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3/8" I.D. vs 1/2" I.D. hose

T

ToeJam13

Senior member
All,

I am about ready to build my first water cool kit and I have run into a small question.

I am unsure as to what size tubing I should go with for my system. I have heard that some water-blocks run better with faster flow, others run better with larger input. However, I have yet to see any sites that rate one water-block better or worse with each kind of tube.

Also, are there any other benefits of using a larger tube, such as decreased turbulence in the water (decreased noise) and increased heat dissipation (more tube surface area)?

Just curious before I take the dive into water cooling...
 
In general, the larger the ID of the tubing, the less restrictive it will be to the pump. However, the larger the tubing, the more difficult it can be to route in your case. Personally, I wouldn't even consider 1/4" ID tubing, as that just seems entirely too small to me.
 
very maginal difference in cpu temps between the tubbing

LIKe .5 degrees ...

Just make sure when you route the tubbing there no restrictions, or 90 degree bends
that will hurt temps more ...
 
From what I understand, smallish ID's don't hurt cooling performance as long as the blocks used take flow metrics into account. If you're hell bent on using something like 3/8 ID take a close look at Euro\German blocks for your loop.
 
I used 1/2" ID in my water cooling setup to maximize flow and because all of the blocks, and the rad had 1/2" barbed fittings (details in my sig below). I agree that larger tubing can be harder to route, just make sure that if you go with 1/2"ID tubing (or any ID for that matter), you get good, high quality tubing that is nice and flexible. I used Clearflex 60, which is basically just a high quality PVC tubing and I had no trouble making bends, etc, however I do have a large case.

If I were to set up W/C in a mini or mid tower I would probably use the following:

3/8"ID high quality tubing (eg. Clearflex60 or Tygon)
Swiftech MCP350 pump (has 3/8" fittings)
Swiftech MCW6000 CPU WB (has 3/8" fittings)
DD Maze 4 GPU WB (available in 1/2" and 3/8" fittings) - If you're planning on WCing your video card.
Most heater cores at DD store (available in 1/2" and 3/8" fittings)

I wouldn't go any smaller than 3/8"ID as this will likely inhibit flow, not only that, but most of the good W/C hardware out there will have at least 3/8" fittings.

My 2 cents 🙂
 
H2OCool,

You are not far off from what I've been looking at.

Here is what I've picked out so far:
[*]Swiftech MCW6002 or Alphacool NexXxoS XP waterblock
[*]Aqua-Computer Airplex Evo 160 radiator
[*]Hydor L20 (AC) or Swiftech 350 (DC) pump
[*]Aqua-Computer Twinplex GPU cooler (hadn't ruled out others yet)

I've been trying to find out if the Hydor is quieter than the Swiftech pump. I've also discovered that Hydor has a new pump, the L25, which updates the old L20. I haven't heard any news about its performance.
 
It's gonna be hard to find a pump that's quieter than the Swiftech. You literally have to put your ear right next to the pump in order to hear it.
 
even though im not into water cooling, here is my two cents about the pumps. I run a Hydor pump for my aquarim to run my protein skimmer, its not silent by any means but does not make a lot of noise
That Hydor pump is an ac pump so you would not be able to run it off of your power supply, you would have to set up a relay or a switch of some type to turn it on, the swiftech is dc so you could run it off your pc power supply.
 
Yup, I would rather go DC than AC, not only due to the cost of the relay, but also due to the RF noise it would generate.

The Swiftech 350 is a 3/8" ID pump, and costs $70US.
The Hydor L20/L25 is a 1/2" ID pump, and costs $34/$38, plus $15-$20 for the backplane relay. Figure another $15 to make a box for RF/noise supression.

If I do go with the Swiftech 350, I might as well use 3/8" tubing for everything. If I go with the L20 or L25, I'll most likely go with 1/2" tubing. The Evo 160 radiator can handle 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" tubes. Swiftech makes both a 3/8" (MCW6000) and 1/2" (MCW6002) CPU waterblock.

Ugh... choices. Sometimes its not a good thing. 😉
 
I use 8mm ID as it was standard with my first Innovatek watercooling kit. As I understand it, the size of the tubing is not significant with the standard of kit available today. It is far more important to avoid sharp turns 🙂
 
HW is right in that the larger the tube, the less pumping power you'll need. However, smaller tubing diameters may provide superior heat removal depending on the type of block you're using. The magnitude of the effect will also depend on the block style.
 
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