As a result of a knee injury from picking up my laptop case, I got a fancy new rolling laptop case for Christmas (Thanks, Mom! ). Injured knee or not, it’s been great to not have to haul around a heavy case which always left a dent in my shoulder.
However, after using my new case for a few months, I’ve begun to worry about whether or not it’s really okay to transport a laptop this way. Even over relatively smooth asphalt, those little wheels cause a lot of vibrations. It seems to me that prolonged vibrations like that can’t be good for the internals of my computer.
So, I’m here to solicit input from the computer gurus of the SDMB. Do the vibrations from a rolling laptop case damage computers or am I just overthinking the situation?
Most of the rolling laptop cases I’ve seen suspend the laptop in the case body. If yours does that, I wouldn’t worry too much.
If yours doesn’t, get a soft sleeve for the laptop. I don’t think the vibration should be too much of a worry, but if the laptop is jiggling against the case, that might jar something. A padded sleeve should protect it.
I think you’re right to be concerned. That’s a lot of vibration for a device with a hard drive and socketed chips. Not to mention the risk of absent-mindedly running it over a curb and really jolting it. Even if the bag is heavily padded, the laptop is still going to get shaken around a lot. I would expect to at least have to reset the RAM into the sockets at some point.
I dunno – given the pre-existing injury (how do you blow out a knee picking up a laptop – is it one of those 12 lb gaming machines?), you might consider just getting an electronics rider on your home insurance policy to cover you against damage (or see if the manufacturer provides one).
First, the laptop is a rather large, desktop replacement. A Dell Inspiron 1100, to be exact. I had it in a case with a bunch of papers for work. It wasn’t as heavy as a backpack full of college texts, but it probably weighed in at about 15 lbs, total. Anyway, I put the case on the floor and squatted next to it to add even more papers. I threw the strap over my shoulder and stood up quickly. Apparently, my knee torqued just a little bit off with the added weight on that side and ripped the lateral meniscus. I really need a better story…
I thought about this question my first day working at a client site in Germany after dragging my rolling laptop case over about 2km of cobble style paving stones. After a week of that I couldn’t stand the noise so bought a laptop backpack.
Shock can certainly damage electronics but IMO it shouldn’t be a serious problem with a rolling laptop bag. Modern laptops are reasonably robust as long as the hard drive is parked and I don’t know anyone who can trace a dead laptop to that kind of case. I woudn’t want to leave a laptop on with the hard drive running but I’ve inadvertantly done that a few times and ol’ gray is still running fine. I thin the sound of rumbling wheels is worse than it might seem. The urethane skate wheels are pretty hard and the bearings transmit a lot of the rumble but the rests of the bag is of fairly soft construction and the laptop itself is inside a secondary padded bag so there is a lot of stuff to dampen shock. Still YMMV, caveat emptor and void where prohibited.
A couple of years ago I inadvertently dropped my laptop from about chest height onto a hard marble floor. it happened because I had opened the carrying case to show it to the security guard, and forgot to zip it back up. My heart sank to my boots as I heard the loud “WHAPP!!!” echoing through the lobby of the building where I work. But the computer was fine, and it continues to be so as I am posting from it right now.
I have a well-cushioned laptop case, but it’s the small kind that doesn’t hold much more than the laptop. Since I usually have a lot more stuff I have to carry back and forth, I started using a small wheeled carry-on suitcase into which I put the laptop, in its own case. This wasn’t long after the dropping incident, and it’s been fine.
I have used a rolling laptop case for the last 4 years. I travel a lot on business and my case has rolled through more airports that I can count. Across parking lots, down stairs (sometimes) and what not. I have traveled so much with it I had to have the zipper repaired, and will have to buy new wheels soon.
Never a problem. Not one, nada, zip, nothing.
Best part is my bad back and neck don’t hurt.
). Injured knee or not, it’s been great to not have to haul around a heavy case which always left a dent in my shoulder.