Keep soft tube or upgrade to hard tube?

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NotEnoughSpeed

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 4, 2001
Messages
345
Keep soft tube or replace with hard tube?

New build in my older Corsair Obsidian 500D RGB SE. First time building open loop cooling. My original thought was that since I may need to access the 13900k CPU again soon to test in other hardware, that having soft tubing would make it easier to get to the CPU without draining the loop. After spending many hours reconfiguring this loop over the weeks building this, I realized that I already tore down the loop like 3 times. I think soft tubing still came out looking nice.

Intel 13900K
Asus Maximus Z790 Hero
Corsair Dominator 6200 CL36 DDR5 32GB
EVGA 3090 FTW3 Ultra Gaming
Samsung 980 Pro 2TB NVME SSD
Corsair and Watercool open loop water cooling hardware
 

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Really depends on what your goals are and which aesthetics you prefer. My system is over 10 years old and I'm keeping it on soft tubing. I've barely upgraded it but the hassle of doing hard tubing isn't worth the aesthetics IMO. Others will think differently, and it just comes down to your preferences.
 
If soft tubing looks fine to you, keep using it. It's just so much less of a hassle actually working on things with a soft tube setup.
 
I also am in the soft tube camps. Hard tubing has no benefit beyond asthetics and is a pita. I think my soft tubes look good
 
My only regret is going way too thick on the tubing. I'm using 1/2"x3/4" and it's a real pain to get on fittings and whatnot. Have to soften it in hot water first lol.
 
I'm in the soft camp as well. Anytime I plan an upgrade I'm so relieved I'm still running soft.

And about the looks, hard line looks "better", but to me it looks artificial.
 
motqalden said:
I also am in the soft tube camps. Hard tubing has no benefit beyond asthetics and is a pita. I think my soft tubes look good
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The only benefit I can think of when it comes to hard tubes (beyond aesthetics) is that once you have properly installed them, they are unlikely to ever kink on you.

(Not that I've ever had an issue with kinky soft tubes, but it is a potential issue)


In every other regard I'd consider them a downgrade. They certainly make it more challenging to upgrade components etc. Build a littke slack and some QDC's into your loop and it is a snap to upgrade GPU's and CPU's without disassembling the entire loop.


Hard tube fittings also make me nervous. With soft tube compression fittings you can literally pull with all your strength on them once tightened, and while it is possible to yank them off, it is certainly not easy. With hard tube compression fittings they just kind of slide and pop off when you pull. Makes me.more than a little nervous.
 
I am in the process of going back to soft tubing right now due to a system upgrade.

Hard tubing can look great, and I was very happy with how it looked. But I never liked how flimsy the connections felt (Ekwb HDC), not that I ever had one pop off, or leak, but if I had to reach into the case and brushed up against one of the tubes and watched it move at the fittings it made me cringe.

You can of course make soft tubing look nice as well, and they do not have to be the bundle of long floppy tubes everywhere if you take your time and plan them out. I used soft tubing from 2001ish until 2020 and never had one leak or fail. If you use clear tubing you will get discoloration at some point.

Incidentally I am moving back to soft tubing, not because of the issues I stated above, or mentioned by others, but because I am cramming a third rad into a 011d XL. After mocking it up and seeing the ridiculous hard tubing bends I would need to make to accommodate the rad, I said "fuck that noise" and dug out my compression fittings and stockpile of soft tubing.
 
I prefer soft tubing, always have and always will. The main reason that I do not like the hard tubing is because of the reasons listed above, that being the connections feel flimsy and they cannot beat the secure feeling of a soft tube with a nylon clamp.
 
i'm soft tubing all the way. hard tubing just isn't worth the hassle and expense for me. there's no performance difference for using hard tubing, so really it comes down to if you prefer the look of it. i can't think of a single other reason.
 
Soft tubing 100%. Hard tubing is for a show piece only tbh. I can replace my CPU and GPU without draining the system thanks to quick disconnects. Sure it doesn't look as good but I care more about being practical.
 
Why not both? On my wife's build I used glass tubing on the pump/res and radiators and soft tubing with QDCs to the video card and CPU. Get the look of hard tubing whilst Mainboard, CPU and GPU upgrades remain fairly trivial.

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Soft. Hard tubing isn't really [H]ard, it's more just for show/art and does nothing for performance/function. Hard tubing is less secure/robust and is much more prone to leaks due to material failure. Done right, it can really look great, but again, it's all for show.
 
NotEnoughSpeed said:
EVGA 3090 FTW3 Ultra Gaming
Corsair and Watercool open loop water cooling hardware
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I'm stepping into the custom loop water cooling game for the first time and thought about doing hard tube, but the more I researched it, the more hassle it seemed, and soft tubing is just simple and works. Plus, I don't really care for RGB or any shiny lights so I figure I can use clear tubing and make it look good enough and be happy with the performance.

On a side note, you happen to have the exact same card and waterblock combo that I plan on using. How do you like the Heatkiller V block and active backplate? What kind of temps are you getting, especially at memory junction with the 3090 FTW with the active backplate? I run a lot of Stable Diffusion these days and it gets my air-cooled 3090 FTW3 junction at around 95-100C, so active backplate it is.

Also with the block and active backplate, isn't the card like 6lbs? From my understanding, it's generally not recommended to horizontally mount the card and blocks like that without supports so I'm wondering if you have any issues with card sag in that orientation.
 
