Will his PC survive the plane ride?

A user wants to travel to Germany and takes his gaming PC with him. He puts it in a suitcase so that it survives the flight. The owner has now posted a video where he opens his suitcase with the computer again.

A player reports on reddit that he wants to travel to Germany with his gaming PC. To do this, he packs his computer in a suitcase and hopes that the PC will survive the long journey by plane.

Did the PC survive the journey? In another post on Reddit, the user shows how he opens his suitcase after the trip. Inside you can then see your gaming PC, which actually survived the journey without any signs of damage:

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What are the reactions? In general, many in the community point out that he should have dismantled the PC instead: In the worst case scenario, the graphics card would have bent the PCIe slot or the CPU could have come loose and smashed the glass panel or other components. Many are surprised that everything went well.

Can you even take your gaming PC on a plane?

Is that even allowed? Whether you can travel to a country with a desktop PC always depends on the airline and the country. We checked the USA as a sample. Here the official American “Transport Security Agency” (TSA) writes that entry with a desktop PC is permitted (via tsa.gov). According to the website, you can even take your gaming PC in your hand luggage, but you have to pay attention to the travel regulations of the relevant airline. A Mini-ITX system should be easier to transport than a large Midi tower.

The South African airport company, as a second sample, only points out that you should keep your electronic items to a minimum (via airports.co.za). Computers are not explicitly mentioned here.

What alternatives are there? Instead of taking the gaming PC with you in your hand luggage, you can also hand your computer over to a courier service that will bring your computer to your destination for you.

However, this may not be very useful for a short vacation, as transport with such a company can take several days and sometimes even a week. However, if you are planning a longer stay in the USA for study or work, for example, then it is more worthwhile. On top of that, transport like this can quickly become very expensive, depending on the value of your computer and the insurance coverage.

Pack the gaming PC correctly for transport: If you ever want to travel with your gaming PC or at least move, then take the following tips to heart:

  • You should dismantle very large graphics cards and processor coolers so that they do not come loose or the PCIe connectors can be bent.
  • You should back up your data before every transport so that nothing is lost. You should remove sensitive hard drives; in most cases you can leave SSDs in.
  • You can easily fill large gaps with newspaper. Do not stuff the newspaper, otherwise you may damage components with the pressure.
  • Another recommended tip is a garbage bag inflated with air, which you can use to fill large interior spaces. You should cover sharp edges and corners with newspaper beforehand.
  • If you use liquid cooling, let the liquid out first so that nothing can leak out.
  • A player brags that his gaming PC is worth 4,000 euros. A friend shares pictures of his PC, but many say: This computer is definitely not worth it. You can find out more about this directly on MeinMMO:

    A player brags that his gaming PC is worth 3,700 euros – the community explains why he miscalculates mercilessly

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