0-20k Are small form factor PCs allowed to be taken on planes?

AntiSocialYuri

AntiSocialYuri

Enclave Plus
Beginner
Hello, everyone. I was wondering if I can carry a PC on planes with me. Will the security be a problem? I don't have issues with being asked about what it actually is by the security but I don't want it to be confiscated or have to discard it for not being allowed. I will only be traveling within India and have no plans to take this with me on an international flight.

The case I'm thinking of getting is the ant esports box c air, since it supports a M-ATX motherboard and I can use my existing components with it.

Picture of the case:

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Some airlines like Indigo don't allow putting big electronic components like mobile, laptops in the check-in luggage. So you will have to carry it in a cabin bag.

But will it fit in it, though? Cabin bags are small and have 7kg max limit.
 
Check your specific airlines baggage policies - dimensions, weight and max number of bags, allowed/restricted etc.
I may be wrong but they could allow it in check-in. I have brought the much smaller NUCs in check-in baggage without any issues.
 
The weight limit can be an issue but since I won't be needing a cabin bag, I thought I could just take the case by itself with the handle it comes with, without the use of any bags.
 
I'd probably not do it if using a tower cooler, multi-slot discrete GPU and mechanical hard drive unless of course, you remove them during transportation. The chances of them ripping your board and/or getting damaged is very high, especially in check-in.
 
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I built this 10L pc extensively for travelling. Never had any issues, except Air India. They made me weigh it, and charged INR 5k as an extra piece (they don't give two shits about their own policy). Outside that, it has never been a concern for security. Just don't place it in a checkin bag.
 
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The problem with confirming with the airline in advance is that the airline has no authority over the CISF force doing the security check. If they see something sharp or potentially usable in hijacking/damaging in the air, they might not like it.
 
desi_gamer said:
I built this 10L pc extensively for travelling. Never had any issues, except Air India. They made me weigh it, and charged INR 5k as an extra piece (they don't give two shits about their own policy). Outside that, it has never been a concern for security. Just don't place it in a checkin bag.
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Totally agree, Its definitely risky , primarily due to the way luggage is handled. But a decade back , I did get one in checking luggage and it still works.
 
I have carried Mini PCs and Slightly larger PCs in my cabin baggage several times and never actually faced any issues. Since I don't have a laptop, I carry my Mini PC and keyboard (or a Slightly smaller than what you have) Dell PC with me along with a massive mechanical keyboard and mouse quite often. If I feel there might be questions, I just turn on the RGB lights on the keyboard and put it in the scanner, so that that becomes the conversation piece.
 
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