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1/2 vs 3/8

C

Circaflex

Weaksauce
Joined
Jan 4, 2004
Messages
77
Well i searched and looked around but couldnt really find a definite answer. Im going to be cooling my cpu, gpu for sure and maybe my nb depending on the money i can get. Now i heard the 6800 gt adds a lot of heat, i was going with a thermochill 120.2 but thought hey maybe a 120.3 would be better for this setup? Im gonna run a dd12v pump, but i cant decide on the tubing size. I heard 3/8 is a lot easy to route but would my temps be that much different that i would notice it and be pissed i ddint get 1/2?
 
from everything that i've read, the temperature difference between 3/8 and 1/2 is very small.
 
thats good to know so either way id be good, would this setup work correctly? The rad with the pump and a tdx from dd and a 6800 block from dd? Or would that be too much for this? Maybe even add some sort of nb cooler?
 
1/2 is slightly better than 3/8. With things being the same price regardless the only reason you would ever go 3/8 is if you do not have enough room for 1/2. Unless you are using a system specificly designed for a smaller diameter tube(most European systems).

The DD 12V pump has enough power for all 3 blocks, just make sure you get a rad that can remove all that heat. Dangerden is a pretty solid choice for most parts.
 
I would reccoment the 3/8" id tubing for easier routing. I would also reccoment getting everything with 1/2" fittings (fittings that are made for 1/2" id tubing). Reason... fittings made for 1/2" id tubing have a 3/8" id; fittings made for 3/8" id tubing have a 1/4" id.

To get the tubing over the 1/2" fittings you can heat the tubing in very hot (not boiling) water and push them on. It softens it up. Another trick I just remembered tonight (while putting my setup together) was to use a small ammount of liquid dish soap to lubricate the tip of the fitting before you put the hose on. Just a small dab on a Q-tip will do, smeared around the fitting.
 
so if i grab the 7/16 when i order my rad i just select the 1/2 option along with everything else at 1/2?
 
Yes, 7/16 will stretch onto 1/2 fittings with no problems. 7/16 tubes are smaller than 1/2 so you shouldn't have so many problems that some people evidently have routing tubing ;) and you have the benefit of better water flow rates than the 3/8 tubing. Despite what people say, flow rates do affect temps. On 3/8 tubing, flow rates start getting choked after ~5lpm because of size restrictions. At this point, 7/16 tubing is the best solution for temp vs noise but this could all change... water cooling is still growing. More changes to come.

Bush/Cheney finally admitted that Iraq hasn't had a WMD program for almost 13 years, it's time for 3/8 tubing people to admit that water flow does affect temps. :D
 
bellevegasj said:
Yes, 7/16 will stretch onto 1/2 fittings with no problems. 7/16 tubes are smaller than 1/2 so you shouldn't have so many problems that some people evidently have routing tubing ;) and you have the benefit of better water flow rates than the 3/8 tubing. Despite what people say, flow rates do affect temps. On 3/8 tubing, flow rates start getting choked after ~5lpm because of size restrictions. At this point, 7/16 tubing is the best solution for temp vs noise but this could all change... water cooling is still growing. More changes to come.

Bush/Cheney finally admitted that Iraq hasn't had a WMD program for almost 13 years, it's time for 3/8 tubing people to admit that water flow does affect temps. :D
Click to expand...

But 1/2" OD fittings are still 3/8" ID. I don't see the benifit of putting larger ID tubing on fittings that will still only provide a 3/8" path through them.
 
bellevegasj said:
Bush/Cheney finally admitted that Iraq hasn't had a WMD program for almost 13 years, it's time for 3/8 tubing people to admit that water flow does affect temps. :D
Click to expand...

water flow does affect temps. as does water volume and water velocity. most blocks anymore are designed to operate with a higher flow rate, i.e. higher velocity. all you need w/ 3/8 tubing to get a higher flow rate is a pump that produces more pressure. by itself, forcing a large amount of water through a small opening increases the velocity, so really using 3/8 tubing doesn't hurt much.

in order for your tubing to make a difference, the rest of your components have to be designed to take advantage of that. but to show you something interesting, the new 3/8 swiftech block performs better than the 1/2 block (ref. www.procooling.com).

and yeah, most 1/2 od fittings are still 3/8 id. but 3/8 tubing is still more restrictive than 1/2.

i've used both, and am going back to 3/8. i didn't see any difference in temps and 3/8 is easier to work with.
 
