Rigid Tube 12/10 vs 12/8 - performance?

A

AP2

[H]ard|Gawd
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Is there a performance difference between 12mm/10mm vs 12mm/8mm rigid tubing?

most of my system is 12/10, but I bought the 12/8 on accident.

Thanks!
 
AP2 said:
Is there a performance difference between 12mm/10mm vs 12mm/8mm rigid tubing?

most of my system is 12/10, but I bought the 12/8 on accident.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I've never seen water cooling parts measured in mm before (everything I have is dimensioned in inches, but maybe that's because I don't use hard tubes)

That said, there was an old thread that was pinned in this forum years ago that compared the performance of various tubing ID's, and I don't recall it making much of a difference.

Let me take a look and see if I can find it.
 
AP2 said:
Is there a performance difference between 12mm/10mm vs 12mm/8mm rigid tubing?

most of my system is 12/10, but I bought the 12/8 on accident.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Someone years ago ran a test. Unfortunately as I remember that site is now defunct.

As I recall though the difference was, at best within a scientific margin of error.
 
Here we go.

Old, but still holds true.

Tubing dimensions do have an impact on flow and thus temps, but it is very very small. It is dwarfed by the impact of the restrictiveness of various blocks and radiators in the system.

Modern pumps are also better than when this test was performed, so the differences are likely even smaller.
 
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Generally larger dia is better. It reduces load on your pump also. You can also speed up flow by changing dia size for a particular loop. However do not mix sizes as that will cause other issues.
 
What issues will mixing sizes cause? I have been running rigid tube a d soft tube at different sizes in the same loop for years with no issues.
 
You'll have different flow rates thru the loop for one thing. The other thing is that it will create noise due to the restriction and size difference. It's just basic plumbing at this point.

 
The blocks and the radiators have different flow rates, how is it different? Increased noise has not been my experience. Not saying that different tube sizes is a goal, in my case I have soft tubing behind the mobo because it was way more convenient.
 
Smoked Brisket said:
The blocks and the radiators have different flow rates, how is it different? Increased noise has not been my experience. Not saying that different tube sizes is a goal, in my case I have soft tubing behind the mobo because it was way more convenient.
Click to expand...

The old house guy talks a lil about different noises and what the culprits usually are. In plumbing when you go from one dia to a smaller dia, the flow is accelerated. This can cause a squealing sound. And when low noise is the goal, it's good to know what can cause issues.
 
thesmokingman said:
The old house guy talks a lil about different noises and what the culprits usually are. In plumbing when you go from one dia to a smaller dia, the flow is accelerated. This can cause a squealing sound. And when low noise is the goal, it's good to know what can cause issues.
Click to expand...
It's also worth noting that PC watercooling doesn't even approach the pressures or velocities found in residential plumbing. If you're forcing enough water through a loop for the fluid passing through turbulance to be audible, you've probably already blown o-rings in fittings or blocks.

OP, inner diameter is almost negligible on performance. What it does impact when it comes to hard tube is the ease of bending. Thin-wall stuff deforms much more easily in my experience. 12-8 should make much smoother bends for you if you're used to 12-10.
 
Yea, true... flow rates in pc use are much lower so oddities will be kept at a minimum.
 
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