, just find/buy a large enough box to fit the system in with some polystyrene or several layers of bubble wrap around it on all sides.

I would add the PSU to this list, have seen a few horry stories of PSU breaking free in transit and smashing around inside the case.

SheepBeast · 11 May 2021 at 23:19

Finners said:
I would add the PSU to this list, have seen a few horry stories of PSU breaking free in transit and smashing around inside the case.

Oof. I guess it depends on the case, but yeah if the PSU is secured only by the screws on the rear then it's not a bad shout to remove it too.

Hotwired · 11 May 2021 at 23:25

Had a GPU die after being left in the case while driving a few hundred miles.

Maybe it was something else. It was still DOA at the other end.

Rroff · 11 May 2021 at 23:28

If a PSU is breaking loose from most cases the amount of force it has experienced has probably done a ton of other damage as well :s

Quartz · 12 May 2021 at 10:19

Rroff said:
If a PSU is breaking loose from most cases the amount of force it has experienced has probably done a ton of other damage as well :s

In some cases they're only held in by 4 screws.