PsycoGeek said:
But 1/2" OD fittings are still 3/8" ID. I don't see the benifit of putting larger ID tubing on fittings that will still only provide a 3/8" path through them.
Click to expand...

I just wanted to make it clear that I am asking for an explanation, and I am not trying to get anyone worked up over this.

I also just measured the ID on the chromed fittings on the DD blocks (specificall the NV68, since that is the only one not currently hooked up to tubing), and they measure 13/32", just 1/32" larger then 3/8", and 1/32" smaller than 7/16". BUT... the plastic wye's and other 1/2" fittings are still 3/8" ID. Anyone know where to get 1/2 fittings like the ones DD includes on the blocks?
 
Noob with a question here.

I keep hearing people refer to OD & ID. I have no idea what that means.

PsychoGeek says "1/2" OD fittings are still 3/8" ID"
:confused:
 
DieLate said:
Noob with a question here.

I keep hearing people refer to OD & ID. I have no idea what that means.

PsychoGeek says "1/2" OD fittings are still 3/8" ID"
:confused:
Click to expand...

OD= Outside Diameter
ID= Inside Diameter

A fitting is usually refered to by it's OD, which matches the tubing size it is made for. Fittings also have a wall thickness. A typical 1/2" OD fitting has a 3/8" ID.
* A 1/2" OD fittins is meant to be used with 1/2" ID tubing.

Tubing is usually refered to by it's ID. If someone says they have 3/8" tubing, they usually are refering to it's ID. The reason we refer to tubing by the ID is because tubing can have different wall thicknesses.
 
yes on the id and od and fittings. ^^^

one option you have is to take a drill and bore out the fittings, which is fairly easy to do on the plastic fittings as long as you're careful not to break it. just remember, the more you bore it out, the weaker it will be. with the brass fittings it's not so bad (since metal > plastic), but you still have to be careful not to bore out too much material.

when i get around to rearranging my crap i'll probably bore out my fittings this time before i install them onto the parts.
 
What's funny about this site is that nobody ever gives any temps, a technical explanation or any details on testing procedures. Everything is pretty vague like x is better than y but no real reasons for the conclusions.
 
Runner a cheap pump in a 1/2" system will result in worse temps than a good pump with a 3/8" system.

1/2" is only of value if you are using high quality pump, rad, and block. Down side is it's a pain in the ass in a small-medium size case.
 
Temps are relevant only when you compare your results to your results. Motherboard sensors are inaccurate and even vary from BIOS revision to BIOS revision, so comparing two different setups with so many variable is pointless. The info we give here is relative to any water cooling setup and can be applied to any setup. Results will vary and that's why people are reluctant to give specific temps and "you will see x temp drop if you do y" kind of statements. Water cooling is not an exact science and you have to treat it as such.

The fact is that there is data out there on pumps, flow rates, etc... All you have to do is use Google to find them, or ask.
 
Even mentioning temps based on your Mobos onboard sensors is just a waste of time. might as well be pulling numbers out of your ass. Heres one now 48c....wow!

This is from Overclockers.com article on "Watercooling myths exposed":

Myths About Temperatures and Measurement

Myth: On-board temperature sensors are accurate.

Reality: You shouldn't even ask what someone else's temps are. This is one of the biggest problems I see in forums. YOUR temps are not even accurate relative to your own system, much less someone else's.

Go to Overclockers.com to read the full article. Its really very good.
 
If they use an actual temp. sensor, and not just looking at whatever their motherboard manufacturer's utility shows, why wouldn't their temps be accurate compared to their own?

I'm sure lots of people here have temp sensors installed next to their CPUs.
 
It depends on where the sensor is placed, and if it gets bumped/moved.

I use the onboard temp sensors only to reference my own system. They are accurate in that sense I beleive. I don't compare my temps to other peoples systems, nor do I use it as an accurate measurement of the real temps. I use it as a consistency check only. If I see it going out of whack, then something is wrong.

Also, the innacuracy in the onboard sensors comes from reporting the temps incorrectly. Abit is notorious for adding 10c to the readings. Other than that thay should be accurate in their range (low temp to high temp).

It would be interesting to see someone take the same cooling setup on two of the same boards and record temp readings, and chart them (lets say 10 separate mountings on each motherboard), just to see how they compare (IC7 Max3 to IC7 Max3).
 
Yeah, I got a 15 degree reduction in temps... by flashing my BIOS on my Abit KV8-MAX3. Now I don't know why I spent all that money on my Swiftech cooler! :p
 
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