Pro/Forums - View Single Post - Spot the difference

Cathar · 09-24-2006, 03:07 PM

I think you'll find that even most of the "top-end" European systems are using anything between 8mm to 10mm ID tubing (3/8" is 9.6mm).

The 1/2" ID phenomenon occurred at a time when the water-blocks and radiators of the day (5 years back), including the blocks and radiators coming out of Europe at the time too, almost all showed moderate to strong performance benefits even up to 10LPM, and some even beyond.

Five years ago many in the USA, and even I for that matter, arrived at the conclusion that peak performances were to be attained in the >8LPM range no matter who built the item - whether Europeans or Americans (or Australians). The waterblocks which all had nothing to gain above 4LPM were eclipsed noticably by the high-flow-rate happy items, and this further strengthened the drive towards high flow rate, large tubing solutions.

You have to remember, this is all happening back in the day of stupendous heat dumping overlocked Athlon T'Bird's and first-gen Willamette P4 CPU's, back when an extra 50-150MHz was actually noticable, and even small performance gains at the waterblock through increased flow rates resulted in significant drops in CPU temperature, which then facilitated higher overclocks in a CPU performance hungry world.

Fast forward 5 years, and there's a few blocks and radiators out on the market now which, through correct engineering and a better understanding of the nature of fluid dynamics driving design, which offer close to the best of both worlds. Close to peak performance at moderate flow rates. Sure, higher flow rates will still perform/cool better, but is anyone sitting at the keyboard going to notice it? The answer is no.

European and American designs have been quietly converging over the last 2-3 years, but from opposite ends of the spectrum. Many factors have resulted in this, not the least of which is greater understanding of block design at both sides, and a CPU market that is mellowing. Yes, there have been a few American manufacturers, notably Swiftech, who have always stood by the 3/8" approach while still catering for the 1/2" approach, just as there have been some European systems using 8mm tubing while most were still using 4/5/6mm.

Seems to me that somewhere between 8-11mm ID (5/16" - 7/16" ID) lies the "ideal" modern tubing ID. In that range, pick what you want as best suits your needs.

There's no need for pointless trans-Atlantic bashing.

09-24-2006, 03:07 PM	#15
Cathar Thermophile Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 2,538	Re: Spot the difference - Maze 4 GPU I think you'll find that even most of the "top-end" European systems are using anything between 8mm to 10mm ID tubing (3/8" is 9.6mm). The 1/2" ID phenomenon occurred at a time when the water-blocks and radiators of the day (5 years back), including the blocks and radiators coming out of Europe at the time too, almost all showed moderate to strong performance benefits even up to 10LPM, and some even beyond. Five years ago many in the USA, and even I for that matter, arrived at the conclusion that peak performances were to be attained in the >8LPM range no matter who built the item - whether Europeans or Americans (or Australians). The waterblocks which all had nothing to gain above 4LPM were eclipsed noticably by the high-flow-rate happy items, and this further strengthened the drive towards high flow rate, large tubing solutions. You have to remember, this is all happening back in the day of stupendous heat dumping overlocked Athlon T'Bird's and first-gen Willamette P4 CPU's, back when an extra 50-150MHz was actually noticable, and even small performance gains at the waterblock through increased flow rates resulted in significant drops in CPU temperature, which then facilitated higher overclocks in a CPU performance hungry world. Fast forward 5 years, and there's a few blocks and radiators out on the market now which, through correct engineering and a better understanding of the nature of fluid dynamics driving design, which offer close to the best of both worlds. Close to peak performance at moderate flow rates. Sure, higher flow rates will still perform/cool better, but is anyone sitting at the keyboard going to notice it? The answer is no. European and American designs have been quietly converging over the last 2-3 years, but from opposite ends of the spectrum. Many factors have resulted in this, not the least of which is greater understanding of block design at both sides, and a CPU market that is mellowing. Yes, there have been a few American manufacturers, notably Swiftech, who have always stood by the 3/8" approach while still catering for the 1/2" approach, just as there have been some European systems using 8mm tubing while most were still using 4/5/6mm. Seems to me that somewhere between 8-11mm ID (5/16" - 7/16" ID) lies the "ideal" modern tubing ID. In that range, pick what you want as best suits your needs. There's no need for pointless trans-Atlantic bashing.