If your main goal is just performance then there is no reason to go with rigid tubing. However, If you get any enjoyment out of the hobby, because watercooling is a seperate hobby all its own, then you should try rigid tubing at least once. I will concede all the points that other members have made about soft tubing being more convenient, it is. But this can also be a hobby about aesthetics and design. Trying to achieve the perfect bend or a certain aesthetic is something I cant give up, and will never go back to soft tubing for my daily driver. Hardline tubing adds a visual impact, a wow factor, that is pretty addictive. I respect all of you, but I see this hobby as a form of art and I still have not achieved the perfect build.
 
Smoked Brisket said:
If your main goal is just performance then there is no reason to go with rigid tubing. However, If you get any enjoyment out of the hobby, because watercooling is a seperate hobby all its own, then you should try rigid tubing at least once. I will concede all the points that other members have made about soft tubing being more convenient, it is. But this can also be a hobby about aesthetics and design. Trying to achieve the perfect bend or a certain aesthetic is something I cant give up, and will never go back to soft tubing for my daily driver. Hardline tubing adds a visual impact, a wow factor, that is pretty addictive. I respect all of you, but I see this hobby as a form of art and I still have not achieved the perfect build.
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I get enjoyment out of the increased performance and reduced noise.

I get no enjoyment out of PC building aesthetics. To me it is the appearance of what is on screen and only the appearance of what is on screen that matters.

I get no more enjoyment out of the aesthetic appearance of the plumbing in my computer case, than I do out of the plumbing behind the walls in my bathroom. :p
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I get enjoyment out of the increased performance and reduced noise.

I get no enjoyment out of PC building aesthetics. To me it is the appearance of what is on screen and only the appearance of what is on screen that matters.

I get no more enjoyment out of the aesthetic appearance of the plumbing in my computer case, than I do out of the plumbing behind the walls in my bathroom. :p
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Ok. I guess if we are making analogies about bathrooms I would say that I get enjoyment out of the hot shower and solid flushing but also enjoyment in shiny matching tiles. Many get enjoyment out of fast cars because they are fast and also because of their styling and shiny paint. To each his own.
 
Smoked Brisket said:
Ok. I guess if we are making analogies about bathrooms I would say that I get enjoyment out of the hot shower and solid flushing but also enjoyment in shiny matching tiles. Many get enjoyment out of fast cars because they are fast and also because of their styling and shiny paint. To each his own.
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I'll agree with that as far as it goes, but my case doesn't have a window, and while taking the door off is easier than opening up a wall cavity I'm not doing that if there isn't a problem, so like Zarathustra[H] I don't care about it's looks either.
 
Smoked Brisket said:
Ok. I guess if we are making analogies about bathrooms I would say that I get enjoyment out of the hot shower and solid flushing but also enjoyment in shiny matching tiles. Many get enjoyment out of fast cars because they are fast and also because of their styling and shiny paint. To each his own.
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For the first year or so I enjoy the aesthetics. The second year is a mix. By the third, it's all how well it works - I'm used to it being pretty.

Same reason I don't decorate offices/rooms/etc unless it's a shared room that the wife cares about. After a year or two, who cares? It's a room.
 
I'm going full ZMT in my build. Then again I have no RGB and a steel side panel. :LOL:
 
i went from glass tubing to ZMT w/ QDCs and have never looked back. If you ever plan to change your hardware out and want to do so with a minimum hassle, stay with soft tubing..
 
caw2007 said:
i went from glass tubing to ZMT w/ QDCs and have never looked back. If you ever plan to change your hardware out and want to do so with a minimum hassle, stay with soft tubing..
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Which QCC? I was looking at the EK ones but they basically want $90 per.
 
russnuck said:
Which QCC? I was looking at the EK ones but they basically want $90 per.
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Koolance QD3 is what I use. I use the 5/8 OD x 7/16 ID EK ZMT tubing and the Koolance fittings in 10mm x 16mm (3/8in x 5/8in).
 
caw2007 said:
i went from glass tubing to ZMT w/ QDCs and have never looked back. If you ever plan to change your hardware out and want to do so with a minimum hassle, stay with soft tubing..
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How does ZMTs durability compare with Tygon? I've always used the latter because being transparent means I can see if any problems are going on.
 
DanNeely said:
How does ZMTs durability compare with Tygon? I've always used the latter because being transparent means I can see if any problems are going on.
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it's a bit more rigid and so not as prone to kinking. As far as I've seen it doesn't break down in any way. I use it with clear EK fluid. I prefer the aesthetic as I have an o11d xl. I can monitor my block's cold plates visually if I notice anything funky going on in aquasuite.
 
The ZMT is EPDM, the same stuff used to line koi ponds. Pond liners have a useful life of more than 20 years when exposed to sunlight.
 
+1 on the Koolance QD3's. Each pair is a little expensive at $30 ('cuz you need a male and a female per connection), but if you avoid funky particulate coolants which can build up on interior rings where you can't get to for proper cleaning, they will last damn near forever.

Also, for the soft tubing sections of my loops, I use plain jane clear 5/8" tubing from Home Depot or Lowes. Sure it will eventually stain a bit with colored coolants but you won't really notice until you drain the loop for maintenance, but it is cheap and easy enough to replace since you are already pulling everything apart to do the aforementioned loop maintenance anyway. Never had any kind of degradation or breakdown. Loop maintainance usually happens every 3 or 4 years.
 
I just ordered the bykski ones. I'll give them a good leak-down test before putting any fluid in them. Going to use the same EK fittings I'm using for the rest of the build.
 
Got some of my EK fittings and the ZMT, yup it smells like a pond liner. :LOL:

Edit: durr... EPDM is also used for automotive coolant hoses.
 
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Soft tube or glass for me.

Tube is easily serviced, clamp hoses, remove component, swap, etc. Have to drain the loop with hard
 
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